Day 253 of the challenge! Jacob's Ladder is a heavy watch, but well worth the taxing journey.
For better or for worse, Jacob's Ladder is one of those films that keeps you up at night, daring you to watch it again so you can try and catch every clue and tease about it’s final reveal. It’s a tempting dare, but one you probably shouldn’t take so soon after the first viewing. Like I said, it’s a heavy watch. And to be fair, the big reveal in Jacob's Ladder isn’t all that much of a shocking twist. You start suspecting it fairly early in the film, and we’re even told what it is at one point. You just have to be paying close enough attention to catch it. Instead, Jacob's Ladder is more interested in haunting you with it’s melancholy drenched atmosphere, constricting paranoia, and numerous religious allegories. On that, I decided to pause the film not long after I started to refresh myself on some biblical stories and characters. It was a good call. Jacob's Ladder biggest feat however, has to be how it ties it’s various themes and allegories into it’s main story about PTSD and family tragedy. It’s a lot to balance in one movie, and Jacob's Ladder succeeds for the most part.
As haunting as the film is though, I wouldn’t call it scary in the traditional sense. It features some freaky body horror and other overwhelming visuals (the house party scene comes to mind…), but any fear or chills you get from them are quickly drowned out by the more overwhelming sadness. It’s almost as if Jacob's Ladder is mourning itself before it makes it to the end, and for a film like this one, that makes perfect sense.