66
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyJoshua RothkopfEntertainment WeeklyJoshua RothkopfDiallo, an inspired stylist with bold things to say, strikes the balance between thrills and ills in a way that's wholly her own.
- 91IndieWireRobert DanielsIndieWireRobert DanielsDetailed and deliberate, assertive but rarely obvious, Diallo’s Master is a towering, inventive shot in the arm for Black horror.
- 91The PlaylistMarya E. GatesThe PlaylistMarya E. GatesDiallo has crafted an incisive, intelligent, and stridently political horror film that is distinctly all her own. The terror at the heart of this film reverberates far beyond the myths of this academic institution. Master excavates the very roots of our country’s foundation and dares us to face the haunted ground on which it is built.
- 80IGNSiddhant AdlakhaIGNSiddhant AdlakhaWith a layered performance by Regina Hall as the university’s first Black dean of students, the film plays with familiar tropes and images from American horror, but re-fashions them into an unexpected, subdued story with a chilling emotional payoff.
- 71Paste MagazineJacob OllerPaste MagazineJacob OllerDiallo undoubtedly strikes at potent topics with skill and sets her collaborators up for success...but its storylines and characters don’t convincingly coalesce.
- 70Film ThreatRob RectorFilm ThreatRob RectorDiallo’s dramatic horror film is rich with atmosphere and subtext and deserves recognition, despite its narrative shortcomings.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeDespite its hiccups and frustrations, Master is inventive in finding fresh ways to package familiar observations about American racism; even the most clichéd sentiments are delivered with a nudge and a wink.
- 60Time OutDave CalhounTime OutDave CalhounThis is a smart, meaningful first film, with nods all over the place to classics like The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby, as well as more recent obvious touch points like Get Out. It’s not all subtle, but then neither is prejudice.
- Hall, always a joy to watch, shows yet another, more subdued, side of her prodigious craft. But the film fails to build real suspense, and the scary scenes feel rote and often inelegant, like ticking off a college-horror-movie shot list.
- 38Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonMariama Diallo’s film never seems to fully buy into its horror trappings and ends up treating its characters as avatars for multiple grievances.