The Return

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The Return

PG-13

2006

1h 25m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

13%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

32%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Joanna Mills (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has a successful career but feels her personal life is spinning out of control. She has few friends, an estranged father (Sam Shepard), and a crazy ex-boyfriend who is stalking her. Joanna begins having terrifying visions of a woman's murder, and it seems that she is the killer's next target. Determined to solve the mystery and escape her apparent fate, Joanna follows her visions to the victim's hometown and finds that some secrets just do not stay buried.

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Critics Consensus

Unoriginality may be an acceptable risk in the Horror genre, but boredom is never okay.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

Mar 24, 2007

The Return is a slow burn that's often way too slow, feeling stretched to meet a running time that's still under 90 minutes.

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Nigel Floyd

Time Out

Jan 16, 2007

Adam Sussman's script is so thin you can see right through it.

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Dave Calhoun

Time Out

Jan 15, 2007

It's gripping stuff and deeply enjoyable.

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Steve Newton

Georgia Straight

Jul 6, 2010

3/5

This low-key supernatural thriller, illogical as it is, offers a brief respite from the gruelling Saws and Hostels of the world.

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Kit Bowen

Hollywood.com

Nov 20, 2008

2/5

Brian Holcomb

Beyond Hollywood

Apr 18, 2008

Built from spare parts left over by American remakes of Japanese copies of "Ringu", "The Return" is at least two steps removed from the first generation copy.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 5, 2026

The Return is a 1.5 Movie!

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Farah R.

@Farah Jun 23, 2026

A good story and great actors sink under the weight of lousy execution. The Return revolves around an intriguing mystery that reminded me of What Lies Beneath. Sadly, it didn’t get the same production quality, so it’s mostly slow and boring.

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G L.

@RT09869090 Apr 12, 2026

Only worth watching if you're a Sarah Michelle Gellar fan.

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Darragh H

@RT19827700 May 26, 2025

Saw this when it was first released. Enjoyable well acted thriller.

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Jun 10, 2023

The first part of this movie is moody and sparse on dialogue. Very little seems to be happy but I didn't care too much as it looked fantastic. The colours look subdued and gorgeous. The camera moves and shot choices are all stunning. The problem is that there isn't any story and not a lot of atmosphere. One bit made me jump but for the rest of the time I was unmoved. If you are looking for a similar outing to The Grudge (2004), like I was, then you will be a bit disappointed. Beautiful cinematography and palate cannot totally excuse a lack of content.

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Apr 20, 2020

There's some interesting mood and visuals going on here, but what a mess! A confusing poopy mess.

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Asif Kapadia

Director

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Joanna Mills

Peter O'Brien

Terry Stahl

Adam Scott

Kurt Setzer

Kate Beahan

Michelle

J.C. MacKenzie

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Synopsis

Joanna Mills (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has a successful career but feels her personal life is spinning out of control. She has few friends, an estranged father (Sam Shepard), and a crazy ex-boyfriend who is stalking her. Joanna begins having terrifying visions of a woman's murder, and it seems that she is the killer's next target. Determined to solve the mystery and escape her apparent fate, Joanna follows her visions to the victim's hometown and finds that some secrets just do not stay buried.

Director: Asif Kapadia
Producer: Aaron Ryder, Jeffrey Silver
Screenwriter: Adam Sussman
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Raygun Productions, EuropaCorp, Intrepid Pictures, Rogue Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Terror|Disturbing Images|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 22, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.7M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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