We asked the reddit community to tell us which movies completely messed with their heads. Here are the mind-melting results.
1. Horse Girl (2020)
What it’s about: “Sarah, a socially isolated woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows, finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s not about horses, I promise. It’s about an introverted, lonely girl who starts having weird and scary experiences. It’s freaky, so just trust me on this one. Also, it stars Alison Brie and is on Netflix.” —katelynf478
2. Midsommar (2019)
What it’s about: “A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s fabled midsummer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.”
Why you should watch it: “I watched it about a week ago. During some parts I had to turn down the volume and close my eyes. The movie is still running through my mind.” —Genevievemnm
3. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
What it’s about: “In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.”
Why you should watch it: “There are moments in this movie that will have you turning to the person next to you and asking, ‘What the hell did I just watch?,’ but in a good way.” —christinet4
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
What it’s about: “Kevin’s mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.”
Why you should watch it: “I’ve watched this movie multiple times, and just seeing how everything unfolds is so unnerving. It’ll make you think for days.” —emilytheIt
5. Nightcrawler (2014)
What it’s about: “When Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of Los Angeles crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.”
Why you should watch it: “It realllllly messed with me, and it made me look differently at the people I trust.” —jacobg48
6. Cloud Atlas (2012)
What it’s about: “An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present, and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s soooo intriguing, and part of you will leave completely baffled. I highly recommend it.” —rachelc77
7. Uncut Gems (2019)
What it’s about: “With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s not disturbing in the traditional sense, but your heart and mind will be racing. It’s a tough movie to watch. The end literally gutted me for weeks.” —maddiec4
8. Strange Circus (2005)
What it’s about: “An erotic novelist is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder, and abuse. Her assistant sets out on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s the creepiest, wildest movie I’ve ever seen. It made me so uncomfortable, and the plot twist at the end is also brilliant. It’s so freaky that I’m never going to watch it again.” —sudham2
9. Jesus Camp (2006)
What it’s about: “A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.”
Why you should watch it: “I got into the habit of watching documentaries while at the gym. I had to turn this one off and restart it at home because it was so bizarre and deserved my undivided attention. It was so wild. It was like a last-call drink that I regretted having.” —jcantu
10. Prisoners (2013)
What it’s about: “When Keller Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.”
Why you should watch it: “It made me question myself for days about how far I’d actually go for justice and for the truth.” —saracryne
11. Moon (2009)
What it’s about: “Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the moon where he, working alongside his computer Gerty, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet’s power problems.”
Why you should watch it: “I still can’t work out if it scared me or amazed me. Either way, it has stayed with me for years.” —d497
12. The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
What it’s about: “After being attacked on the street, a young man enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself from future threats.”
Why you should watch it: “I had to rewatch it to completely understand what was going on. It’s incredible. It’s an onion movie – there are layers to it.” —hellolobstersocks
13. White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)
What it’s about: “In 1988, a teenage girl’s life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears.”
Why you should watch it: “It’ll make you question whether or not you truly know the people around you.” —rockchick19
14. The Lobster (2015)
What it’s about: “In a dystopian future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or are transformed into animals and sent off into The Woods.”
Why you should watch it: “Even though the plot is pretty simple, the movie is the weirdest freaking thing I have ever seen.” —florencer4
15. Mr. Nobody (2009)
What it’s about: “A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn’t choose, anything is possible.”
Why you should watch it: “It takes place in the future and is about the last immortal man on Earth who lives out every possible outcome of his life. It made me have weird dreams about parallel universes and made me question my existence.” —marleypirochta
16. Cape Fear (1991)
What it’s about: “A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.”
Why you should watch it: “This is one of those occasions when the actors are wayyyy too good at their job (especially Juliette Lewis). It’ll make you question everything.” —creativemummy
17. Atonement (2007)
What it’s about: “Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister’s lover of a crime he did not commit.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s so heartbreaking, and the plot twist messes you up even more. I sat there in shock when the movie was over.” —mega5n
18. The Skin I Live In (2011)
What it’s about: “A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig is a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.”
Why you should watch it: “This one made me feel so many things. It’s dark, sad, and moving.” —reneenicolem
19. Us (2019)
What it’s about: “A family’s serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s exciting and will scare the hell out of you. You’ll have to rewatch it over and over again just to figure out what you missed.” —pattiecolvin23
20. The Others (2001)
What it’s about: “A woman who lives in her darkened old family house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that the home is haunted.”
Why you should watch it: “I sat there for an hour thinking ‘Okay, where is this going?’ Then everything completely flipped, and it all clicked into place. I was telling people about that movie for the whole year after I first watched it.” —lorencandace
21. Wag the Dog (1997)
What it’s about: “Shortly before an election, a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a presidential sex scandal.”
Why you should watch it: “It stars Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, and it completely messed me up at a young age.” —crystat
22. Cube (1997)
What it’s about: “Six complete strangers of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in an endless maze containing deadly traps.”
Why you should watch it: “How people respond in a crisis is terrifying, as is the realization that there is no master plan. The Cube exists simply because it does, and that’s why the movie will f*ck with your head.” —Skellycog
23. Parasite (2019)
What it’s about: “Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.”
Why you should watch it: “The movie moves at 100 miles per hour, and you’ll never know what’s going to happen next. It’s something you’ll think about long after you’re done watching.” —aval47
24. Black Swan (2010)
What it’s about: “A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.”
Why you should watch it: “It messed with my mind for months after watching it. I even researched what happened but still couldn’t quite get my head around it!” —maryj487
25. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
What it’s about: “A wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband’s novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.”
Why you should watch it: “It’s raw and real, and it left me with a weird feeling about this already messed-up world.” —leahsbz