Pledge (2018 film)

Pledge is a 2018 American horror film, written by Zack Weiner, directed by Daniel Robbins, and produced by Mark Rapaport and Keaton Heinrichs. The film centers on collegiate hazing taken to extremes. It had its world premiere at the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival,[1] and was released in theaters and on VOD on January 11, 2019 through IFC Midnight.[2]

Pledge
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDaniel Robbins
Produced by
  • Mark Rapaport
  • Keaton Heinrichs
Written byZack Weiner
Starring
  • Zachery Byrd
  • Aaron Dalla Villa
  • Zack Weiner
  • Phillip Andre Botello
  • Cameron Cowperthwaite
  • Jesse Pimentel
Music byJohn Natchez
CinematographyWilliam Tracy Babcock
Edited byNik Voytas
Production
companies
  • Stag Pictures
  • BoulderLight Pictures
Distributed byIFC Midnight
Release date
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Cast
  • Zachery Byrd as Justin
  • Aaron Dalla Villa as Max
  • Zack Weiner as David
  • Phillip Andre Botello as Ethan
  • Cameron Cowperthwaite as Ricky
  • Jesse Pimentel as Bret
  • Joe Gallagher as Ben
  • Jean-Louis Droulers as Sam
  • Erica Boozer as Rachel
  • Melanie Rothman as Stacey

Production

Pledge finished its principal photography in the summer of 2016 in New Rochelle, NY and New York City. Part of the film's post-production finances were sourced through Kickstarter.[3]

Release and reception

The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival on July 24, 2018 and its United States premiere on October 14, 2018 at Screamfest, where it won awards for Best Directing (Daniel Robbins) and Best Editing (Nik Voytas).[4] The film was later released theatrically and on VOD via IFC Midnight. Pledge had a limited theatrical release in 20 cities across the United States, with additional theatrical releases in Latin America through foreign distributors. Pledge has received generally positive reviews from critics, with a 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film "a ringing indictment of popularity as the cheese in a deadly mousetrap."[5] Dennis Harvey of Variety called Pledge, "a lean and mean shocker that tells its tale of collegiate hazing run amuck with brute efficiency."[2] Noel Murray of The Los Angeles Times said "the movie understands that — whether comedy or horror — all these stories are really about a desperate yearning for belonging."[6]

References
  1. Rodriguez, Luke (17 January 2019). "'Pledge' is a Mean and Disgusting Home Run of a Horror Film [Review]". Modern Horrors. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  2. Harvey, Dennis (26 July 2018). "Film Review: Pledge". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  3. "PLEDGE: Feature-Length Horror/Thriller Movie". 11 January 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  4. Millican, Josh (20 October 2018). "Here are the Winners of Screamfest 2018!". Dread Central. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  5. Catsoulis, Jeanette (10 January 2019). "'Pledge' Review: Don't Haze Me Because I'm Different". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  6. Murray, Noel (16 January 2019). "Reviews: Frat house horror in 'Pledge' and more". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
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