Jacob's Ladder

Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is back from Vietnam, and now resides in New York City. His final days in the war are only a hazy, dim memory of violent flashbacks. He never was sure what happened on that fateful day his platoon was attacked by Charlie. Now, working for the post office, and married to a scathing co worker, he feels Nam wasn’t the worst experience of his life. Unfortunately, Jacob has been hallucinating lately. He has been seeing demons around him, and isn’t sure what they want. On top of that, he’s not sure if he’s living another life, where his dead son and wife are alive, and they live happily.
This original, psychological, horror thriller plays out like a surreal nightmare that will keep you guessing through its plot twists and turns. As a viewer, we begin to question if his dreams are real, or if his waking state is. We aren’t sure if poor Jacob is loosing his mind, or there are actually demons encompassing his very existence. Tim Robbins does a fine job as a paranoid, disillusioned veteran who begins to think he is being conspired against.

Well acted through out, containing suspenseful moments, and impeccable editing that has been later copied in other horror films, none do it better than Jacob’s Ladder. While this can be considered horror, I think in it’s totality this could be enjoyed by many. The writing is thought provoking and can be seen as influential for other genre bending, psychological films such as Donnie Darko, the Sixth Sense, and the Others. Jacob’s Ladder has some great tension building, and plenty of disturbing scenes that are memorable enough for any horror fan. So see for yourself in this dark labyrinth of a tale, into the depths of madness, and the demons that dwell there.