Jacob's Ladder

1990
18
1h 53m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

123K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:46

Mourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own... Read allMourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.Mourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

123K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,888

716

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Videos2

Trailer 1:46

Jacob's Ladder

Clip 1:08

Jacob's Ladder | Anniversary Mashup

Clip 1:08

Jacob's Ladder | Anniversary Mashup

Photos132

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
All SFX were filmed live, with no post-production. For example, to achieve the famous 'shaking head' effect, director Adrian Lyne simply filmed the actor waving his head around (and keeping his shoulders and the rest of his body completely still) at 4fps, resulting in an incredibly fast and deeply disturbing motion when played back at the normal frame-rate of 24fps.

Goofs
(at around 27 mins) To match the direction of movement, a shot of the Ford LTD racing around a corner has been flipped, but the license plate, which is now in reverse, is visible.

Quotes
Louis: Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So the way he sees it, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. So don't worry, okay? Okay?

Crazy credits
The credits roll over a grainy black and white photo of Gabe and Jacob crossing the street together.

Alternate versions
After initial test audiences reported that the film was overwhelming, director Adrian Lyne cut out twenty minutes of material, almost all of which came from the last third of the film. Four major sequences were removed after Jacob first meets Michael; a scene where Michael gives him an antidote for the Ladder, a scene where Jacob thinks he is cured but turns out not to be; a scene where he goes to Michael's apartment and finds Michael decapitated; and a scene just prior to his final meeting with Gabe, where he meets Jezzie, who shows her true form.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Silent Classics (1990)

Soundtracks
Lady Marmalade
By Bob Crewe (as B. Crewe) / Kenny Nolan (as K. Nolan)
Published by Kenny Nolan Publishing / Tannyboy Music / Stone Diamond Corp. (BMI)
Performed by LaBelle
Courtesy of CBS Records

User reviews484

Featured review

8/10

A visual masterpiece of horror and conspiracy.

This is easily one of Adrian Lyne's best films. Tim Robbins is excellent and the visual affects were just awesome. I saw this movie for the first time in the theatre and it blew me away. I've seen it many times after that, purely for the visuals that were done so well. The plot twists and turns as it spirals downward slowly revealing the truth and keeps you guessing all the way to the surprising ending. This is a dark, violent, beautiful movie that I recommend to all people who love horror, and just a smart story that will keep you in suspense until the very end.