Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- claustrophobic
- surreal
- late night horror viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a twisted, creepy, technically accomplished tribute to 1970s Italian giallo horror, anchored by Toby Jones’s performance and extraordinary sound design.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gilderoy’s foley work, screams, cutting, and studio noise progressively blur professional recording with lived terror.
The Italian horror film Gilderoy is recording appears to contaminate his perceptions and personal reality.
The film centers on an Italian horror studio and pays twisted, meticulous tribute to 1970s giallo filmmaking.
The Berberian studio’s booths, corridors, control rooms, and repetitive sessions isolate Gilderoy from ordinary life.
Films like Berberian Sound Studio, and why
The Shining
experimental psychological horror, unstable reality, and claustrophobic artistic obsession
Inland Empire
surreal filmmaking process, identity disintegration, and feverish meta-cinema
Censor
stylized horror tradition, oppressive atmosphere, and art imitating life
Black Swan
creative labor turning psychologically corrosive within a controlled studio environment
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Strickland
- Release Date
- 2012-08-30
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (411)
Cast
- Toby Jones
- Tonia Sotiropoulou
- Cosimo Fusco
- Hilda Péter
- Layla Amir
- Eugenia Caruso
- Antonio Mancino
- Fatma Mohamed
- Chiara D'Anna
- Kata Bartsch
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Berberian Sound Studio about?
- An introverted sound engineer is swallowed by the sinister sonic world of the Italian horror film he has been hired to create.
- What is Berberian Sound Studio like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Berberian Sound Studio as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Berberian Sound Studio violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Berberian Sound Studio as moderate.
- What did critics think of Berberian Sound Studio?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a twisted, creepy, technically accomplished tribute to 1970s Italian giallo horror, anchored by Toby Jones’s performance and extraordinary sound design.
- Which films are like Berberian Sound Studio?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shining, Inland Empire, Censor, and Black Swan.
- How long is Berberian Sound Studio?
- Berberian Sound Studio runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Berberian Sound Studio?
- In United States, Berberian Sound Studio streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel.
