Jacob's Ladder
A haunted Vietnam veteran turned Brooklyn postal worker must unravel a terrifying supernatural conspiracy that has followed him from the jungle to the New York subway, or risk losing his sanity and the memory of his dead son forever.
“The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.”
Synopsis
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex‑wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 81+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Tom RolfShot by Jeffrey L KimballScored by Maurice JarreDesigned by Brian Morris
Box Office
1990 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.0× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$26.1M
Opening weekend: $7.5M — 29% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $9.8M — 38% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,052 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Jacob's Ladder - In der Gewalt des Jenseitsde
- La escalera de Jacobes
- L'Échelle de Jacobfr
- Allucinazione perversait
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Cast & Crew
81 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
59S Epatha Merkerson
as Elsa
Suzanne Shepherd
as Hospital Receptionist
Doug Barron
as Group Leader
Jan Saint
as Santa
Kisha Skinner
as Street Singer
Dion Simmons
as Street Singer
Sam Coppola
as Taxi Driver
Patty Rosborough
as Drunk
Evan O Meara
as Sam
Kyle Gass
as Tony
Gloria Irizarry
as Mrs. Carmichael
Lewis Black
as Jacob's Doctor
Raymond Anthony Thomas
as Policeman
Christopher John Fields
as Field Medic
Jaime Perry
as Field Medic
Michael Tomlinson
as Field Doctor
A M Marxuach
as Field Doctor
Antonia Rey
as Woman on Subway
John Capodice
as Army Officer
John P Jack Mclaughlin
as Army Officer
Bellina Logan
as Emergency Ward Nurse
Scott Cohen
as Resident Doctor
Davidson Thomson
as Evil Doctor
Bryan Larkin
as Jed
B J Donaldson
as Eli
Thomas A Carlin
as Doorman
Carol Schneider
as Nurse
Becky Ann Baker
as Nurse
Diane Kagan
as Nurse
Billie Neal
as Della
Mike Stokie
as Field Sergeant
James Ellis Reynolds
as EMT Bearer
Dennis Rubin Green
as Attendant
Brad Hamler
as Orderly
Byron Minns
as Orderly
Reggie Mcfadden
as Partygoer
Stephanie Berry
as Partygoer
Chris Murphy
as Partygoer
John Martin Green
as Partygoer
Arleigh Richards
as Paul's Wife
Ann Pearl Gary
as Mourner
Barbara Gruen
as Mourner
Joe Quintero
as Street Kid
John Louis Fischer
as Machine Gunner
Alva Williams
as Masked Man
Elizabeth Abassi
as Hospital Patient
Nora Burns
as Hospital Patient
Alison Gordy
as Hospital Patient
Jessica Roberts
as Hospital Patient
Holly Kennedy
as Hospital Patient
Blanche Irwin Stuart
as Hospital Patient
Perry Lang
as Jacob's Assailant
Jose Alvarez
as Factory Worker (uncredited)
Robert Baglia
as Tommy, Patient (uncredited)
Steve Baker
as Pool Player (uncredited)
Orson Bean
as Self - Game Show Panelist (archive footage) (uncredited)
Macaulay Culkin
as Gabe (uncredited)
Ray Defeis
as Straight Jacket Patient (uncredited)
Ed Jupp Jr
as Eyeless Doctor (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
1Other crew
7Parents Guide
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