RensDad666’s review published on Letterboxd:
Getting yet another phenomenal one off of Letterboxd’s Top 250 Horror Films as a result of Hooptober. Psychological horror is a form that resonates with me as a horror viewer more often than not. Adrian Lyne’s 1990 cult classic Jacob’s Ladder effectively toys with its viewer’s perspective and psyche in a manner most other psychological trips could only dream of.
Screenwriter Bruce Rubin who culled influence from Dante’s Inferno, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, spent two years in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery before authoring a prolific run of material existentially contemplating life & death, including Jacob’s Ladder and supernatural rom-thriller Ghost. That unique perspective of eastern philosophy against western civilization & ideologies makes for a film that still has much to offer both as a visual statement and thematic source of pondering. My word are there some wonderful philosophical themes about letting go of your life at the end.
The editing, framing and cutting techniques applied in Jacob’s Ladder are just so aesthetically pleasing. Consistent use of smooth smash-style “L cuts”, warping sound from an impending scene onto the previous to seamlessly move from one frame to another, creates a disorienting haze that sits atop Dyne’s film. Blended with Maurice Jarre’s non-traditional score, Tim Robbins’ mental unraveling and Jacob’s Ladder is another phenomenal horror film wrapped up in my head nearly a day after viewing.
🪜😈🏥📬🤷🏼♂️💭🩸
