Reeker(2005)
2005 · Dave Payne · 91 min
Strangers trapped at an eerie travel oasis in the desert must unravel the mystery behind their visions of dying people while they are preyed upon by a decaying creature.
Horror · Mystery
5.7285 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Reeker scares
Things kick off like a typical group-of-strangers-stranded-together setup before sliding into a mystery about why everyone keeps seeing flashes of death and decay. The pace mixes stretches of eerie confusion with bursts of chase-and-attack action once the rotting, foul-smelling creature shows up. It leans more toward a fun genre romp with a puzzle to solve than something that will actually haunt you, though the creature's design and some of its methods are genuinely gross. Good for fans of monster-hunts-people horror who also enjoy piecing together a weird mystery as they watch.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Reeker rates psychological 3/5, visceral 4/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 55 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 40 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 30 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow gathering of strangers gives way to steadily climbing dread that builds into a chaotic, high-intensity final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Reeker?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Reeker rates 3/5 — solidly scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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