This is a deeply disturbing and moody horror movie about a woman who becomes obsessed with a religious figure and her ability to control the world. It’s been praised by many critics as one of the best horror movies of all time.
If you’ve finished streaming this one and are looking for alternatives – don’t worry! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top picks for alternate viewing. ..
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Forrest Gump
- The Godfather
- The Godfather, Part II
- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Part 2
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Star Wars: Episode V – Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
- Jurassic Park
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a horror classic that still packs a punch nearly forty years after its release. The film’s impressive visual effects, shocking horror and some genuinely unnerving moments make it one of the best horror movies around. ..
The movie is set around a 12-year-old girl called Regan who is being held at the mercy of a strange, demonic presence. Her Mother calls on two priests to try and save her, as the battle between demon and priest ensues.
The Exorcist is a well written and terrifying horror film. ..
Black Swan
Nina is a committed but quiet ballet dancer who tries to bag the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”. Elation soon turns to twisted obsession though, as Nina begins to slip and descend down a dark path from which there seems to be no hope of returning.
With strong themes surrounding betrayal, addiction and mental health, Black Swan draws more than a few similarities to Saint Maud. There’s some pretty unsettling scenes in here too, making for a really trippy, well written psychological thriller.
Mother!
The film follows a nun, Mother (Sofia Boutella), who is sent to a remote convent after her husband is killed. While there, she begins to experience strange things happening in the convent and soon realizes that the nuns are being held captive by an evil force.
The woman wakes up in a remote mansion, calling out for her beloved, conveniently named “Him”. Their quiet life and relationship is put to the ultimate test when “Him” opens the door for guests to come and stay, destroying their tranquility and privacy forever.
The house is being used as a shelter for people, with some Christian symbolism at play. The first story builds up to a large crowd entering the house, while the second story jumps forward in time and starts the cycle of building up toward a large crowd again. There are some obvious Christian symbology at play here, with the two stories contrasting and playing off as artistic recreations of a few bible fables.
This movie has a Christian tone and religious imagery, which may be appealing to some viewers.
The Machinist
The Machinist is a thriller that features excellent performances by Christian Bale. It has a nice twist and some genuinely disturbing scenes, which make the most of its run-time to deliver one heck of a thrill ride. ..
Trevor Reznik has been working in a factory for the past year, and he’s not sure if he’s still alive. He’s not eating, drinking, or sleeping. Trevor doesn’t know what’s going on inside his head, but he can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. One day, Trevor begins to have strange dreams in which he sees things that don’t make any sense. In one dream, he sees a group of people being killed by a monster. In another dream, Trevor sees himself being killed by the monster. Eventually, Trevor starts to feel like he’s losing his mind and there’s no way out for him. He starts to doubt everything that he knows and starts to think that maybe this is all just a dream… but then something amazing happens: in his dreams, the monster doesn’t kill anyone. Instead, it saves them all! Trevor is astonished by this turn of events and decides to take some time off work to figure out what’s going on. He comes back to find that everything has changed - his factory has been destroyed! The workers who were killed in the first dream now live happily ever after thanks to the monster!
Bale’s transformation into this unsettling and grotesque character is nothing short of incredible, and his performance really elevates this thriller, making for an intense and heady experience. ..
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob’s Ladder is a psychologically charged movie that is easily one of the more unsettling on this list. The movie revolves around the haunted Vietnam War Vet Jacob, who tries to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. ..
As he dives deeper into his own subconscious, Jacob struggles to distinguish the different between the waking and dream world, leading to a mesmerizing and scary story to follow.
The movie is a real rollercoaster ride, akin to a wild-mouse corkscrew; spinning you around and around without letting up. When things finally do settle down, the movie hits you with a surreal ending that’ll leave you confused and amazed in equal measure. This one’s a must watch.
The Shining
The Shining is a psychological thriller that begins with the protagonist, Jack, waking up in a hotel room with no memory of how he got there. He soon realizes that the Hotel is haunted by the ghosts of its previous guests, who have all died in mysterious circumstances. The only way to find out what happened to them is to explore each and every room and corridor, but as Jack progresses through the novel, it becomes clear that there are more secrets hidden within the building than just those related to the ghosts.
