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The Jack in the Box: Awakening
2022 89 min United Kingdom 18+
★5.5
Horror
Director: Lawrence Fowler
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Description
When a vintage Jack-in-the-box is opened by a dying woman, she enters into a deal with the demon within that would see her illness cured in return for helping it claim six innocent victims.
Worldwide:
$1.15M
Starring
Matt McClure
Actor
James Swanton
Actor
Mollie Hindle-Pérez
Actor
Awards
1 nomination total
Key opinion
The Jack in the Box: Awakening is widely regarded as a sterile and derivative horror film that fails to breathe new life into its tired premise. While a minority of critics appreciate its attempts at a modest, retro aesthetic, the consensus highlights poor execution in narrative logic, acting, and pacing.
| Screenplay | The screenplay relies on an uninspired succession of horror tropes and predictable narrative beats that fail to generate genuine suspense. | |
| Acting | The performances are largely wooden and lack conviction, leaving the lead actor stranded with underdeveloped material. | |
| Direction | The film’s direction draws mixed reactions, with some finding it a cheap imitation of modern horror and others praising its restrained, nostalgic, and atmospheric approach. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on pacing are sharply divided; critics describe it as simultaneously sluggish, tedious, and monotonously empty, while others defend its focus on silence and slow-burn dread. |