The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
A brilliant surgeon is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart.
Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 20 October 2017 |
| Genre | Drama, Thriller, Mystery |
| Director | Yorgos Lanthimos |
| Starring | Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan |
| Runtime | 121 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.7/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 79% · Metacritic 73/100 · IMDb 7.0/10 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
Where to watch The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is streaming on Max ($18.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Max is $18.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 31 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent The Killing of a Sacred Deer on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 11 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Max |
| Australia | ARD/ZDF |
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Denmark | Prime Video 69 kr DKK, Viaplay 159 kr DKK |
| Finland | Prime Video €6.99, Viaplay €13.99 |
| India | Prime Video ₹299 |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, Hulu, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Norway | Prime Video 79 kr NOK, Viaplay 169 kr NOK |
| Poland | Prime Video 25.99 zł |
| Spain | Max €10.99 |
| Sweden | Prime Video 69 kr SEK, Viaplay 169 kr SEK |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Yorgos Lanthimos directs this 121-minute drama, thriller, and mystery. Colin Farrell plays a surgeon whose perfect life unravels when Barry Keoghan’s character inserts himself into the household. The film operates on a logic that feels more like a Greek tragedy than a standard thriller. It is cold, precise, and deeply uncomfortable. You will not feel safe for a single minute. It is the kind of movie that rewards your patience with a final image that stays with you long after the credits roll.
What the critics said
Critics found it unsettling in the way a good meal should be. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 79% approval rating as of November 2024, while Metacritic scores it 73 out of 100 based on 45 reviews. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it a "somnambulist's certainty" along a distinctive spectrum of weird. Mark Kermode of The Observer described it as a "Saw movie for the arthouse crowd." The consensus favors the style over the substance.
What came next for the cast
Colin Farrell moved from Minority Report to Dumbo. Nicole Kidman traded Eyes Wide Shut for Aquaman. Raffey Cassidy stepped from Dark Shadows into Vox Lux, and Barry Keoghan jumped from '71 to Chernobyl. The credits cannot say this film caused that trajectory. They can only say what followed.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Sources
- The Killing of a Sacred Deer on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q27492140 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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