SummaryMerricat, Constance and their Uncle Julian live in isolation after experiencing a family tragedy six years earlier. When cousin Charles arrives to steal the family fortune, he also threatens a dark secret they've been hiding.
Directed By:Stacie Passon
Written By:Mark Kruger, Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
User score
Mixed or Average
5.4
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 16, 2019
80
The performances are buttressed by a production that subtly underscores the intentions of both the characters and the plot, from the costumes by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh (“Love & Friendship”) to the score from Andrew Hewitt (“The Stanford Prison Experiment”), which coax the film along to where it’s going without ever being too obvious about it.
May 18, 2019
70
Incorporating elements of drama and suspense, Passon’s pic avoids directly confronting her heroines' covertly sociopathic tendencies, preferring to view them as the outcome of internalized trauma rather than criminal intent.
User score
Mixed or Average
32% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
52% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
16% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Oct 3, 2020
8
If you come into this film with expectations, or develop any through the course of viewing it, you may readily find disappointment. One must enjoy it for what it is rather than what one might wish. The consensus on this film is unfortunately quite understandable. A pity, since this happens to be a lovely little picture with some fine acting acting and excellent production value. A treat for the appreciative.
Mar 14, 2026
7
This film by Stacie Passon is an adaptation of Shirley Jackson's 1962 novel. Two sisters live in seclusion with their uncle on a large estate outside the city, burdened by a dark family secret. Their few interactions with the local residents are met with hostility. Although the story becomes predictable early on, its dramatic power lies in the fact that the sisters' isolation and retreat into their perceived safety are **** by an outside intruder, ultimately leading to catastrophe. The characters are well-developed and equally well-acted, drawing the viewer deep into the protagonists' inner lives. This makes the film hauntingly beautiful and highly watchable.
May 16, 2019
70
Under Stacie Passon’s precise direction, this gothic fable of isolation and violence expertly treads a fine line between tragedy and camp.
May 13, 2019
67
While the overwrought dialogue does test attention spans, its prevailing message — humanity is malignant and inherently wicked— and the hint of something more cryptic makes Passon’s film beautifully disturbing.
Sep 25, 2019
63
We Have Always Lived in the Castle isn’t for the torture porn crowd, and R-rated horror fanatics will no doubt find it dull. They won’t be totally in the wrong for thinking so. But the rest of us can appreciate the chill and growing dread that only a most sympathetic Shirley Jackson adaptation can deliver, that only a production as accomplished as this can manage.
May 13, 2019
60
While having all the key elements of a mystery, director Stacie Passon’s film is more a character study focusing on themes of the safety of sisterhood and self-imposed alienation.
May 16, 2019
40
Heightened but airless, this “Castle” is like a checklist of the novel’s peculiarities, rather than its singular soul brought to life.
May 26, 2019
7
A very serviceable, atmospheric retelling of the plot of Jackson's classic novel. This film is well-crafted, brilliantly performed, and stylistically effective. However, there is a unique, disturbing, off-kilter quality to the novel, giving it power and depth, that cannot be recaptured through a visual medium. Through no fault of its own, the film falls just short of the mark.
Aug 4, 2019
5
Functional but hardly. It's too slow for its own good and because of that it feels longer than it really is.
This is also aggravated because the story itself never seems to go anywhere and although it tries for its style and how well it's filmed, the narrative never gets you involved. Taissa Farmiga stands out and makes it clear that she can be looking for better options while Alexandra Daddario may be very beautiful but she simply doesn't deliver the goods.
Sep 20, 2019
1
Mindless drivel for 90 minutes. I wish I could get a refund from red box. I love Taissa Farmiga but the acting was
