The Shrine
Journalists investigating a missing backpacker become trapped in a remote Polish village where ritual sacrifice and demonic secrets turn their story into a fight for survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- foreboding
- visceral
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized effective supernatural and graphic horror imagery but found the investigative setup weakened by an unlikable lead and insufficient backstory.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The journalists enter a remote Polish village where hostile locals and ritual sacrifice conceal a darker secret.
Journalists travel to investigate a missing backpacker and uncover the village's secrets.
The film foregrounds a bleeding demonic statue, ritualistic sacrifice, gore, and twisted imagery.
The visiting journalists are pursued by villagers hostile to outsiders snooping around.
Films like The Shrine, and why
The Wicker Man
shared ritualistic village horror, supernatural menace, and graphic survival imagery
The Blair Witch Project
shared isolated rural community, occult threat, and escalating folk horror dread
The Exorcist
shared demonic imagery, investigative protagonists, and graphic supernatural horror
Movie Details
- Director
- Jon Knautz
- Release Date
- 2010-10-14
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (251)
Cast
- Aaron Ashmore
- Cindy Sampson
- Meghan Heffern
- Ben Lewis
- Trevor Matthews
- Vieslav Krystyan
- Laura de Carteret
- Monica Hewes
- Connor Stanhope
- Stefen Hayes
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Shrine about?
- Journalists investigating a missing backpacker become trapped in a remote Polish village where ritual sacrifice and demonic secrets turn their story into a fight for survival.
- What is The Shrine like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Shrine as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Shrine violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Shrine as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Shrine?
- Critics broadly recognized effective supernatural and graphic horror imagery but found the investigative setup weakened by an unlikable lead and insufficient backstory.
- Which films are like The Shrine?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wicker Man, The Blair Witch Project, and The Exorcist.
- How long is The Shrine?
- The Shrine runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Shrine?
- In United States, The Shrine streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now.
