Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- paranoid
- eerie
- late night horror viewing
- dark rainy evening
What critics said
Critics generally found the film well acted and atmospherically directed but ultimately a conventional psychological thriller undermined by its disappointing third act.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The investigation repeatedly entertains the possibility that a satanic cult caused the alleged abuse, reflecting 1990s satanic-panic anxieties.
Bruce Kenner works with a psychologist to relive an event the accused man cannot remember, making memory reconstruction central to the case.
The accusation and investigation struggle to establish physical proof while conflicting memories and allegations shape the case.
Police, hospital, church, cemetery, and domestic settings create an understated atmosphere where occult menace remains psychologically rather than spectacularly rendered.
Films like Regression, and why
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
shares psychological investigation, satanic panic, recovered memory, and an atmosphere of escalating paranoia
The Forgotten
shares false accusation, memory uncertainty, investigative suspense, and restrained supernatural ambiguity
Angel Heart
shares occult conspiracy, police investigation, bleak unease, and psychological thriller conventions
Movie Details
- Director
- Alejandro Amenábar
- Release Date
- 2015-10-01
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (1926)
Cast
- Ethan Hawke
- Emma Watson
- David Thewlis
- Lothaire Bluteau
- Dale Dickey
- David Dencik
- Devon Bostick
- Aaron Ashmore
- Peter MacNeill
- Adam Butcher
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Regression about?
- An austere Minnesota investigation into alleged familial abuse becomes entangled with recovered memories, occult suspicion, and the corrosive power of collective fear.
- What is Regression like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Regression as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Regression violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Regression as mild.
- What did critics think of Regression?
- Critics generally found the film well acted and atmospherically directed but ultimately a conventional psychological thriller undermined by its disappointing third act.
- Which films are like Regression?
- Films with a similar feel include The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Forgotten, and Angel Heart.
- How long is Regression?
- Regression runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Regression?
- In United States, Regression streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel.
