Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil (1998)

  • 53% of critics liked it
    (55 reviews)

  • 57% of users liked it
    (37,456 ratings)

Bryan Singer directed this Brandon Boyce adaptation of Stephen King's novella about teenager Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro), who discovers Nazi war criminal Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen) living in his California hometown. Fascinated with Dussender's wartime atrocities, Bowden blackmails the former… More

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R, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By
Bryan Singer
Written By
Brandon Boyce
Genres
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Oct 23, 1998 Wide
On DVD
Apr 13, 1999
TriStar Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Susan Stark, Detroit News

    Major junk!

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    A creepy, well-acted story of contagious evil!

  • Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

    Effective but not overwhelming, bone-chilling but not blood-freezing, Apt Pupil is a good shocker that misses the ultimate horror.

  • Jay Carr, Boston Globe

    Apt Pupil is most compelling for its moral dimension.

  • Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

    More disturbing than anything Keyser Söze could provide.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Lorenzo v


    <i>"If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn."</i> A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More

  • Conner R


    Maybe this isn't one of Stephen King's most popular stories, but it's sure one of his most realistically creepy ones. Bryan Singer takes this short story and turns it into a highly performance based movie, which is fine when you have two amazing actors pitted against… More

  • Jeff "


    Apt Pupil is a very interesting Thriller. Directed by Bryan Singer who is famous for directing the first two X-Men films directs this chilling and thrilling tale. When he discovers that one of his neighbors is a Nazi war criminal, teenager Todd Bowden persuades and blackmails Kurt… More

  • Derek D


    Based on a short story inside Stephen King's Different Seasons, it was better on paper, as usual, but the film was really good. Bryan singer does a good job with the direction of the film, but what really carries this is Ian McKellan's chain-smoking ex-Nazi neighbor who… More

  • Wahida K


    If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

See full cast

Trailers & Clips

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