Prevenge
Shudder | Release Date: March 24, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 23, 2017
Prevenge is a brilliantly conceived meditation on prepartum anxiety and extreme grief. Read full review
90
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoMar 20, 2017
Prevenge is a breathtaking, savage debut from Alice Lowe, one that boasts horrific moral deprivation and a sense of humor drenched in maternal madness. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaMar 27, 2017
Lowe, who was actually pregnant during production, also wrote the movie’s script, whose rough edges and gaps are filled in by her strong sense of tone and instinctual truth as a director. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 23, 2017
A pitch-black, blood-soaked comedy and phenomenal first feature by Alice Lowe, who also stars as Ruth, the pregnant heroine. Read full review
80
The TelegraphPatrick SmithMar 20, 2017
Serving as an allegory on post- and antenatal depression, Prevenge is a kaleidoscope of violence and humour, a tense tale that wickedly extracts laughs through the banality of its suburban setting. Read full review
80
Total FilmKevin HarleyMar 20, 2017
Subtexts about grief and revenge help anchor the plot, though the more decisive clincher is Lowe’s guiding imprint – a mix of scathing vernacular wit and genre savvy. Read full review
80
CineVueMartyn ConterioFeb 9, 2017
Covering depression, grief and pregnancy as body-horror, the end result is a palpably unusual mix of comedy, pathos and gruesome violence Read full review
80
Time Out LondonStaff (Not credited)Feb 6, 2017
Perhaps understandably, it’s slightly scrappy and can feel a little like an overextended TV sketch in places. I laughed hard – feeling like a bit of a sicko – but you might find it plain nasty. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 18, 2016
It is a well made, well controlled film, and its sullenly monomaniac quality – perhaps partly a function of the star doing the writing and directing – is entirely appropriate for the subject matter. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeMar 22, 2017
A wryly misanthropic slasher comedy about a woman whose fetus commands her to kill. Read full review
75
The PlaylistJessica KiangNov 18, 2016
Uneven though it is, and downright shaggy at times, Prevenge is valuable in that it plots so unexpected an expectant-mother story — one in which pregnancy is actually ultimately minimized in terms of its impact on the story. Read full review
75
The Film StageDaniel SchindelNov 15, 2016
Conceived out of Lowe’s own experiences with pregnancy and shot while she was herself seven months along, the movie is a distinct blend of black humor, viciousness, body horror, and pathos. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 23, 2017
While the plot is skimpy, the performances are rich, which turns Prevenge into a series of satirical sketches, dissecting the social dynamics between a mother-to-be and the various men and women who think they have an advantage over her. Read full review
70
VarietyGuy LodgeNov 18, 2016
While not every tonal downshift here is entirely fluid, this remains a smart, risky one-off, unconcerned with those (and there will be many) who can’t acquire its taste. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMar 23, 2017
At its best, Prevenge feels like a hilarious distillation of every conflicted, politically incorrect thought that many pregnant women are too polite to share in public. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMar 20, 2017
Alice Lowe evinces a knack for locating society’s most awkward pressure points, and a willingness to punch them. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 20, 2017
As the psychodrama of a lonely woman with a score to settle acquires seriousness it saps the misanthropic sense of mischief and madness, causing the movie to lose its way. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerFeb 9, 2017
Alice Lowe’s directorial debut may falter in its grip, especially in story and tone, but it’s a daringly evocative film that marks a filmmaker of imagination and promise. Read full review
60
Screen DailyLee MarshallNov 18, 2016
As with babymaking, the conception is more fun than the delivery, which comes perilously close to turning our knocked-up heroine’s kill list into a series of very dark alt-comedy sketches. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsMar 24, 2017
Lowe's attempts at getting into anti-heroine Ruth's head are largely unsuccessful, though her performance is sometimes effectively hysterical. Read full review
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