Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- disturbing
- brooding
- late night horror
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Pin as a subtle, well-made, quietly bizarre psychological horror film distinguished by its disturbing premise, atmosphere, direction, and performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pin's apparent sentience is filtered through Leon's increasingly unstable attachment, leaving the source of the threat psychologically uncertain.
Leon and Ursula remain bound to the family home and the medical dummy after their parents' deaths, with their relationship shaped by secrecy and dependence.
The family home becomes the central site of Pin's presence, sibling conflict, delusion, and escalating menace.
The anatomically detailed medical prop transforms the siblings' childhood education and parental legacy into a persistent, unsettling presence.
Films like Pin, and why
Psycho
quiet psychological horror, family dysfunction, and a disturbing figure whose menace may be entangled with delusion
Magic
slow-burn psychological horror centered on an uncanny object and unstable perceptions
Flowers in the Attic
disturbing sibling dynamics, claustrophobic domestic horror, and taboo family intimacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Sandor Stern
- Release Date
- 1988-11-25
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (169)
Cast
- Jonathan Banks
- David Hewlett
- Cynthia Preston
- Terry O'Quinn
- Bronwen Mantel
- John Pyper-Ferguson
- Helene Udy
- Patricia Collins
- Steven Bednarski
- Jacob Tierney
Common questions
- What is Pin about?
- A psychologically fractured brother and his sister are haunted by their family's anatomically correct medical dummy, whose apparent life exposes a buried domestic nightmare.
- What is Pin like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pin as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Pin violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Pin as moderate.
- What did critics think of Pin?
- Critics broadly regard Pin as a subtle, well-made, quietly bizarre psychological horror film distinguished by its disturbing premise, atmosphere, direction, and performances.
- Which films are like Pin?
- Films with a similar feel include Psycho, Magic, and Flowers in the Attic.
- How long is Pin?
- Pin runs 103 minutes.
