Thinner(1996)
1996 · Tom Holland · 92 min
An obese lawyer finds himself growing "Thinner" when an old Romani man places a hex on him. Now the lawyer must call upon his friends in organized crime to help him persuade the old man to lift the curse. Time is running out for the desperate lawyer as he draws closer to his own death, and grows ever thinner.
Fantasy · Horror
5.9694 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Thinner scares
Thinner builds its fear through dread and inevitability rather than shocks, following a man who can't escape a punishment that's slowly consuming his body. The horror here comes from watching helplessness set in, as the curse works on him no matter what he tries. There's some ugly, uncomfortable body-focused imagery along the way, but it's more queasy and sad than gory. It's a slower, character-driven horror story, based on a Stephen King novel, better suited to people who like their scares tied to guilt and consequence than to viewers wanting jolts.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Thinner rates psychological 4/5, visceral 3/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 15 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 65 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, unsettling slide that keeps tightening its grip as things steadily get worse, building to a grim, intense finish.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Thinner?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Thinner rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
Watched it? Sign in to confirm whether this profile fits.
