Perpetrator
Shudder | Release Date: August 25, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 22, 2023
This is a bold and unique slice of storytelling that serves up some genuine scares and bone-chilling fright moments while pointing a finger at a culture that alternately glorifies, worships and sexualizes young women and revels in stereotyping them and tearing them down. Read full review
83
The PlaylistAnna BogutskayaFeb 25, 2023
The plot is mostly irrelevant, aside from how it allows for Reeder’s ideas and imagery to flow. Oozing, gooey blood and messed-up school uniforms, secrets whispered in high school bathrooms, glitter dresses, and uncanny face masks all meld together to create a film rich in atmosphere and artifice. Read full review
80
Paste MagazineMatthew JacksonAug 29, 2023
By the time the credits roll, all the ingredients Reeder’s been carefully marshaling come together in surprising, satisfying ways, delivering a horror film that leaves the world a little bigger, a little stranger and a little scarier. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 24, 2023
Screwy and strange, Perpetrator is gleefully unsubtle, but its ensanguinated excess is part of the fun. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAug 24, 2023
In the best possible way, Reeder has returned throughout her career to stories and characters rooted in trauma, while expanding the fantasy/reality boundaries of her narratives. This is her best realized work so far. Read full review
75
The Film StageDavid KatzFeb 25, 2023
Reeder boldly conceives of the patriarchy as an extractive force, not just harming female solidarity and individuality, but using it as a resource to grotesquely mine from. Read full review
70
IGNLena WilsonSep 1, 2023
Perpetrator wavers between absurdity and gravity when it should just pick a lane, but thanks to a scene-stealing performance from Alicia Silverstone and some good gory gags, it’s a worthy addition to the booming world of unhinged-teen-girl horror. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurraySep 1, 2023
Some movies are meant to be messy, and some messes are strangely alluring. Read full review
70
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyFeb 25, 2023
It’s McKirnan’s unflappable performance and energetic humour that hold it all together. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerFeb 25, 2023
Perpetrator may be silly and over-the-top, but inside of it lies a beating heart — quite literally, you will see — that yearns to express itself. Read full review
67
IndieWireJude DryFeb 25, 2023
Perpetrator suffers from a novice lead performance and a script that tries to do too much. It’s an ambitious addition to the feminist horror genre with blood and guts to spare, but it’s no game-changer. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloSep 1, 2023
It’s not always clear what the movie is trying to say, but even its misfires are more interesting than most because of what Reeder and her stars bring to their characters. Read full review
40
Screen RantNadir SamaraSep 1, 2023
The script plays out like a mystery that keeps you guessing, but it also works against the film at points. Perpetrator has something important to say but just doesn’t know how to say it. Read full review
40
VarietyJessica KiangFeb 25, 2023
Operating at a strange remove from modern reality, it seems to belong more to the teen experience of a couple of decades ago, the very era from which so many of its reference points hail. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeAug 29, 2023
Perpetrator cycles through characters and settings at a considerable clip, never stopping long enough to flesh them out beyond an outline. Read full review
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