6 Pretty Twisted Movies
One way to feel better about the state of the world right now is to watch a movie that’s even more whacked out. Here are 6 that will do the job!
Transcendence – First things first: Right now, you can stream this star-studded, sci-fi thriller for free through Redbox on Demand. It features Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara and Cole Hauser in a story about a group of scientists trying to finish a top-secret Artificial Intelligence project before an anti-technology organization ruins their plans. I don’t want to spoil the most twisted parts of the plot, but let’s just say that in the movies, whenever humans mess with nanotechnology, quantum physics and AI, things tend to go awry…
Last Night in Soho – Two words: Time hops. After Ellie, a design student (Thomasin McKenzie), moves to London to earn her degree, she starts having increasingly realistic dreams set in the 1960s and revolving around a troubled nightclub singer (Anya Taylor-Joy). Soon, Ellie’s life and her dreams begin to intertwine in a disturbing and menacing way.
The Green Knight – In this gorgeous, supernatural epic set in Medieval times, King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), takes on a mysterious giant called the Green Knight in order to make a name for himself. Unfortunately for Gawain, this is no Jolly Green Giant. This guy is playing the long game, and Gawain eventually finds himself caught in the giant’s trap with little hope of escape.
Antlers – Yep, it’s all right there in the title. Keri Russell stars as a teacher who’s concerned that one of her students, Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas), is being abused at home. When she pulls in others—including her brother, (Jesse Plemons) the town’s sheriff—to investigate, it quickly becomes clear that something supernatural is wreaking havoc on Lucas’s family. And whatever it is involves… antlers.
Drugstore Cowboy – I’ll forewarn you that this one is hard to watch at times, but there’s a reason why director Gus Van Sant’s (Good Will Hunting) take on American drug culture still has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Matt Dillon stars as a junkie who finally decides he wants to get clean and stop robbing hospitals and pharmacies to pay for his addiction. Unfortunately, stepping out of his old lifestyle isn’t as simple as he expected, and that’s when things get even more twisted.
Lamb – I’ll end with the weirdest movie I’ve seen in a long time. It’s about two farmers (Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason) in rural Iceland who are shocked when one of their sheep gives birth to something that’s… not entirely a lamb. From the beginning, it’s clear to the audience that something bad helped bring this creature into existence, but the farmers—who’ve always wanted a child—are either unaware or in denial. When the audience eventually gets to see the child, it could’ve been one of those laugh-out-loud moments because of just how twisted the entire concept is, but Rapace and Guðnason’s performances ground the story in sorrow and a sense of semi-realism. This is a love-it-or-hate-it movie, but one you’ll never forget either way.
What’s one of the most twisted movies you’ve ever seen?