A Cure for Wellness
A ruthless young executive becomes trapped in a remote Alpine wellness center whose promise of perfect health conceals an ancient and grotesque secret.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- oppressive
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- gothic movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's striking visuals, atmosphere, cinematography, performances, and ambition while finding its long, derivative, predictable plot and structure unsatisfying.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Alpine wellness center presents itself as therapeutic while hiding a brutal system of medical and social control.
The spa, mountain landscape, pools, and ornate interiors are presented with lavish, unsettling precision.
Lockhart is diagnosed with the center's illness and subjected to disturbing treatments that undermine bodily autonomy.
The center's mythology, isolation, and inexplicable biological secrets evoke Lovecraftian horror.
Films like A Cure for Wellness, and why
Crimson Peak
shared gothic horror atmosphere, remote institutional setting, body horror, and elaborate visual design
Shutter Island
shared psychological horror, sinister medical environment, paranoia, and surreal visual excess
The Lighthouse
shared Lovecraftian horror, isolated setting, grotesque transformation, and escalating dread
Pan's Labyrinth
shared dark fairy-tale sensibility, authoritarian institution, body horror, and Guillermo del Toro-style gothic imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Gore Verbinski
- Release Date
- 2017-02-15
- Runtime
- 146 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (4304)
Cast
- Dane DeHaan
- Jason Isaacs
- Mia Goth
- Harry Groener
- Celia Imrie
- Adrian Schiller
- Ivo Nandi
- Tomas Norström
- Ashok Mandanna
- Lisa Banes
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Cure for Wellness about?
- A ruthless young executive becomes trapped in a remote Alpine wellness center whose promise of perfect health conceals an ancient and grotesque secret.
- What is A Cure for Wellness like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Cure for Wellness as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Cure for Wellness violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in A Cure for Wellness as brutal.
- What did critics think of A Cure for Wellness?
- Critics broadly praised the film's striking visuals, atmosphere, cinematography, performances, and ambition while finding its long, derivative, predictable plot and structure unsatisfying.
- Which films are like A Cure for Wellness?
- Films with a similar feel include Crimson Peak, Shutter Island, The Lighthouse, and Pan's Labyrinth.
- How long is A Cure for Wellness?
- A Cure for Wellness runs 146 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Cure for Wellness?
- In United States, A Cure for Wellness is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
