Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- brutal
- transgressive
- bleak
- cult movie night
- extreme cinema screening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as brutal and memorable in concept, with Christina Lindberg’s silent performance standing out, but find its slow motion, explicit material, soundtrack, and lengthened set pieces dreary or excessive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mute protagonist Madeleine transforms from an abused captive into an armed avenger targeting those who exploited her.
The film combines hardcore sexual scenes, prostitution, drug addiction, mutilation, and bloody revenge within an infamous exploitation framework.
After the opening assault renders Madeleine mute, Christina Lindberg’s silent performance carries the character’s trauma and retaliation.
Critical reception specifically identifies the film’s overuse of slow motion, while its revenge sequences emphasize stylized physical violence.
Films like Thriller: A Cruel Picture, and why
Ms .45
shares rape-and-revenge exploitation, graphic brutality, and a female protagonist pursuing violent retribution
I Spit on Your Grave
shares feminist revenge themes, sexual violence, and harsh exploitation-film intensity
Baise-moi
shares erotic thriller elements, stylized violence, and a traumatized woman reclaiming agency
The Last House on the Left
shares grindhouse exploitation aesthetics, revenge-driven plotting, and transgressive sexual violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Bo Arne Vibenius
- Release Date
- 1973-05-01
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (223)
Cast
- Christina Lindberg
- Heinz Hopf
- Solveig Andersson
- Despina Tomazani
- Per-Axel Arosenius
- Gunnel Wadner
- Björn Kristiansson
- Marie-Louise Mannervall
- Hildur Lindberg
- Marshall McDough
Common questions
- What is Thriller: A Cruel Picture about?
- A mute young woman subjected to sexual exploitation arms herself for an uncompromising campaign of violent revenge.
- What is Thriller: A Cruel Picture like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Thriller: A Cruel Picture as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Thriller: A Cruel Picture violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Thriller: A Cruel Picture as graphic.
- What did critics think of Thriller: A Cruel Picture?
- Critics broadly regard the film as brutal and memorable in concept, with Christina Lindberg’s silent performance standing out, but find its slow motion, explicit material, soundtrack, and lengthened set pieces dreary or excessive.
- Which films are like Thriller: A Cruel Picture?
- Films with a similar feel include Ms .45, I Spit on Your Grave, Baise-moi, and The Last House on the Left.
- How long is Thriller: A Cruel Picture?
- Thriller: A Cruel Picture runs 108 minutes.
