Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- claustrophobic
- paranoid
- disturbing
- late night horror
- dark movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded it as a slick, effective, fairly conventional horror thriller that helped validate European genre filmmaking.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Martin’s employment as a night watchman places the action inside a mortuary during isolated overnight shifts.
Police begin to suspect Martin of murdering prostitutes despite his attempts to survive the mortuary incidents.
The story involves deposited murder victims and encyclopedic subject markers including necrophilia and a serial killer.
Martin takes the job to finance law studies, while the escalating ordeal is explicitly tied to self-discovery.
Films like Nightwatch, and why
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Shared mortuary setting, serial-killer investigation, claustrophobic suspense, and accusations against an apparent innocent.
The Treatment
Shared Scandinavian crime atmosphere, grim institutional setting, psychological dread, and escalating suspicion.
The Night Flier
Shared corpse-centered horror, investigative thriller structure, macabre atmosphere, and disturbing procedural tension.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ole Bornedal
- Release Date
- 1994-02-25
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (340)
Cast
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
- Sofie Gråbøl
- Kim Bodnia
- Lotte Andersen
- Ulf Pilgaard
- Rikke Louise Andersson
- Stig Hoffmeyer
- Gyrd Løfquist
- Niels Anders Thorn
- Leif Adolfsson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel
- 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 Nightwatch about?
- A law student’s mortuary night shift becomes a claustrophobic nightmare of corpses, serial murder, and police suspicion.
- What is Nightwatch like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nightwatch as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Nightwatch violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Nightwatch as graphic.
- What did critics think of Nightwatch?
- Critics broadly regarded it as a slick, effective, fairly conventional horror thriller that helped validate European genre filmmaking.
- Which films are like Nightwatch?
- Films with a similar feel include The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Treatment, and The Night Flier.
- How long is Nightwatch?
- Nightwatch runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nightwatch?
- In United States, Nightwatch streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel.
