The Believers

"Nothing can stop them, no one can help you. They know who you are."

1987 1h 54m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 193

HorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mourning the accidental death of his wife and having just moved to New York with his young son, laconic police psychologist Cal Jamison is reluctantly drawn into a series of grisly, ritualistic murders involving the immolation of two youths.

“Nothing can stop them, no one can help you. They know who you are.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

MGM+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

PhiloSubscription

MGM Plus Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

MGM PlusSubscription

Fandango At HomeRent

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Martin Sheen
Cal Jamison
Helen Shaver
Jessica Halliday
Harley Cross
Chris Jamison
Robert Loggia
Lt. Sean McTaggert
Elizabeth Wilson
Kate Maslow
Harris Yulin
Robert Calder
Lee Richardson
Dennis Maslow
Richard Masur
Marty Wertheimer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Schlesinger
Writers: Mark Frost, Jane Clark
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Robby Müller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by J. Peter Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Honess shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Martin Sheen and Helen Shaver and Harley Cross carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Nothing can stop them, no one can help you. They know who you are.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Schlesinger directs. Robby Müller behind the camera. J. Peter Robinson scores. Peter Honess cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3International production across 3 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada.
4Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Robby Müller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by J. Peter Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Honess shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Martin Sheen and Helen Shaver and Harley Cross carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Nothing can stop them, no one can help you. They know who you are.".
9IMDB entry: tt0092632 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "new york city", "based on novel or book", "ritual", "gun".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robby Müller
Original score: J. Peter Robinson
Editing: Peter Honess
Production design: Simon Holland
Costume design: Shay Cunliffe
Makeup / hair: Werner Sherer
Stunt coordinator: Dean Jeffries
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,000,000
Box office: $18,753,438
Return: 144% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Believers (1987)

Also by

John Schlesinger

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-08-09
★ 6/10
Unpleasant big city crime drama with Martin Sheen that morphs into sorcery-oriented horror A widowed therapist (Martin Sheen) moves back to New York City to find himself assisting the NYPD in a series of slayings linked to a Caribbean Voodoo-like cult. Things get worse when he discovers they want his son for a human sacrifice. Helen Shaver plays his landlord and possible romantic interest. “The Believers” (1987) is an adult-oriented crime drama that gets increasingly horrific. The plot and tone are akin to “Wolfen” (1981), albeit with the brujería cult replacing the super-wolves. It’s leagues superior to the similar “The Serpent and the Rainbow” (1988). The diabolic angle makes for some ugliness (e.g. death due to electric shock, suicides, grisly sacrifices, snakes and creepy arachnids), but there are rays of light as well. Sheen is outstanding as the protagonist while Shaver offers her wares to the table. The shocking spider sequence was later ripped off by "Urban Legends: Bloody Mary" (2005). The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in New York City & Toronto. GRADE: B-

Production companies