Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- anxious
- oppressive
- disturbing
- late night viewing
- arthouse horror night
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed Charlie Polinger's debut for its fierce treatment of bullying, distinctive genre-inflected vision, and exceptional craft.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ben's summer at water polo camp is governed by ruthless status games, bullying, hazing, and calculated ostracism.
The film's keywords and escalating portrayal of Ben's anxiety connect bodily disturbance with the pressures of camp culture.
The water polo camp concentrates impressionable tweens within a closed summertime social environment.
Critical reception specifically emphasizes bullying and calculated ostracism as the film's central social force.
Films like The Plague, and why
Lord of the Flies
shared coming-of-age anxiety, institutional social cruelty, and psychologically oppressive atmosphere
Mean Creek
shared adolescent hierarchy, bullying, toxic group behavior, and escalating psychological intensity
The Fly
shared body horror, social alienation, and disturbing transformation of youthful insecurity
The Mudge Boy
shared summer setting, outsider protagonist, peer cruelty, and bleak adolescent tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Charlie Polinger
- Release Date
- 2025-12-24
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (142)
Cast
- Everett Blunck
- Kayo Martin
- Joel Edgerton
- Kenny Rasmussen
- Lucas Adler
- Caden Burris
- Elliott Heffernan
- Lennox Espy
- Kolton Lee
- Geo Dobre
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Plague about?
- At a brutal water polo camp, a socially awkward tween becomes psychologically overwhelmed by the rituals of adolescent power.
- What is The Plague like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Plague as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Plague violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Plague as mild.
- What did critics think of The Plague?
- Critics broadly acclaimed Charlie Polinger's debut for its fierce treatment of bullying, distinctive genre-inflected vision, and exceptional craft.
- Which films are like The Plague?
- Films with a similar feel include Lord of the Flies, Mean Creek, The Fly, and The Mudge Boy.
- How long is The Plague?
- The Plague runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Plague?
- In United States, The Plague streams on Hulu, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
