Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- oppressive
- dread-filled
- late night horror viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as a mature, atmospheric, and thematically serious horror work whose religious critique and dread outweigh its predictable buildup.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Parker family preserves an inherited cannibalistic tradition under Frank's authoritarian control.
Prayer, doctrine, and ritual are used to justify the family's violence and suppress dissent.
The torrential storm and flooding small town dominate the film's oppressive visual and emotional atmosphere.
Frank's control and the family's hidden customs collide with authorities investigating clues around the Parker home.
Films like We Are What We Are, and why
The Witch
shared folk horror atmosphere, family secrecy, religious extremism, and rural dread
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
shared cannibal horror, dysfunctional family dynamics, and grim social allegory
The Wicker Man
shared slow burn horror, small-town investigation, and unsettling religious themes
The Dark and the Wicked
shared rain-soaked rural setting, familial abuse, and psychologically oppressive horror
Movie Details
- Director
- Jim Mickle
- Release Date
- 2013-09-27
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (604)
Cast
- Bill Sage
- Ambyr Childers
- Julia Garner
- Michael Parks
- Wyatt Russell
- Kelly McGillis
- Nick Damici
- Jack Gore
- Kassie DePaiva
- Odeya Rush
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is We Are What We Are about?
- A rain-drenched rural family horror story in which inherited ritual, authoritarian faith, and buried violence close in on two daughters.
- What is We Are What We Are like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of We Are What We Are as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is We Are What We Are violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in We Are What We Are as graphic.
- What did critics think of We Are What We Are?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as a mature, atmospheric, and thematically serious horror work whose religious critique and dread outweigh its predictable buildup.
- Which films are like We Are What We Are?
- Films with a similar feel include The Witch, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Wicker Man, and The Dark and the Wicked.
- How long is We Are What We Are?
- We Are What We Are runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch We Are What We Are?
- In United States, We Are What We Are is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
