The Tragic Horror of JACOB'S LADDER
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
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*What are your thoughts on Jacob's Ladder?*
Not enough ladders, misleading title
Those flowers are pretty cool.
I think it's the 2nd most emotional/tragic horror film I've ever seen. Really liked it.
Wild movie
Did you see they're doing a remake of this?
“Jacob’s Ladder” has the same problem as “The Godfather” or “Scarface”. The reason they seem so trope-y is because they created most of the tropes everyone *cough* borrowed *cough*
So what’s your point then?
Burps ironically I believe the point is you can't really be critical of something for being full of tropes, if it created the very same tropes. It's the same for many if not all art forms. People become weary of cliches and tropes, so we forget who set the basis for them.
Yeah, it's like calling Alien "unoriginal" because now every horror movie in space is trying to imitate it...
@@dudemanbroguy3464 I mean it's pretty clear what they mean, did you think about it in any depth at all? They mean movies like Jacob's Ladder and The Godfather can seem to be full of cliches to people who watch them now, yet they were original and groundbreaking in their own times. They only seem cliched because movies that came after them "borrowed" so many of their tropes and other storytelling devices.
TV Tropes calls this "Seinfeld is Unfunny." It's the curse of any influential work.
"If you're afraid of dying, and you're holdin' on, you'll see devils tearin' your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freein' you from the world." - One of my favourite quotes ever. I always really enjoyed Jacob's Ladder, though I don't know if I've ever really considered it horror per se, something that is supposed to frighten you, but more existential horror where it asks you to self reflect.
I'm not so sure. That's what someone who wants to kill you would say. Just let go, let go and it will all be over quickly.
the visual style alone insists it is horror. dont pretend it isnt a horror movie
@@Lifesizemortal I mean not "horror" in the cheap American sensibility, where it tries to frighten you with jump scares or disturbing imagery. I find its "horror" more insidiously pervasive than cheap shlock. If I had to put a horror label to it it would be existential/psychological but not just "horror", on its face it was never "horror" (Ie: scary/frightening) to me personally.
That quote really shaped how I think about making peace with death
demons to some, angels to others
I miss the feel of late 80's and early 90's cinema, especially urban settings. It's so comfy to revisit it
Then along came Joker to remind us that cinematography is an art.
@@timetheory84 Drive is really good because of its stylistic noir elements, but it's director has been very insistent that he fills exclusively on digital. He says as much during the commentary of his other great noir film, The Neon Demon.
I feel the same, I remember when they started renovating all the buildings to a more 2000s style I was so sad ! Felt like it wasnt an improvement at all 😂
This makes me think of the last few minutes of Back to the Future Part 3. The buildings give off the comfy, somewhat wealthy turn of the decade feel. It just gives off good vibes.
Possum from 2018 had that late nineties to early two thousands look
When I first saw Jacob's Ladder the ending made me cry. Horror movies never make me cry, I can't think of a single one other than Jacob's Ladder. Seeing Jacob being led into heaven by his beloved son was just too much for me.
@midnightmosesuk. The scene were he was in the hospital and saw his wife and there was a voice that said "in your dreams" made me cry.
I never care for horror. It tends to either be silly or just gross for my taste, but Jacob's was a perfect balancing act... and then came Home Alone! Pity Tim Robbins could not have played Kevin's father.
Try Re-cycle if you haven't seen it. Not that'll make you cry, but you may like it.
Carrie made me cry so much.
@@333br Which Carrie? Brian De Palma's 1976 version was amazing.
What I interpreted about Jacob's hallucinations wasn't a struggle between his angels and demons, nor being pulled between going to heaven or hell; but about the abstract idea of life being violent and scary, and death being peaceful and comforting.
When Jacob is seeing horrible visions, it translates as the medical team that is working on Jacob is closer to reviving him (i.e., saving his life). From Jacob's perspective, life is hell, especially experiencing the horrors in combat. And his chiropractor, Louis, is metaphorically the angel of death, coming to take Jacob away. In the end, Jacob believes that death is his sanctuary from the horrors he has experienced in his life.
It's a powerful message!
This comment deserves more likes!
@@Mojojojo-92
That is very kind of you to say! Thank you!
I wish you and your family and friends health and happiness!
Wow, good insight, it makes a lot of sense!
@@noranemeth6061
Thank you 🙏
Completely agree. I thought the Eckhart quote was pretty clear but people get caught up on the “heaven/hell/angels/demons”
It’s almost a Buddhist message. Shoepenhauer said that Eckhart wrapped eastern views in Christian language.
Not gonna lie. Jacob's Ladder made a wreck of me. The horrific hallucinations were nothing compared to how deeply broken these men were. That's what struck me the most. It's also the reason why I can't watch truly gritty war films.
exactly how im feelin smh
The made for tv film starring John Ritter, Alfre Woodard and Patti Labelle about a Nam vet discovering what Agent Orange did to him and his platoon has a very sad ending. Its based on the true story of the VA nurse that worked to help get the word out about Agent Orange.
Also the 80s show China Beach had a terribly realistic scene in its last season when the main character comes home. Lt. Colleen McMurphy, a press liason and several Marines are on a transport arriving in the states. The flight crew advises them to change into civilian clothes but they choose stay in uniform.
