Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- oppressive
- foreboding
- late night horror
- historical horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a stylish, atmospheric, intelligently ambiguous historical horror film with strong violence and questions about faith, despite some unevenness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story unfolds during the first bubonic plague outbreak in fourteenth-century England, turning epidemic fear into historical horror.
Osmund's monastic faith is tested by the plague, the church's investigation, and competing Christian and pagan explanations.
Ulric's company enters a remote village that has apparently escaped the plague and is governed by Langiva under suspicious circumstances.
Grainy stock, practical effects, and bleak German locations create a fetid, ancient atmosphere rather than polished fantasy spectacle.
Films like Black Death, and why
The Name of the Rose
Shares medieval setting, religious fanaticism, brutal violence, and morally ambiguous horror.
Witchfinder General
Shares grim historical atmosphere, witch-hunting, institutional religion, and visceral period violence.
The Seventh Seal
Shares plague-era dread, pagan belief systems, and stark medieval horror imagery.
The Wicker Man
Shares folk horror, isolated rural communities, ritual menace, and unsettling ambiguity about faith.
Movie Details
- Director
- Christopher Smith
- Release Date
- 2010-06-07
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (1002)
Cast
- Sean Bean
- Eddie Redmayne
- Carice van Houten
- Kimberley Nixon
- John Lynch
- Tim McInnerny
- Andy Nyman
- Daniel Steiner
- David Warner
- Tobias Kasimirowicz
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black Death about?
- During plague-ravaged medieval England, a young monk joins a violent knightly expedition whose search for a supposedly immune village becomes a crisis of faith and brutal moral uncertainty.
- What is Black Death like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black Death as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Black Death violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Black Death as graphic.
- What did critics think of Black Death?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a stylish, atmospheric, intelligently ambiguous historical horror film with strong violence and questions about faith, despite some unevenness.
- Which films are like Black Death?
- Films with a similar feel include The Name of the Rose, Witchfinder General, The Seventh Seal, and The Wicker Man.
- How long is Black Death?
- Black Death runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black Death?
- In United States, Black Death streams on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel.
