The Pencil (1981) poster
1981 · comedy · satire

The Pencil

Directed by Thomas Schultz11m1981
ElsewhereTMDB8.52
  • warm
  • brisk
  • gentle
  • intimate
  • funny
Movie DNA

Warm, kinetic, gentle comedy / satire, inventive in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, measured.

How every film is hand-scored →

Sara, a struggling artist, discovers a unique pencil that can solve all her problems. But her dreams turn into a nightmare when a malevolent demonic creature from Kazakh legends gets unleashed.

Our read · The Pencil (1981) reads as a warm, kinetic, inventive comedy · satire entry — gentle in intensity, intimate in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.

Video previewNo trailer available for this one.
Where to watch
Not on streaming here right now.Check JustWatch Check Letterboxd
More info & search links
Fingerprint

The shape of The Pencil

Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

You want a quick atmospheric horror about a cursed pencil unleashing a demon.

ends unsettlingit leaves you shakengrabs you earlygrips from the openattention 4/5breezes bysubtitles: full
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upbody horror

Skip it tonightSkip if any demonic creature or short horror leaves you uneasy.

DNA · twelve axes

The reading.

Each axis is hand-scored — not derived from votes or genre averages. The marker shows where this film sits; the gradient fill uses the film's own cinematography palette.

Mood · HeavyCosy
Pacing · Slow-burnKinetic
Intensity · GentleExtreme
Weirdness · ConventionalSurreal
Hope · NihilisticRedemptive
Stakes · IntimateEpic
Humour · NoneBroad
Reality · GroundedFantastical
Density · SparseTwisty
Warmth · ColdTender
Auteur · TransparentSignature
Your take
Rate it
star-clip-1-0star-clip-2-0star-clip-3-0star-clip-4-0star-clip-5-0
React
Discussion

Discussion

cmd enter to post

What does your Movie DNA look like?

Rate a few films you've seen. We map your taste across the same twelve axes and find the films you'll actually want to watch tonight.

Read my taste — 60 sec
No account needed.