The Lighthouse Review (No, Not the Theme House)
The Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers, is a haunting psychological thriller that substitutes typical storytelling with its unique blend of mythology and insanity. Set in the late 19th century, the film stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two wickies (Lighthouse keepers) stationed on a bleak, isolated island. As the days pass and the isolation takes its toll, the film plunges into a surreal descent where hallucinations become reality and in essence you end up just as confused and horrified as the characters themselves.
From the get-go, The Lighthouse stands out visually. It’s shot in black and white and combined with the aspect ratio makes it feel like it was filmed in the 1930s. This old-fashioned visual style helps emphasize the claustrophobia and bleakness of the characters’ environment in a way. The rocky, windy island, surrounded by the constant barrages of waves and the screeching of seagulls is made to feel almost prisonlike. The harshness of the time period, shown by the cramped, gritty living quarters and the spooky foghorn heard often in the background sets a gloomy tone that carries throughout the film.
At the heart of The Lighthouse are its two acting performances. Willem Dafoe plays Thomas Wake, the grizzled, superstitious and demanding veteran wickie, while Robert Pattinson portrays Ephraim Winslow, a quiet but increasingly unstable newbie. Dafoe is unsettling but authentic in his portrayal, sounding like a pirate while also speaking in an almost Shakespearean manner. With Pattinson, you see his character gradually experiencing mental degradation due to the rough atmosphere and Wake’s overbearingness throughout the course of the film. The dynamic between the two characters is inconsistent with moments of friendship and moments of violent tension as their collective sanity slowly withers away.
What makes this movie especially horrifying is its surrealism. This doesn’t rely on typical tropes, jump scares and excess gore to horrify the audience. Throughout the film, it is tricky to tell if Winslow is just losing his mind or if the supernatural is at play. This is shown by lots of mythological imagery: mermaids, tentacled creatures and spooky birds appear throughout. Creating a strange and unsettling atmosphere is a key part of what makes this film so good.
Ultimately, The Lighthouse is a great horror movie because it is so unsettling. The combination of surreal visuals, disturbing sound design and amazing acting performances all mesh together to create a perfectly unsettling experience. It is a strange, unorthodox film but this is exactly why I would rank it as my second favorite psychological horror movie (The Shining would have to be my #1). For any fans of this genre, consider adding The Lighthouse to your watchlist.