When they land the base airstrip is horded on all sides by anti war protestors pounding on the fences and shouting. The moment the vets step off the plane a rain of garbage comes landing down all over them. They get hit with tomatoes and eggs and have to sprint to a building to take cover. Then they quickly hunt for civilian clothes to wear because there's an enormous crowd of protestors waiting for them in the parking lot.
Its very hard to see how these people were treated when they came home. The Vietnam vets were never really formally thanked and apologized to until the 80s &90s. A lot of these shows and movies were trying to make amends.
The final scene of China Beach is the shows cast traveling to the Vietnan Memorial Wall in DC where they pay tribute in character then sybolically leave their characters there at the wall. The Eagle's "Try to Love Again" plays and its a devastating thing to watch.
Never watch 'Come and See' then. That movie left me in shambles, no other movie conveys the horrors of war better and more disturbing.
@@longobongo4402 I love come and see. I recommend Kajaki Kilo Two Bravo if you want the most suspenseful fucking movie ever
Aye I saw it like 20+ years ago and it was the first horror that just made me cry. All he wants is for it to stop. The way the movie teases him with glimpses of his child then shocks him with horror. It's so cruel
Was kinda disappointed in the movie though, never seen that damn ladder😒
i think they used one to climb that helicopter...
Plenty of fire escapes though. I spent the entire movie wondering which one was Jacob's.
"We are climbing Jacob's Ladder...." Old Spiritual.
I mean in a way we did, In the New International Version (created just about 25 years prior to this movies release) of the bible it is commonly called a stairway instead of a ladder despite the more popularized name of Jacob's ladder, hence the little angel waiting at the bottom of the stairway to heaven at the end of the film.
it had stairs
As strange as it might sound, I think the one scene from the film that's stayed with me more than any other over the years isn't any of the truly infamous ones. Rather, it's the scene when Jacob and his friend are leaving a bar after secretly discussing that they think someone or some *thing* has been spying on them, trying to get them. Unsure if it's the military or the government, or what. They leave in relative high spirits since they've both found someone that can relate to the horror they've been experiencing in every day life, and then Jacob sees a quarter on the ground while the guy goes to start his car. He starts the car, the quarter Jacob goes to pick up is immediately blown away, and Jacob just terrifyingly looks up as his friend gives a half-hearted smile right before the camera hardcuts to the car exploding.
The guy's face before he's killed has never left my waking consciousness. It's like he's accepted his death in the imminent moment, a theme I now realize the film was trying to espouse throughout its runtime.
Interesting thoughts! Probably because the key to his tranquility was simply finding anyone that could relate to his pain, so he didn't die alone, so to speak. Very interesting. I'd love to know what the Quarter was about though...
Whats your thoughts on the Dr being killed in a car bomb also? was he supposed to be the medic Jacob is calling out to during the war? was he supposed to be the helicopter pilot that Jacob saw get killed and that's why he was the one to find out about his death cause the rest of his platoon was already dead?
@@neogenesis0038in greek mythology you put coins over the eyes of corpses during the funeral so they can pay Charon to take them across a river in Hades, imo its something related with accepting and being ready to face death and leaving, there are more scenes where you see coins in the movie, and i think that other cultures uses this ideia of giving coins to dead ppl
I agree ..that moment sticks with me as well
@@JUANFABIOBILL almost right - they put a coin the mouth of the deceased person, not on their eyes. And it wasn't mythology, it was a real funeral rite of ancient greeks - to them mythology wasn't mythology, it was their religion.
Jacobs Ladder is one of the best psychological horror movies of all time. It's one of the few movies that really got to me the first time watching it.
But it isnt though
The first viewing was confusing for me,disturbing. I have a deep respect for this film now.Once you catch on, you have to admit it was really very well constructed.A truly great film.
@@dawncantagallo9477 I totally agree. It takes ar least 2 watches and some thinking to truly grasp all that's going on in that film.
@@sentortv7816 ok man. Lol
Yes, this is a great film. Unpleasant maybe, but the story is wonderful. Saw it as a child, it left a mark. Rewatched it recently, still holds up.
When I watched Jacob's Ladder, it reminded me of my dad and a dream I had a few months after his untimely death. In my dream we were sitting side by side, when I asked him this question:
"How are you?"
He replied to me:
"I'm okay but it's too dark here."
We weren't very close. And now I kinda hate myself for not bonding with him enough when he was still around.
Anyway... Thanks for this video. I love Jacob's Ladder and believe it's underrated and ahead of its time.
I saw my dad once I think, those dreams are often depressing, especially when you wake up, I'm sorry about your dad and hope you're doing well
I'm sorry about the loss of your Dad.
Sorry for your loss. Please try not to feel bad about yourself, it's not your fault if you weren't close to your Dad when you were growing up. It's the parent's responsibility to form close bonds with their child, not the child's responsibility.
*+Mark Jeric Olaiman Thanks for sharing your dream Mark, If you believe that you will be with your father again then it will be true for you.*
Mark Jeric Olasiman I'm sorry for your loss, I've had a few dreams about my dead dad too, all of them are happy dreams for me, he's always smiling and laughing and it's always me and him having a fun time, that's really comforting for me.
To be honest I see Jacob's Ladder more as a tragic drama with horror elements than a typical horror movie. The movie focuses on the sad reality that many soldiers are not properly rewarded for their services, but are instead only awarded with death on the battlefield, long term injuries, or crippling PTSD if they manage to survive.