As Jack and Wendy explore the hotel, they notice strange things happening. The lights in the room start to flicker and then go out. The door to the room opens and a figure walks in, followed by a loud scream. The figure is wearing a black suit with a white skull on the front, and it’s clear that it’s not human. As the figure starts to move around the room, Jack and Wendy hear something coming from behind it - it’s like there’s some kind of monster inside of them! They start to run towards the door but as they get close, they see that there’s nothing there but air! They return to their bedroom just in time to see their son Danny being dragged out of bed by what seems to be an evil force!
As Jack starts to lose his mind, he begins to hear voices whispering in his head and the isolated setting becomes a perfect breeding ground for fear.
The Shining is a horror movie that has been praised for its well written and creepy writing. It has been called one of the timeless horror movies of our generation.
Requim For A Dream
The film’s premise centers around four different people who find out the hard way what a crippling effect drug addiction can have. In terms of its themes about addiction and obsession, Requim For A Dream shares more than a few similarities to Saint Maud. The film’s setting is Coney Island, where the characters first meet each other. The movie also features a character named Maud, who is similar to Saint Maud in that she is an addict and has an obsession with drugs.
This movie is also directed by Darren Aronofsky, who’s responsible for bringing both Mother! and Black Swan to life (both of which appearing on this list of course.) The themes are similar but to reveal much more about this movie would be a disservice to some of the more shocking moments in the film. If you haven’t seen it, you really should check it out.
Cries and Whispers
As the film progresses, we see that Agnes is a complex and compelling character with a rich history that is only slowly revealed. She is a widow who has lost her husband to cancer, and she has two daughters who are both struggling to cope with their mother’s illness. As the film progresses, we see that Agnes is a complex and compelling character with a rich history that is only slowly revealed.
Agnes is a woman with three sisters. One sister is happily married and has a stable life while the other two sisters are unhappy in their marriages. The youngest sister, Maria, has a happy marriage with wealth surrounding her while the oldest sister, Karin, is trapped in an unhappy marriage. Anna, the servant in Agnes’ house, completes this ensemble. ..
When Agnes’ condition starts to deteriorate, the movie experiments with its timeline, diving back into flashbacks that reveal a myriad of secrets, full of lies, deceit, callousness, guilt and forbidden love.
This film does an excellent job of exploring the idea of death and how it affects people, as well as the way that it can be a source of comfort or terror. The final product is a chilling and suspenseful experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.
Misery
Paul Sheldon, a best-selling novelist, is driving home after completing his latest book when he crashes his car in a freak blizzard. The story revolves around the dangers of obsession and the metaphor for toxic fan culture today. ..
Despite being critically injured, Paul is thankfully saved by a former nurse called Annie Wilkes. Unfortunately, when she starts to learn about what he’s written in his new book, Annie turns on a dime and lashes out in the most destructive way possible.
Kathy Bates delivers a masterful performance in King’s story, elevating it from a gripping and shocking thriller to a very compelling and powerful drama. ..
Breaking the Waves
The film is incredibly powerful and moving, one that bears similarities to Saint Maud for the way it depicts religion.
Bess is conflicted about the idea, but eventually agrees to try it. She meets a local farmer, John, and they begin a sexual relationship. However, Bess soon realizes that she’s not really in love with John and decides to end things. Meanwhile, Jan is still recovering from his injuries and is unable to work. He spends his days watching TV and reading magazines. One day, he sees an article about Bess and John in the local paper. He becomes obsessed with them and starts following them around. Eventually, Jan confronts Bess about her relationship with John. She tells him that she’s not really in love with him and that she’s just using him for sex. Jan then breaks into John’s house one night while he’s sleeping and rapes her. This story has a deeply disturbing ending: after raping Bess, Jan kills John by throwing him off of a bridge into a river below. ..
Emily Watson brings this character to life with incredible depth, convincingly portraying her as a woman who is being guided by God. Bess becomes increasingly deviant, led by an impressive performance from the actress.
The film is about a woman named Maud who is a religious zealot and her journey to find God. It’s an interesting story with a lot of thought put into it, making it one of the better films I’ve seen this year.
- Saint Maud (2014)
- The Witch (2015)
- It Follows (2014)
- Don’t Breathe (2016)
- The Babadook (2014)
- The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- A Quiet Place (2018)
- IT (2017) 9. Get Out (2017) 10. Annabelle: Creation (2018). ..
Our picks for the best summer reads are just the beginning! Let us know in the comments below what books you’re looking forward to reading this season. ..
