The Mangler

Name: The Mangler
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Released: March 3, 1995
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Robert Englund, Ted Levine

1995

METASCORE

Overwhelming dislike based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 149 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	Your Score
7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 149 Ratings

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The Mangler

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: March 3, 1995 | R

Starring: Robert Englund, Ted Levine

Summary: A laundry-folding machine has been possessed by a demon from Hell, causing it to develop homicidal tendencies.

Director: Tobe Hooper

Genre(s): Mystery, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

The best part of the movie is the fetid, oppressive atmosphere Hooper works up inside the sweatshop that evocatively serves as an industrial hell. The Mangler itself is an imposing creation, and its gory activities (which are more so on an unrated video version) pack an occasional chill, but too much of the movie is devoted to slack plotting and overstated acting. Read full review

Empire Kim Newman

Lame and clunky in many places which doesn't manage to save this bizarre premise from dull absurdity. Read full review

Time Out London

One would expect a horror movie about a possessed laundry-press to put the audience through the wringer. Instead, this tedious Stephen King adaptation takes the two-dimensional characters of the source story and squashes them even flatter. Read full review

Stephen Holden

It is not a compliment to suggest that a demonically possessed piece of machinery embarked on a bloodthirsty rampage has more personality than most of the flesh-and-blood characters in The Mangler, a horror movie based on a Stephen King story. Read full review

Steven Rea

Plodding and virtually plotless (employee gets caught in maw of machine, blood squirts, boss tells everyone to get back to work, employee gets caught in maw of machine...), The Mangler might have been amusing if it had been played for laughs. Instead, this dreary yarn is hardly played for anything. [6 Mar 1995, p.D02]

Richard Harringdon

Adapted by Hooper, Stephen Brooks and Peter Welbeck from a King short story, The Mangler is ludicrous from start to finish: Its plot lines dangle, its effects fail to dazzle and the acting and directing are uniformly bad. The movie looks as if it's gone through its namesake, the five-ton, 40-foot-long Hadley Watson Model-6 Steam Ironer & Folder. Even the least demanding of genre fans will be hard-pressed to tremble in its presence. Read full review

Marc Savlov

After a string of disappointments culminating in this silly waste of time, it's hard to care if horror's golden boy carries on or not. Forget The Mangler. Go do your laundry instead. Read full review

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User Reviews

Bask

Apr 24, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hadley Watson is the manufacturer of the Mangler, it's displayed right on the front. Each of those words have 6 letters in them. There is a big 6 right underneath those words. That's 3 6's. 666 is the sign of the Beast.… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

Defame

Apr 30, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 10/10 Surrealistic portrayal of manufacturing where management will sacrifice anything to machines for money.

While on the surface this movie may seem a little silly, trite horror movie, having worked in a manufacturing environment for the last 12 years, I found it fascinating. The contrast between workers and top management, the lack of regard for employee's safety, the willingness to literally sacrifice to the almighty machine were too close to reality. The extreme portrayal of the main characters, laborers so meek and owners so owned by wealth, are reminiscent of Dickens. The FX were startling and exceptional. I loved this film and I don't love films very often. Even the over acting was great, because the roles required overacting. And woven through the whole story was the mundane and relatively normal main character.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

Torah75

Dec 20, 2019

The Mangler is a terrifying horror movie. One of Englund's & Hooper's most stylish movies. It is very underrated and it is a must see for every horror fan, A+.

43 of 44 users found this helpful431

Aerialist277

Jun 18, 2021

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6 of 6 users found this helpful60

Consort

Apr 25, 2021

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10 of 10 users found this helpful100

Perineum

Jan 13, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Anyone who has seen The Exorcist, or Christine will enjoy this horror yarn. A possessed laundry machine claims many victims by pulling them into the machine, mangling them with bloody results. The movie has terrific acting from Robert as the factory owner & Ted as the detective looking into the bizarre deaths. The Mangler is a unique horror experience.… Expand

17 of 18 users found this helpful171

JLuis_001

Jul 25, 2020

I've seen worse adaptations of King's work, but I thought that since it was directed by Tobe Hooper and had Ted Levine and Robert Englund in the cast, it would be more enjoyable. Boy, was I wrong.

Another clear example that shows that what works in a book, and especially being such a shortI've seen worse adaptations of King's work, but I thought that since it was directed by Tobe Hooper and had Ted Levine and Robert Englund in the cast, it would be more enjoyable. Boy, was I wrong.

Another clear example that shows that what works in a book, and especially being such a short story, will not always work like a movie.… Expand

0 of 43 users found this helpful043

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