The movie slowly drowns Jacob into despair as he is often disoriented or spooked by the horrific hallucinations that tortures his soul and slowly destroys his life to the point that the only real relief comes when Jacob manages to face his fears head on and takes pride in the good of what he did in life as he draws his last breath.
And that’s what makes this film an influential horror piece.
It's about (the real) mind control experiments done on unwitting military men. It even says it at the end of the film. The fact that this is ignored is ridiculous, because the CIA actually did it, bragged about it, and got away with it.
The movie is truly about PTSD. I sometimes wonder if he even dies at the end or if the movie shows that his old self "died" after war.
Y'all are some fucking dummies this movie is not at all about Vietnam or war in general - those are simply a setting to a movie about the cycle of life and death and the exisential horror of it all
I see why people are bothered by the twist ending...but they have to remember, this was made is 1990.
To me, The Sixth Sense started the modern era of twist endings everyone is familiar with now...and that came out in 1999.
After 20 years of twist endings people don't appreciate them like they would have in 1990.
That is nonsense sorry. You don't seem well versed in film if you think six sense started modern twist endings. Everything is cyclical there were hundreds of "twist" endings before and after any movie you could name throughout history.
The ending made it make so much sense to me tho
Like my total ah ha moment came.
@@dannyrudd7644 I know that's what he said. That is incorrect that is what I said
@@dannyrudd7644 all of that is correct and irrelevant I know how conversation works. What is your point because I don't need a play by play. I know what he said I disagreed with it. Stop pointing that out I understood it when I read his post
I don't see this film and Sixth Sense in the same vain. Sixth Sense's success as a movie hinges entirely on the twist whereas the twist in this movie IMO is kind of incidental
The "Ladder" is quite clearly spoken of in the film. Towards the end, when Jacob is speaking to Michael, Michael explains to him that he was the guy in a lab in Saigon who created the powerful drug that was used on his platoon. They called the drug "The Ladder" as it represented a powerful trip down the ladder straight into the dark side and turn them into more aggressive killing machines. Why are people commenting that there isn't a ladder?
Literally thinking the same thing?? That was the part of the movie that got me the post. They were pinned against each other. And allegedly, it happened in real life. Why wasn’t it even mentioned in the video?
@@tracieb8837 i think that scene wasnt in the theatrical release. Havent watched the vídeo yet though, just finished the movie
@@mynameis6575 It was in the theatrical release. I was there, in Nov. 1990, in stunned and numb silence as the credits rolled. Most of us were...
Was looking for this comment omg
Jacob's ladder has a couple meanings. But I'd say it's his descent into madness is the ladder.
The thought that Demons and Angels are both the two sides of the same divine coin, important actors in the same play, is truly terrific. That Sins must be burned by trial and fire; that Happiness does not come from avoidance but rather from the active and purposeful suffering that mindful judgement brings; that Peace does not equal peacefulness but instead confrontation and acceptance thorough behemoth effort: that makes even me, and Atheist, truly instigated by this concept of Purgatory. A place where one walks millennia, both physically and metaphorically, resuffering their shames, their doubts, their Sins, their memories away until a weight free soul is ready to both deserve and accept Heaven. Awe inspiring.
That is probably the most intelligent and meaningful comment I've ever read on youtube.
Right but there aren't any demons nor angels in the movie? A dying brain deprived of oxygen will create a story to explain to itself what is happening to itself. As soon as Jacob realized that he was free to go peacefully. And on a side note you sound like an exceedingly piss-poor atheist
@@winstonsmiththx1138 Yes brain activity goes to the sky when one is dying and yes Im an Atheist. Does not mean I cant be spiritual nor appreciate a well made metaphor - never mistake Religion for Spirituality.
@@bruceluiz I guarantee you if we met in real life we would probably agree on tons I'm certainly not trying to offend you. I assure you I never confuse religion with spirituality because I have no idea what spirituality is. But Jacob's Ladder is definitely a masterpiece
@Kneesko I agree that religion is irrelevant
I never once thought that the ending of Jacob's Ladder was a negative; Anyone that decries it or feels it's a cop out is missing the point. The movie heavily foreshadows the ending and what the plot ultimately represents, and as such, isn't something jarring as "AND THEN THEY WERE IN A COMA."
This movie is the very embodiment of "the Journey is the experience" since it's exhausting, and terrifying, and oh so unsettling. But that's what makes the ending all the more potent, as Jacob experiences all this horrifying nightmarish dreams so he can ultimately find peace in his life. I almost find it impossible to truly think that someone would be left disappointed or let down by the ending, as the entire work is a piece of art that does nothing but provide the satisfying internal journey an ending it deserved.
...........The lack of the ladder is too much though, trash movie on that merit alone.
People latch on to certain tropes or beats in cinema (and games and literature and music) and - as shorthand for having a thoughtful opinion of their own - take to bashing the entire idea regardless of context or meaning.
@@fuzzydunlop7928 This is quite true. I find the practice of disregarding any sort of beat/trope on the very merit of it being one to be... Simplistic, to say the least.
Judging stories based on execution rather than the beats present is the best way to go me thinks.
Yes. I mean, title. Jacob has a finite amount of time to make his peace as his purgatory descends into horrific madness.
@white america's worst nightmare the journey is the ladder what are you talkin about the stairs for?
