Swallowed relies heavily on both the narrative arc and the acting of Koch as Benjamin to keep the unruly tonal shifts on target, while Jena Malone's powerful urgency picks up the pace when things start to slump.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 25, 2023

Though it is rather long-winded and some moments prove difficult to swallow, this unsettling psychodrama is both atmospheric and creepy, and boasts a truly startling conclusion.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 21, 2023

Swallowed is an indie film that promised us Queerness, body horror, Jena Malone, and Mark Patton. However, it delivers tension, discomfort, and so much more. I expected it to be a fine film and was pleasantly surprised from the moment I hit play.

| Aug 14, 2023

Where a viewer might expect a few more layers of symbolism and subtext to enrich the film, it turns out there’s not really anything here other than a juvenile desire to shock and scandalise.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 18, 2023

Even if the story and characters are somewhat lacking when it comes to internal logic, the film creates a superbly queasy sense of unease.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 11, 2023

Swallowed will make you squirm, not because of what’s been swallowed – but because what goes in must come out.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 28, 2023

While [Cooper Koch] the best part of Swallowed (and that's not saying much), it'll be interesting to see where he goes from here.

| Original Score: C | Mar 15, 2023

Swallowed starts off as an intriguing but somewhat far-fetched horror film. However, when Mark Patton and his terrible acting show up, the movie turns into a campy, boring, and repetitive mess. The movie's ending is also very weak and unimaginative.

| Mar 13, 2023

A lean and mean horror film with a[n] LGBTQ twist and solid performances and taut direction.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 8, 2023

The body horror in Swallowed is a different kind of disturbing, because, well, you have to get the drugs out of Dom somehow. It’s not for the squeamish.

| Mar 2, 2023

The film still feels unwilling to embrace its many disparate elements and genres to form a cohesive creature feature.

| Original Score: C+ | Feb 25, 2023

A gut-wrenching terror (and love story) that must be consumed! It features one hell of a performance from Mark Patton.

| Feb 17, 2023

A memorably intense experience, with sharp points to make about how the lives of outsiders and outlaws can tip in an instant into sloppy chaos.

| Feb 17, 2023

Swallowed mines its creepy, uncomfortable horror/thriller elements exquisitely before gorging itself on a ridiculously campy second act that squanders every morsel of its goodwill.

| Original Score: 3/10 | Feb 17, 2023

Swallowed is a simple yet poetic story about a friendship and self-protection. it's well worth a spin if you're a fan of indie character-focused stories with concise conclusions, but it may feel slower towards the end tail.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 16, 2023

Carter Smith’s Swallowed is a captivating blend of body horror and romance that manages to be both an intimate love story between friends drifting apart and a horrific battle for survival with an enemy lurking somewhere within.

| Original Score: B | Feb 16, 2023

Part crime thriller, part body horror, part erotic dance, "Swallowed" follows two friends on a night from hell involving drugs, bugs and guns.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 13, 2023

As it is, it's mostly just ugly--and, frankly, I think it should be.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 10, 2023

I was really vibing with the film for the first half of its runtime. It's tense and mysterious [before ultimately becoming] a prolonged survival film as [the Boss] and Benjamin play cat and mouse to familiar ends.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Feb 10, 2023

Smith is skilled at launching a bizarre endeavor, but less confident when it comes to ending it.

| Original Score: B- | Feb 7, 2023