The Blackcoat's Daughter
A24 | Release Date: March 31, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
3
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 30, 2017
The movie is so perfectly acted and gorgeously filmed (the cinematographer is Julie Kirkwood) that we don’t mind its coyness; the twanging notes of trepidation make us almost grateful for the leisurely build. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinJun 15, 2016
As with so many of the best mystery-horror films, the optimum way to enjoy a first viewing of this is try to remain as ignorant as possible about what happens. That said, it also brims with tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-them details that will repay repeat viewings. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Mar 29, 2017
The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a clammy hand on the back of the neck, a chill running down the spine, a shot of ice water straight to the veins. Every moment, almost every shot, has been carefully calibrated to stand hairs on end. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 30, 2017
Eventually, The Blackcoat’s Daughter connects the pieces and ends strongly, though Perkins smartly spends more creative energy on crafting creepy situations than on pointing toward the payoff. Read full review
80
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMar 30, 2017
Few horror debuts unnerve and fascinate as much as this one. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonJun 15, 2016
In addition to everything else he does right in February, Perkins plays fair: When you replay the movie in your mind after the final fadeout, you realize that every twist was dutifully presaged, and the final reveal was hidden in plain sight all along. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 17, 2023
Some genre fans may feel cheated by the lack of overt gore (there is some but, although it's explicit enough to have warranted an R-rating, it falls considerably short of the graphic bloodletting of slasher films), the unhurried pace, and the lack of many horror tropes, but the movie isn’t a carbon copy of every other “demon possession” movie out there. Read full review
75
ConsequenceRandall ColburnJul 13, 2016
This is the kind of film that follows you home, that makes you scared to enter a dark alley or go in the basement. Read full review
75
The Film StageMichael SnydelJun 15, 2016
A stylish exercise in dread, teasing out its slow-drip horrors with precision, and building a deliriously evil presence that hovers along the fringes. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 30, 2017
The film gets gory toward the end, and as with most horror films, the climax isn’t as satisfying as the build-up. But Perkins builds layer after layer of dread, so that when an explosion finally occurs, it’s almost a twisted relief. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnMar 29, 2017
The root of evil in The Blackcoat’s Daughter isn’t particularly original or deep, but the movie’s twisty plot and eerie atmosphere makes it deeply unsettling anyway. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMar 30, 2017
The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a visually striking masterpiece of mood and carefully calibrated storytelling. If only its technical gifts...were in service of a better — or at least more original — story. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMar 28, 2017
Oz Perkins exhibits a committed understanding of the cinematic value of silence and of vastly underpopulated compositions. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoApr 6, 2017
The Blackcoat's Daughter aims for lofty satanic thrills, but gets lost in visuals that oversell a barbed but tangled nightmare. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 30, 2017
The Blackcoat’s Daughter — an illusion to a priest’s cassock? — never amounts to much more than its tone, the dread Perkins summons up with morose faces, shadows and music. Read full review
40
The GuardianJordan HoffmanApr 4, 2017
The frozen landscapes are undeniably gorgeous and the empty school halls are chilling. There are crafty moments here and there, glimpses of the midnight movie that could have been. February’s big villain is precisely what the film is lacking: a devilish spirit. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comJustine SmithMar 29, 2017
In spite of some compelling performances and a consistent mood, the film fails to ground any of these aesthetic flourishes in story or emotion. Read full review
0
ObserverRex ReedApr 4, 2017
Misguided and lethargic horror movie. Read full review
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