He is in purgatory. Trying to climb the "Ladder" to heaven.
THANK YOU!!!!
Where were you when they built the ladder to heaven.
@@Navrozs i think he was being figurative
Samantha Pritchett joke =/= reference
@@Navrozs Nine eleven.
There is a ladder.
Gabe takes Jacob up the stairs into the light at the end. Those stairs are the ladder.
Why isn't it called Jacobs stair then
What is a ladder but steep, mobile stairs?
@@alexalexander-morris356 because the phrase is from a Bible story. Jacob was a person in the Bible who was trying to run away from his brother Esau because he feared Esau trying to kill him. Later Jacob has a dream where he sees a ladder that leads to Heaven. The title is supposed to parallel movie Jacob's experience of fear and paranoia before he ultimately gained peace at the end of life after his ordeal.
@@KEVMAN7987 Lmao
Jacob's Stepladder
It’s not a dream. It’s his experience as he’s dying. The Ladder is the drug they used on him and also the experience itself. I love this movie.
Thank you Jacob, you inspired Silent Hill.
And Francis Bacon
@Raven The Death Goddess LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
silent hill is a movie??
OMOR KHAN video game franchise and also came out with a movie adaptation
Schwanzmajor a little bit of nine inch nails too from what I’ve heard
This is my own personal bias speaking, but I honestly see this as one of the greatest films of all time. It is perhaps the greatest film about death ever written, or at least near to it.
Yes,it is your own personal bias.
@@CrakaBakBlak He's still right though.
@@rednovember0179 he is right about his opinion no doubt. You might be a genius
@@CrakaBakBlak cringe
I wouldn’t go that far but it’s definitely one of the greatest horror films of all time. For a movie that’s only a cult classic it’s been incredibly influential though.
Also, Jacob's Ladder takes inspiration from Ezekiel, which told the story about Jacob sleeping and dreaming about the stairway to heaven. His journey took him to heaven because he let it go.
i'd like to read this story, it's in the bible, yes? ;) seriously though. sounds like one of the good ones.
@@sinnsage yep, old testament I believe. I'm not religious but I've read it.
1960's Clint Eastwood very cool! I’ll have to actually check that one out. Although i think the movie likely does a better job of telling the story 😜
@@sinnsage this movie has so many historical points from the 20th century that's almost the same as the original testament tale, but set in NYC and 'Nam.
I stumbled on something that was pretty decent (and funny) in explaining the story minus ye olde vocab and all ruclips.net/video/9-lE7i8lzMI/видео.html
Jacob's Ladder might be the only horror film that made me cry, that ending is surreal and beautiful to watch.
Only movie that has made me cry ever ! Only one
This was my nomination for best horror movie back when I was in Senior Year of High School. Nobody knew what it was, but people voted for it anyways because they trusted my knowledge of horror. We watched it in class, and nobody was ever the same.
Glory days.
Good.
LMAO I’m just imagining everyone after that class like 😳
You were THAT guy...
@@snauspockets9924 😈
This movie makes me feel a certain way. I cannot explain it, but there’s such a sense of dread, yet intrigue I feel that makes me absolutely adore it. It truly is one of the best movies of all time.
Hi. If you are feeling dreadful after watching this film, it may be a call to repent. Please turn to Jesus Christ as soon as you can. It is urgent. God loves you so much. Praying for you. I hope you can see this message. (And anyone else who can read this, turn to Jesus. He is mighty to save!)
It's also interesting how the Palm Reader is on the stairs at the party, where Jacob nearly 'dies' but isn't ready yet. She is practically the guardian of 'crossing over.'
Jacob's Ladder hit me in the feels when it first came out as I was: going through a divorce that stripped me of everything I loved besides my music, related to my first near-death experience, of which I have had 3 others since that were a walk in the park mentally, and instilled a lack of fear of death. I no longer brood over such thoughts. I can't reclaim my past, only atone for my wrong-doings by being the best man I can be. And when the Reaper comes for me again, I will deny him, but only because it is what is expected of me. Otherwise, I'm ready to go.
That's the spirit! We only have one life, there is no point in wasting it on ruminating over shit that happened. Past is gone, we cannot change it. We can only change the future, if we are motivated and persistent enough.
"Darkness is not eternal." Is a deceptively powerful line.
Ethan Otto aint True Detecrive s1 echoed this line with its own interpretation: It is not light that fades away, but the darkness that starts to loose.
@@ashkuigp I remember that line. But brevity is the soul of wit. I prefer the first line over the second in this particular context.
This comment is where the faux-intellectual come to roost
@@Zach0451 Which one? All I said was that I liked the line.
But Eternal Darkness IS a deceptively good game (that no one remembers).
I never really found Jacob's Ladder to be cliche or trope-y when I first watched it, probably because it's so well written that the twist makes sense within the story, something you probably should've seen coming but didn't fully. It never feels like a copout, it brings a whole level of meaning and impact to everything that came before it
I watched this for the first time the other night. I could honestly see the “twist” coming from a mile away so much that I didn’t even think of it as a twist. I thought it was very obvious that this is a man dealing with some type of purgatory. But regardless of all that I thought the movie was phenomenal and I am blown away by it for the same reasons you describe. I have a feeling this movie is going to stick with me always in a way that few can.
dude, please do a segment on Pan's Labyrinth or about Del Toro's works, maybe even Devil's backbone
the Devils Backbone is haunting as fuck
seen Devil's Backbone once and it is so beautiful and haunting!
