The Killing of a Sacred Deer · reception & legacy

How The Killing of a Sacred Deer has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

It split Cannes 2017 down the middle — walkouts and raves in equal measure, with plenty dismissing it as cruelty for cruelty's sake — but as Lanthimos went mainstream with The Favourite and Poor Things, it's been re-embraced as maybe his most uncompromising film, and Barry Keoghan's Saltburn-era stardom sent a whole new wave back to it.

What's debated

The forever fight: is Lanthimos's deadpan, affectless style chilling genius or a hollow art-house endurance test — and this film is Exhibit A for both sides.

Its footprint

Barry Keoghan menacingly eating spaghetti became a genuine meme, and the film's brand of excruciating deadpan dialogue — Colin Farrell cheerfully oversharing at a dinner party — is endlessly quoted as peak Lanthimos awkwardness.

Where it stands

A24-era canon and a Letterboxd staple — the 'actually his best one' pick for Lanthimos devotees who find The Favourite too crowd-pleasing.