Piercing may not be the film for everyone (the violence and tone may offend some), but it is worth seeking out if you're a fan of late 70s/early 80s horror. Stylish, darkly funny, and truly depraved, Piercing is the definition of a cult classic.

| Oct 11, 2024

Piercing plays out Reed and Jackie’s tryst as a sadomasochistic Punch and Judy routine, with the flare-ups of violence equally funny and horrifying.

| Dec 6, 2023

...two films in Pesce has an interesting eye that, for me, compensates for his slightly inexplicable proclivities.

| Jan 6, 2023

Episode 28: Piercing / Monsters and Men / Thunder Road / Destroyer

| Original Score: 26/100 | Sep 9, 2021

Emerges as a movie that is chiefly addressed to Hollywood viewers who enjoy a bit of graphic violence in their movies, but have never read the book.

| Feb 21, 2021

Piercing is all flash and no substance - the end result never taking on any kind of permanence. Rather like it's title, it is brief hint of pain, before the sweet feeling of relief when it's over.

| Feb 4, 2021

Mia really stole my heart... but [the ending] was really disappointing.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 18, 2020

It makes a sick kind of sense that Piercing commits to its most playful knife-twist with a infuriatingly repressed flourish of cinematic withholding.

| Dec 15, 2020

Pesce's desire to subvert the expectations of his audience is very welcome, as are the ambiguous and darkly comic performances.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 15, 2020

The performances pull this one across the finish line convincingly and makes some truly demented behavior translate into surprisingly mainstream entertainment.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 7, 2020

"Piercing" frustrates me because there's so much potential and technical acumen on display, but it's more a polished demo reel than a satisfying narrative.

| Original Score: C | Jun 30, 2020

Piercing is a stunning piece of cinematic work where everything is planned and calculated, where the look of the film is as important as its content and where the two lead performances are just right [...]

| Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 11, 2020

A twisted psychosexual horror thriller.

| Original Score: C | Feb 17, 2020

Abbott and Wasikowska are both wonderful and fully capable of holding the film in their tight grip.

| Original Score: 7 | Feb 10, 2020

Compulsively watchable, even when this is because of how happily grotesque it can be.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 13, 2020

Overall, Piercing is visually arresting, deviously intoxicating, and completely messed up.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 27, 2019

Piercing is a flawed horror film since you don't feel emotionally invested in any of the characters, but Nicolas Pesce has crafted a brutal thriller that quite literally throws the audience for a loop and keeps the bloodshed flowing in an endless cycle.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 2, 2019

It's a movie designed to be polarizing, but it's an exciting risk by an interesting new voice in horror.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 31, 2019

Piercing is a sharp looking picture with some killer music, but unlike its source material, there's not enough under the hood to keep the viewer guessing, much less actually giving a [crap].

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 17, 2019

Piercing is a delicious comedy served pitch black...an audacious sophomore film from Nicholas Pesce.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 17, 2019