@@jeremydaly8293 Is Devil's Backbone the one with the orphanage and the unexploded bomb?
Cronos and it's concept of time would also be nice (still my favourite Del Toro film).
Fuzzy Dunlop yes
In my restless dreams...
I see that town.
Silent Hill.
You promised me you'd take me
there again someday.
But you never did.
Well, I'm alone there now...
In our 'special place'...
Waiting for you...
cough cough.
MCVessels you gotta get that looked at
Silent hill 2 has got to be the scariest game I’ve ever played
It’s definitely one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen, precisely because it’s so scarcely beholden to logic. It’s literally and figuratively like going through a nightmare, in all the right ways,
As another commenter requested, *please* discuss some of Del Toro's works such as Pan's Labyrinth and Devil's Backbone!
Still waiting on the video about shrek my dude
Shrek is too deep for me.
Ryan Hollinger nothing is too deep for Ryan. I have no clue if that makes sense
@@RyanHollinger Too deep and too scary.
@@RyanHollinger i love that your so interactive with your fan base no matter how nonsensical the comment. Love your work man, me and my girlfriend binge watch your videos all the time. She loved the coraline one, would you ever consider a video about the animated film 9?
@@RyanHollinger one could say Shrek has... too many layers
Hey, it inspired the Silent Hill games, which is amazin'!
@Schwanzmajor Well, we don't talk about the ones after Silent Hill 4.
Tim Robbins deserves an award for this. He was amazing
It's his best work.
Back in 2001,my mom and I watched this movie in TV, and during the ´´hidden hospital scene´´, where body parts could be seen lying on the floor, brought her memories of her experience of giving birt to my older brother at ´´hospital de la mujer´´ (woman´s hospital)at mexico city, back in 1958... she told me that, because a barbaric government program called ´´madres responsables´´ (responsible mothers), several body parts from the morgue, aborted babies, coagulated blood and even some human heads were set along the way to the surgery room so the new and young mothers could see it and get traumatized enough to avoid getting pregnat so they would not get through that place again, so the view of that corridor dwelled in her mind for years, but she had my older brother and my older sister anyway, the place was closed in 1968, the same year i was born, luckily for me in other hospital, but thousands of women of that era still recall that gore scene in their minds and will still recalling it for the rest of their lives...considering that the one who ordered such thing was the president´s wife at the time the infamous MARIA ESTHER ZUNO DE ECHEVERRÍA,a devoted catholic (or so she said she was), you can get to understand the HUMAN QUALITY of such people, a bunch of sociopaths and sadistic morons... just my coment...peace...
That’s crazy, thanks for the story that’s really interesting
Jesus H. tap-dancing Christ
Whenever people talk about Tim Robbins people need to bring up this film more
Came out before Robbins hit his big mainstream peak with stuff like shawshank redemption
Nobody mentions Robert Altman's "The Player" either, which Robbins is brilliant in. His early roles were his most challenging.
Arlington Road is another Robbins film thats very rarely mentioned....great film
People also seem to forget he directed Bob Roberts and Dead Man Walking as well.
Jacob's ladder was one of the best movies I had ever seen. The special effects of the "shakers" was mind blowing at the time. Still one of my favorite movies of all time.
Jacob’s Ladder is, in my opinion, one of the best representations of PTSD on film. I watched it while dealing with my own trauma and felt an extreme sense of connection with the entire experience of this movie. The hallucinations, the unreliable narrator; it was really well constructed as a story about mental illness/states of mind.
I recommend you watch RagnarRox's video on Jacob's Ladder, it will probably change your mind on the twist, because there are lots of details in the film that actually contradict the idea that it is just a dream.
RagnarRox always produces insanely great videos!
Saw that he also covers Junji Ito. Sold!
RagnarRox has great content
Darren Chiam To be honest, I have no issue with that, since the majority of the movie is apparently supposed to be set in 1975, and yet in the taxi is a Nixon Now badge/pin thing, and the driver's license reads that it expires in 1972.
@@ripleyjlawman.3162 EXACTLY!!! He never Made it to 1975. His mind is in a hallucinated state.
Another criminally underrated horror movie that uses its medium to discuss the nightmare of Vietnam is R-Point.
People need to learn what "underrated" means.
I don't think Jacob's Ladder discusses the horrors of the Vietnam War.
@@lovekaelen I'm sorry but I don't think you get the movie at all. Jacob didn't live past his military service, he didn't "still live in a shitty apartment" or struggle with poor veterans service, he died! In the war! There was no commentary on the horrors of war ( I suppose you could strain to see it as such) There is no commentary on the way veterans are treated post service. There is a commentary on forgiveness and letting go of the past that's quite good and kinda beautiful but it's not about how we should treat our veterans as a society.
I'm reminded of a profound moment in the film The Crow when you bring up your final thoughts for Jacob's Ladder. "Little things used to mean so much to Shelly. I used to think they were kind of trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial."
RIP Elizabeth Pena, she died a few years after the film. This film is so good, but so hard to watch. Tim Robbins is a treasure.
gjh *a couple DECADES after the film.
Probably one of the most underrated movies ever.
