The Outwaters
Cinedigm | Release Date: February 10, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
SlashfilmLex BriscusoJan 23, 2023
The Outwaters is an immersive hellmouth waiting to, quite literally, swallow us up and spit us back out into the landscape more horrified of what the universe is capable of than ever before — and trust me, you don't stand a chance against what it has in store for you. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenFeb 6, 2023
With The Outwaters, the found-footage horror film has unexpectedly found its trippy, unmooring, ultraviolent answer to the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the free-associative barbarity of A Page of Madness. Read full review
83
ColliderChase HutchinsonFeb 10, 2023
A stunning embrace of abject horror that peels back the layers of skin just as it does those of the mind, The Outwaters stumbles upon a brutal brilliance in the desolation of the desert. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisFeb 9, 2023
The Outwaters conjures a swoony, dreamlike atmosphere that heightens the shocks to come. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerFeb 9, 2023
A cannier, and more effective, slice of shaky-cam insanity than most of its brethren, right down to a finale that’s akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey as processed through a meat grinder. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoFeb 9, 2023
This film takes no prisoners, offers no explanations, and forces you to go on its twisted journey that blends found footage structure with something that H.P. Lovecraft might have dreamed up. It’s a ride. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayFeb 26, 2023
Some may find all this tedious or confusing, but there’s an admirable integrity to Banfitch’s approach. The Outwaters genuinely feels like a first-person perspective on the end of the world. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneK. Austin CollinsFeb 9, 2023
Even when it seems at risk of spinning its wheels into oblivion, there’s an urgent pleasure in watching it spin. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredAlejandra MartinezFeb 3, 2023
The Outwaters is a movie that rewards patience and gives your mind the freedom to run away with its setup and follow it to the bitter end. There is certainly a lot happening here, and it doesn’t all make sense or have an explanation, but that’s the (terrifying) point. Read full review
63
Paste MagazineJacob OllerFeb 13, 2023
The Outwaters’ chthonic calling card showcases a jack-of-all-trades horror artist, even when it’s more upsetting than scary, but its labyrinth can quickly feel like a straight line, skillfully obscured. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinApr 4, 2023
While its craft is certainly interesting, there’s something decadent and empty at its heart. Read full review
60
IGNMatt DonatoFeb 9, 2023
The Outwaters is found-footage fearlessness that needs to be seen to be believed, but will be met by only the most divisive of reactions. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerFeb 9, 2023
The Outwaters stumbles because it fails to clear the second hurdle of any found footage movie: not simply answering why would the camera stay on (that's the easy part), but why would anyone edit what's been recovered in this way? Read full review
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