''Pledge'' is a 2018 American horror film, written by Zack Weiner, directed by Daniel Robbins, and produced by Mark Rapaport and Keaton Heinrichs. The film centers on collegiate hazing taken to extremes. It had its world premiere at the 2018

Fantasia International Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

, and was released in theaters and on VOD on January 11, 2019, through

IFC Midnight Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York. It is an offshoot of IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent features under its own name, select fo ...

Cast

* Zachery Byrd as Justin * Aaron Dalla Villa as Max * Zack Weiner as David * Phillip Andre Botello as Ethan * Cameron Cowperthwaite as Ricky * Jesse Pimentel as Bret * Joe Gallagher as Ben * Jean-Louis Droulers as Sam * Erica Boozer as Rachel * Melanie Rothman as Stacey

Production

''Pledge'' finished its principal photography in the summer of 2016 in New Rochelle, NY and New York City. Part of the film's post-production finances were sourced through

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

Release and reception

The film had its world premiere at the 2018

on July 24, 2018, and its United States premiere on October 14, 2018, at

Screamfest Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a Horror fiction, horror film festival founded by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in August 2001. It runs over ten days during the month of October and is hosted at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in ...

, where it won awards for Best Directing (Daniel Robbins) and Best Editing (Nik Voytas). The film was later released theatrically and on VOD via

. Pledge had a limited theatrical release in 20 cities across the United States, with additional theatrical releases in Latin America through foreign distributors. Pledge has received generally positive reviews from critics, with score on Rotten Tomatoes with its consensus stating, "''Pledge'' leaves a certain amount of potential untapped in its extreme take on collegiate hazing, but the end result is still well-executed enough to be worth a watch." Jeanette Catsoulis of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film "a ringing indictment of popularity as the cheese in a deadly mousetrap" and praised Zachery Byrd's performance as Justin, in particular. Dennis Harvey of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

called Pledge, "a lean and mean shocker that tells its tale of collegiate hazing run amuck with brute efficiency." Noel Murray of ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' said "the movie understands that — whether comedy or horror — all these stories are really about a desperate yearning for belonging."

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, pledge_2019, Pledge 2018 films 2018 independent films American horror films IFC Films films Films about hazing Films shot in New York City Kickstarter-funded films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films about fraternities and sororities English-language independent films