His chiropractor was so clearly an angel or some sort of higher entity helping guide him into the afterlife - the one solid ever present helpful individual, helping him navigate his hangups and ties to the material so he can finally ascend and reach beyond the world to whatever may come next.
The whole thing is obviously not only his conflict with himself, his own id, his darker aspects and his innate paranoia and fears, and actual entities represented b his "girlfriend" and the chiropractor.
The lesson is his purgatory is of his own making, that we all can reach beyond if we allow ourselves to, whatever that may mean to us.
Jacob's Ladder is deffinently known more for inspiring Silent Hill 2 nowerdays!
My favorite quote
"Hey, thats my ladder!"
-Jacob, idk I didn't watch yet
Thank you for covering this absolute gem! I stopped everything I was doing to watch your video as soon as I got the notification you uploaded it.
One of my favourite films ever. To me, it's about bereavement, the fear of forgetting, and the hope of reunification.
Tim Robbins is magical, not in nearly enough films.
That’s probably his choice
@@glennb6020 And probably one of the reasons he seems so magical.
I know he does a lot of theatre, and writes, and directs...so talent!
When watching this film, I kept thinking that Jacob looked familiar. Then I looked up the actor's credits and realized that he also played Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, another great film
@@MyLittleHomie You must be quite young.
The scene when the car almost runs him down is something you'll never forget. To me it's more memorable than the hospital scene. Seeing that white face against the window and then that head staring at him through the back glass shaking uncontrollably is new levels of creepy!
I really wish that someday they release the "Director's Cut" with all the edited scenes restored to their proper place chronologically in the film. What a magical movie that was when they aired it on cable ages ago! I will never forget it.
I was 6 in 1990 so I saw this movie very young, 7 maybe 8. My mom was horror buff so we watched hell raiser, pet cemetery… you get the idea.
Jacob’s ladder always stuck with me. I had this thought after I first watched it that you could heal yourself as you die. I didn’t understand some of the nuances and some of the scenes terrified me but it holds a place in my heart.
I need to watch it again soon. It’s been to long. I think it’s one of the most thoughtful and hopeful horror films ever made.
Having just watched the movie, It is a pretty hostile movie for a child to see. I grew up watching stuff like Terminator 2 and even the Exorcist, but this movie would have kicked my ass.
When his son is taking him up the staircase, I think he's leading him up the ladder to heaven. The little boy pulls him up the stairs and imo hes hanging on to life as he doesn't want to die.( the father that is )
To me personally, this film is an excellent allegory for trauma. You will never move on from the horrible things that have happened to you (in Jacob’s case, Vietnam and the death of his son) until you accept those things and come to peace with them. Until you’ve finally accepted, not only your trauma, but also the impact they’ve had on you as a human being, you’re stuck in this limbo of pain, confusion, paranoia, anger, and suffering which is absolutely endless. Only finding peace with yourself and the things that happened to you will allow you to move on and see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Probably one of the most interesting horror movie I’ve watched
Probably the best psychological mystery horror movie of all time! The ending was very sorrowful and creepy!
I'm a simple man; I see a Ryan Hollinger notification and I click it. Unless I can't watch it at the time and I swipe it away.
Maybe I'm not so simple.
Anyway, thanks for another video! Your stuff has helped me understand film a lot more while I work my way through animation school
simple ricks
Jacobs ladder. But the movie is just about Jacob finding and getting a ladder to climb to his roof just to fix the broken tiles of his roof.
Thanks for now exposing me to this movie, because I can't wait to watch it now and get absolutely scared out of my mind.
Its really not that scary but it’s super sad so have tissues near by
It will mess with you in a good way. And yeah have tissues ready.
Saw the move about three months ago and fell in love with the horror aspect of it and the story. What makes it even better is that it's inspired many horror movies and games like silent hill. That scene where the doctors drag Jcob down the hallways is so creepy!
Jacob’s Ladder is deeply personal to me. It’s something that makes me truly feel emotion. When I watch it I feel happy, sad, angry, melancholic, and uneasy. It’s hard to explain what it means to me because it’s not one of those movies which you watch and know is fake because duh it’s a movie, this is different. It almost gives me the same feeling that I experience when I see footage of 9/11 except in a different way. You leave the film thinking that this may happen to you and in fact it might be a super common thing that living beings experience. As an atheist it may have more meaning to me as opposed to an average person but still
I think this film was designed to be interpreted differently, depending on varying beliefs. In that sense, it has meaning in some form to each audience member. Whether you’re an Atheist who sees it as just a hallucination, an Agnostic who doesn’t see the end in black and white, or a person of faith, who sees the ending’s culmination as something genuinely divine. This film offers something for everyone, and Tim Robbins is mind blowing!
You're videos legit get me through I've watched almost all of them like 6-7 times ty lol
One of my favorite movies of all-time. A truly tragic, lonely and upsetting film.
you, my friend, have a great taste in movies AND music :)
@@itsmesnacks thanks man!
Thanks for reminding me of this film. One of the few films that gave me a deep seated feeling of dread. I did watch it as a child in the 90s though.
*that awkward moment when you keep having panic attacks over the fact that you're gonna die and this video shows up in your feed* Oop, but for real tho I think I needed this as a reality check. Great video as always my dude, I really love your content!
I’ve never seen this movie but I remember I walked into the living room when my mom was watching it and the scene with the lizard things in the night club fucking terrified me.
