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THE PACT (2012)Movie Reviews
Horror thriller about a young woman who discovers a terrible family secret when she returns to her childhood home for her mother's funeral. Cast:Caity Lotz, Agnes Bruckner, Haley Hudson, Casper Van Dien, Mark Steger, Sam Ball, Bo Barrett, Heather Habecker, Kathleen Rose PerkinsDirector:Nicholas McCarthyRelease Date:July 6, 2012DVD Release:November 6, 2012From:IFCLength:1 hr. 31 min.
The Pact (2012) played in New York City and Los Angeles to good not great reviews. • Stephen Whitty wrote in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "...all the actors are good, and McCarthy gets some new scares out of old effects, deftly mixing 'Paranormal Activity' shocks with 'Silence of the Lambs' serial-killer creepouts." • And Todd McCarthy wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, "Basic, efficient little horror item..." More Reviews Below...
The Pact (2012) Positive Reviews (11 Reviews, reviews below)
The Pact (2012) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's some self-conscious playfulness here, though it's unclear whether all the laughs are intentional... keeps you agreeably jumpy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 07/06/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "In truth, there's nothing here we haven't seen before. But McCarthy, who also wrote the straightforward script, keeps the pace moving and the atmosphere eerie."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 187 words, 07/06/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "A sharp, stylish film that does a lot with limited resources... makes a virtue of simplicity with its haunted house story that nevertheless stays rooted in the real world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 07/13/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a tightly controlled low-budget chiller whose occasional moments of unexpected special effects are set up beautifully by long periods of suspense."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 07/06/12
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "There's no pact in 'The Pact,' which is indicative of this faux spooky tale's guiding illogicality. A musty ghost story that morphs into a sluggish serial-killer mystery..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 07/04/12
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...all the actors are good, and McCarthy gets some new scares out of old effects, deftly mixing 'Paranormal Activity' shocks with 'Silence of the Lambs' serial-killer creepouts."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 441 words, 07/06/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "There's no pact in 'The Pact,' which is indicative of this faux spooky tale's guiding illogicality. A musty ghost story that morphs into a sluggish serial-killer mystery..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 07/04/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...unnerving.... mixes classically constructed shocks into the world of today... the movie's last half-hour ranges from gripping to terrifying..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 07/05/12
Calum Marsh, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...after two acts of exasperating portent, a familiar pressure bears down on 'The Pact,' threatening to dispel the tension it's worked so hard to conceive."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 07/02/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's some self-conscious playfulness here, though it's unclear whether all the laughs are intentional... keeps you agreeably jumpy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 07/06/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "A sharp, stylish film that does a lot with limited resources... makes a virtue of simplicity with its haunted house story that nevertheless stays rooted in the real world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 07/13/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Basic, efficient little horror item... accomplishes what it wants to do, inducing squirms and fright as its heroine is put through the wringer by an elusive, insidious force."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 02/08/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "A sharp, stylish film that does a lot with limited resources... makes a virtue of simplicity with its haunted house story that nevertheless stays rooted in the real world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 07/13/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There's some self-conscious playfulness here, though it's unclear whether all the laughs are intentional... keeps you agreeably jumpy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 07/06/12
20.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Pact (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 20.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Pact (2012) (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Pact (2012)'s reviews cover 12.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,891 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 354 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 11 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Pact (2012)'s reviews on average broke 11 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Pact (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Pact (2012) (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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