I guess I repressed it because I remembered that scene years later but wasn’t sure if I actually saw it or dreamt it. Kind of ironic, really.
This film is so underrated it hurts. One of my all-time favorite horror films, and one of the few that actually frightens me.
Always elated when one of these video essays is about my favorite movie.
When asked what my favorite horror movie is, I tell people 'Jacob's Ladder', and they all look at me like I'm crazy. But it's true. This is the one horror we cannot avoid, cannot outwit, cannot bribe, or defeat. This is the one moment we will all face, the end of our mortal time. I loved the tremendously disorienting story-telling method. I absolutely LOVED Tim Robbins. And to this day, when I think of some of the best imagery in horror, the ride on the gurney over a floor littered with random human bits is one of the most memorable. And somehow the bad-shopping-cart wobble on the wheel adds immensely to the whole.
And yes, you're right; before there was 'Flatliners', or 'Silent Hill', this is the one that set the standard in the first place. I like these kinds of horror-flicks more than the average ones; the ones that make you think while you're being scared.
Jacobs Ladder is like Twin Peaks where its a brilliant work that is a tragic victim of being too influential. So the longer time passes the more likely a viewer recognises things it created and influenced and just go "oh, this is where it comes from!" rather than having to break down and understand the semiotics and symbolism of a scene in a vaccum. Because from their perspective they already did in the things that at best imitate it years after.
Never seen Jacobs Ladder but wanted to see your analysis 🌝
please watch it
If you like horror you have to watch it!
It's as simple as that: If you like Silent Hill, you gotta watch Jacob's Ladder.
Another thing that I love about this movie is the theme of appearances being deceiving, and nothing being quite one thing or another. The truth is constantly intangible, just out of reach, and it's never really given to us straight -- like Jacob, we just sort of have to make our own peace with what we have and draw our own conclusions. There's no pure evil or good in the story either; there's just scary and comforting, suspicious and harmless. Every good person or thing could just as easily have ulterior motives as any bad person or thing could simply be misunderstood. When watching the movie, you kind of have to decide what you're comfortable believing about the characters and the story, just like Jacob had to decide what he was comfortable believing about his situation.
"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. They're freeing your soul. If you're afraid of dying, 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 world."
I always thought that the entire movie was taking place as he was dying on that table in the jungle, however the hallucinations being after effects from the drug “The Ladder”.
One of my fav movies along with Vanilla Sky
Didn't know he was already dead, and was getting spiritually stalked the whole time through the process. Now that's a cerebral maze to experience. Great piece of art.
I can see clearly how this movie was the main influence on silent hill, Jacob remind me so much of Angela situation.
The actor that played Jacob is such an amazing actor I remember him in this, Shawshank redemption (probably the best movie ever put to film) nothing to loose, Howard the duck, and IQ most! He plays such a great lovable but serious (or sometimes goofy) character and you just feel like you can relate to him the moment he gets on screen.
Forgot how good this movie is, must watch it again now that you reminded me of it. Thank you! Specially since I am a Psyche major.
This is one of the only examples where the whole "it was a dream" explanation is a great ending, in this case making it better, because the whole damn point is that the events we see is Jacob's subconcious coming to grips with the fact that he's died and subsequently making ammends with all the demons he's carried up until that point. It's just an unbelievably fantastic exploration of something that no one has really dared to explore properly
your videos are so mesmerising I feel like I get lost in your voice and the beautiful editing
I'm in the "Jacob's Ladder is a masterpiece with a couple of tiny flaws" camp. I remember watching it on VHS back when I was young and being physically stunned by it. Rewound and watched it again immediately after first viewing. In the days of no internet, you had to dissect the film with whoever's in the room rather than forums, which resulted in you having to accept it as it was rather than getting help with your conclusion.
I just hope the remake doesn't tarnish this amazing film.
I've been watching a lot of your vids the last couple of days and now this. Tim Robbins is great to me in everything I've seen him in.
Despite the verbiage in this video, the movie's reveal is completely overlooked: This is a movie about letting go. It is literally a film about a man going through Purgatory.
In the scene where, after the initial battle is depicted, Jacob wakes up in the subway train, a sign across from him reads (and I haven't seen the film in years) something like "Drugs Are HELL." He then gets off the train and a large sign near the exit, advertising something or other, says "Ecstacy," but the exit to the street is closed and locked. In both cases the words "hell" and "ecstacy" are emphasized. Jacob is dying and on the way to Hell; when he tries to instead opt for Heaven, his way is barred. He has yet to let go of his life.
In a later scene Louie (not Louis, as he is called in this video) tells Jacob that he sees demons because he is refusing to let go; if Jacob will only do so those demons will appear to be angels of light. While he says this, Louie himself is lit up by a lamp, seeming to glow. The movie is chock full of Biblical references, but has a more neutral, New Age-y sensibility: Louie is short for Lucifer, whose name means "the light-bearer."
And the statement that there is no "ladder" is incorrect. In the end, after giving Peter (in pop culture, the greeter at the gates to Heaven) the cab driver his last bit of cash Jacob enters his house, which is full of photos from his life; unlike the sometimes chaotic scenes in the apartment he shared with Jezzie (Jezebel) the house is neat and tidy, albeit cluttered with memorabilia -- his life has now been put in order. Then his dead son takes him by the hand and leads him up a staircase (there's the "ladder") to Heaven.
The film has clues and metaphors, both in the script and supplied by the art department, throughout. It ultimately has a deep spiritual undertone that provides its overall theme. What I've written here are some of the most obvious clues as to what is ultimately a lesson about letting go.
For those want a similar viewing experience of Jacob's Ladder or have not watched it yet, try Session 9. Or play the very first The Evil Within.
The Evil Within is good, but a little more tongue-in-cheek I think.
The radio moments in Silent Hills or PT, "His six-year-old daughter had the good sense to hide in the bathroom, but reports suggest he lured her out by telling her it was just a game". It reminds me of God Told Me To. Plus, "You know what to do, now's the time, DO IT!" reminds me of Session 9.
@Aderemi Porsche. Angel Heart from 1988 with Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro is also very similar to Jacob's Ladder.
I saw Jacob's Ladder a very long time ago and really enjoyed it. The idea of this turmoil before death, the mind making peace, it's both comforting and horrifying. It's a movie that I think a lot of horror fans should see, for the reasons of understanding the tropes.
Ah hell yeah great video as usual my guy 👍
Wow, that SFX at the end where you made it look like your desk is growing over your head, as a metaphor for all the work you put into these videos and that it's taking over your sense of self was amazing and perfectly suited for the topic.
ryan hollinger title creator:
The [Adjective] Horror of [Proper Noun].
This is one of my favorite movies. My dad introduced it to me as a teenager because he knew I liked scary stuff. One bit of neat trivia for this movie: During it’s theatrical run and it’s run on VHS they would do a Clue and have alternate endings that varied wildly, though unlike Clue where they compiled the endings on VHS, they didn’t do that for this movie until it’s DVD release much later.
Holy shit I'm super early this time. I love your content man. Keep up the great work.
DIO!
KONO DIO DA
This movie changed my life. Much like They Live and The Matrix, it changed my perception of reality.
My VHS shop had a huge cardboard cutout of the box art, and that image intrigued me.
When we watched it, I was so confused until the very end.
This was before I read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge in middle school.
“Horror is about facing your fears”
I didnt think someone could be scared of a shitty porcelain doll blockbuster
A shitty film is a shitty film no matter the genre.
This movie TRAUMATIZED me as a 7 year old in 1991. Especially since my father had also been in Vietnam and according to my mom and relatives he was not the same person when he came back that he was prior. He turned to alcohol and other substances to deal with PTSD and turned very violent causing my parents to divorce. I was not an easily scared child since my mom and older siblings were constantly letting me watch horror. My brother rented Jacobs ladder and wouldn't let me watch it which really piqued my curiosity so I put it on one night when everyone was sleeping expecting a typical gory horror movie. I don't think I quite understand exactly the message behind the movie at age 7 but the horrific imagery and unsettling atmosphere and cinematography really left an impact on me. After the movie ended i ran crying into my mother's room (Jacob's death after going through all that shit was too depressing for me) it took me years to rewatch it and the ending still gets me. Tim Robbins was the perfect choice for Jacob ..you really feel for the guy during the film and want him to overcome his demons. Still a haunting movie that is more unsettling to an adult than to a child albeit for much different reasons
I only watched this movie for my first time just the other day, despite it being around since a year before I was born. Thing is I’m not a huge movie nerd in general and only heard about this in relation to the aforementioned Silent Hill(particularly the second one). I had already known “the twist”, but as you said, this movie doesn’t seem to rely so heavily on that and actually has some substance to it beyond the shock of it.
The detail about being able to project your own specific horrors onto much of the imagery here is something I hadn’t thought of, and I suppose it’s a good thing it’s done so well here - in that it’s just the right amount not to even realize the trick except in retrospect. The notion that “it’s art so you do the work of finding meaning in this I just shit it out for you” has never sit well with me, so at least having nods to what they could mean here is something.
The overall trauma and journey Jacob goes through here is relatable enough itself to be frightening in that sense. The trappings here might seem inherently Christian or just typically western religion centric, but there’s some eastern ideas here as well, and even as an atheist myself I’m left to wonder what may happen, depending on how or when it comes. And going even further, in regards to dreams, could they seem so real to us that we will have trouble in understanding that we are dying? I suppose it’s not a completely original idea, but something I personally find scary, wondering whether these past days or weeks or months could all just be a dream, having actually had dreams seemingly spand entire lifetimes.
There is no distinction between illusion and reality to the person experiencing it. Your subjective perception of reality is the only reality you will ever know. I got this quote from Resonant Arc here on RUclips. They do fantastic podcasts on movies and games, and they even covered Jacob's Ladder.
Tim just broke my heart in this film and "Mystic River". He's very talented.
Great commentary (and accent)👍.
Have you ever thought about covering Cube? I absolutely love the original and its prequel and would love to see you analyze it and tear it apart 🙂
The first cube is so good, it’s a shame they butchered the sequel
one of my family friends is a Vietnam vet and my dad is an Iraqi Vet and seeing how vets are treated breaks my heart because these people were led like lambs to slaughter for a fight that only gave them more pain then they started with and then they come home expecting a warm welcome for their sacrifice and instead they're given nothing but the expectation to adjust back to normal life without preparation. Movies like this really help us reflect on how we treat people with mental issues and how we treat people who sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice