With eleven films under his belt, Wes Anderson has carved a niche of his own and developed one of the most stylistically distinct authorial stamps in world cinema. Symmetrical compositions, immaculate production design, elaborate sets, and dysfunctional families are only some of the usual hallmarks that run through his personal film catalog. Because of his enduring mainstream popularity as a singular voice in American cinema, Anderson’s instantly recognizable style has been routinely parodied and imitated across pop-culture for the past 25 years. But contrary to what a bunch of second-rate AI-assisted TikTok pastiches may lead you to believe, the born-and-raised Houstonian defies imitation and continues to march to the beat of his own drum.

Ranking a stacked body of work like his is a challenging task: it may be easy to recognize a Wes Anderson movie when you see one, but everyone has a different title that holds the softest spot in their heart. To celebrate the release of “Asteroid City”—in theaters now—we’re offering a comprehensive ranking, from worst to best, for every Wes Anderson movie to date.

11. Asteroid City (2023)

For all its visual grandeur, “Asteroid City” is unlikely to win over any naysayers who have yet to fall for Wes Anderson. In fact, the director’s latest gambit might give credence to those who’ve wrongly accused him of being a one-trick pony who’s been running on empty for quite some time.

That’s not to say that diehard Wes-heads will not take delight in this intricately detailed slice of Americana, which zeroes in on a group of families and students from across the country who gather in a 1950s-era dusty town for the annual Junior Stargazer convention. Other viewers, however, might find its metatextual play-within-a-play framing device at once overstuffed and spreading too emotionally thin to really care for any particular character, despite solid work by Anderson’s troupe, especially Jason Schwartzman as a grieving war photographer. All in all, it’s unfortunate to see a film as painstakingly detailed and with so much talent attached as this one devolve into vacuous self-parody.

10. Bottle Rocket (1996)

Uninitiated viewers should find a more approachable introduction to the singular world of Wes Anderson in his 1996 debut, a lean and stripped-down cult classic strewn from a 13-minute short that instantly put the director on everyone’s map.

Despite what its position at the near bottom of this list may imply, this charming Sundance Festival crime caper is as good a place as any to dip your toes into Anderson’s work. Revered by highbrow legend Martin Scorsese and dorm-poster-loving film bros alike, “Bottle Rocket” gave the world a first glimpse at the Wilson brothers as two halfwit wannabe criminals who foolishly stage a number of ill-conceived robberies across Texas. There are spurts of Anderson-patented deadpan humor and ironic eccentricity, but you can sense the 26 year-old wunderkind wasn’t entirely confident yet during his first rodeo on the director’s chair. That the resulting film feels noticeably less polished than any of Anderson’s movies works both for and against it.

9. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Despite bombing critically and commercially upon release, Anderson’s fourth feature film has only grown in stature with the passage of time, with a number of his devotees now going as far as to rank it among the director’s finest (with a Criterion release to boot).

We’re not willing to jump on that bandwagon just yet, but that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to like in “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou”; a heartfelt, undisguised tribute to the real-life French explorer Jacques Cousteau. In theory, the film’s premise seems tailormade to explore some of Wes’ trademark motifs, with Zissou’s voyage across the seven seas allowing the disenchanted oceanographer to come to terms with the loss of his partner, his dysfunctional marriage and hopefully mend his relationship with his estranged son (Owen Wilson). Yet, though it almost inched up another spot or two on this list solely on the strength of Bill Murray’s committed performance, the story swerves out of control and doesn’t come together quite as seamlessly as other Wes’ heavy-hitters. We’ll just treasure Seu Jorge’s covers of David Bowie songs and move on.

8. The French Dispatch (2021)

There’s something to treasure in every Wes Anderson movie, however, your overall appreciation for this love letter to old-fashioned journalism will probably correlate with your enjoyment of “Asteroid City”, with both films similarly letting their lavish visuals and immaculate production designs do all the heavy lifting.

It’s not an easy bar to surpass, but there’s a real argument to be made for this 2021 anthology movie as Wes’ most technically accomplished and visually innovative work to date. Though it sacrifices some beats of downtime and character development by recklessly zigzagging through a portmanteau of episodic chapters all taking place in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé, every frame is drenched in detail and pops off the screen. Newcomers Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright and Benicio del Toro steal the show in their respective segments, which feature some of the most inspired moments in Anderson’s resumé, from a Godard-inspired student uprising and an extended 2D animated chase scene to a meet-cute romance between a misunderstood artist and a prison guard. It never truly feels greater than the sum of its parts, but “The French Dispatch” works more than well enough to make a case for its own existence.

7. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Perhaps more than any other Anderson movie to date, this one remains a bit slept-on and underrated. Originally lambasted by pundits and audiences alike, it’d be easy to lump this brotherly road trip into the lower depths of Anderson’s back catalog and never revisit it again.

Far from resting on his laurels, in telling the story of three estranged brothers who embark on a journey of self-discovery train voyage across India one year after their father’s passing, Wes Anderson uncorked a raw, and affectionate portrait of brotherhood and the family ties that bind us all that’s also his most sincere since “Tenenbaums”. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman’s performances and a handful of needle-drops by The Kinks sure help, but what makes “The Darjeeling Limited” is that it is deeply empathetic, capturing the psychological hang-ups of its wounded characters with a light touch but heart-stopping clarity.

In more ways than none, Steven Spielberg is synonymous with the art of film directing. Not only is his commercial success unparalleled, but he is also responsible for some of the most iconic films, characters, images, and thematic ideas of Hollywood history.

In essence, Spielberg is the ideal filmmaker, equally populous and crowd-pleasing as he is intelligent, groundbreaking, and artistically sound. Everyone knows the classics, but Spielberg, who has directed over 30 films throughout his illustrious career, has underseen and overlooked gems in his reservoir.

1. Duel (1971)

Watching a significant director’s debut film in retrospect of the current context is always fascinating, especially when the seeds of their artistry were intact. While merely a T.V. movie, Duel is the definitive blueprint to Jaws, as well as the masterful staging and viscerally accessible entertainment that Steven Spielberg perfected. The film has become an object of cult fascination over the years, and it is the Rosetta Stone for how Spielberg emerged as the populous voice of a generation.

Duel follows a business executive, David (Dennis Weaver), who commutes to an appointment with a client when an ominous truck driver terrorizes him during his trip. The truck continues to chase after him on the road, and David is forced to drive for his life. Plot-wise, Duel mirrors the crux of Jaws. Other stylistic and thematic elements, such as the elevation of trashy B-movie material and the fear of the enemy being the dramatic device rather than the entity itself, lends the 1971 TV movie as the true predecessor to the summer blockbuster. The truck driver, and even the truck itself, remains a faceless figure lacking any tangible motivation throughout, which only heightens the treacherous stakes.

Once the frantic cat-and-mouse game between David and the truck ignites, Spielberg never figuratively lets his foot off the gas. The accelerated momentum of Duel is too rampant for the small screen. On a textual level, the film utilizes the desert setting to, perhaps implicitly, exploit the dynamic of a white-collar, suburb-dweller trekking out to the frontier and confronting the danger of the wild west. Whether or not this is designed to comment on a sociological phenomenon, this juxtaposition further adds to the thrills and cinematic bliss of Duel.

2. The Sugarland Express (1974)

His arrival on the big screen, this early work is not as omnipresent with the traditional Steven Spielberg DNA. Indebted to New Hollywood films about outlaws on the run, The Sugarland Express is a downbeat spin on the director’s exploration of family and adventure, and the integration of classic Hollywood figures and ideas into a modern world. While Spielberg pivoted in a different direction, films of this limited scope could have boded well for his artistic craft.

In The Sugarland Express, Lou-Jean (Goldie Hawn) and her husband Clovis (William Atherton), who recently escaped from prison, are on the run from the law after taking a police officer hostage in their attempt to kidnap their child from foster parents. The film may remind audiences of counterculture road movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider on the surface, but Spielberg’s formative expressive camera movements and explosive action set pieces offer something slightly more palatable.

If anything, The Sugarland Express demands more attention to the psychology of broken people. Spielberg is perhaps too committed to testing his abilities as a director of spectacle. Because of this, however, he proactively discovers ingenious ways to shoot the most rudimentary sequences. Every angle, shot length, and framing device is employed by Spielberg.

His admiration for Westerns and the filmography of John Ford is evident in the casting of Ben Johnson and the characterization of powerful lawmen at the end of the line. If The Fabelmans reminded Spielberg and his audience anything, a shot comprised of a horizon in the middle of the screen is, described by David Lynch’s portrayal of Ford, “boring as shit.” The Sugarland Express laid the groundwork for Spielberg as a wondrous visionary.

3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

For some baffling reason, Temple of Doom has been subjugated as part of the “bad Indiana Jones” films alongside Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While the 2008 Indy comeback film is ripe with flaws, the 1984 sequel pushed the envelope for franchise filmmaking and the MPAA rating board. Spielberg uses a bankable franchise and beloved character to vault towards deranged filmmaking that he never aspired to before.

The Temple of Doom is set before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, following Indy’s (Harrison Ford) quest to reclaim a rock stolen by a secret cult lurking beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace. It is refreshing to watch a prequel that isn’t relentlessly bogged down in expanded universe lore, or panders to fanbases regarding a favorable portrait of the central character. Furthermore, the plot of the film is superfluous. Spielberg is focused on incredible spectacles and dazzling set pieces. Temple of Doom has an escalation and momentum that boosts tension and the livewire character dynamic between Indy, Short Round (Ke-Huy Quan), and Willie (Kate Capshaw).

The film mimics its own minecart chase, never slowing down until the closing credits. Spielberg sees no creative boundaries with his film, as he gleefully leans into both horror and slapstick comedy, with the former of the two being so pronounced that the PG-13 rating was implemented thanks to the movie. The film’s depiction of Southeast Asian people is slightly problematic, to say the least, but all of these indelible facets of Temple of Doom highlight how bold and daring Spielberg was at the time. He easily could have phoned in an Indy sequel just for the paycheck, but he chose to up the ante by giving the character a gonzo treatment.

4. Empire of the Sun (1987)

The mid-late 1980s saw Steven Spielberg, perhaps at the height of his popularity and commercial success, chasing after an Academy Award by tackling serious “adult” stories. The films of this time, including The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun, are still embedded with his sense of wonder and hopefulness in the face of danger. With his latter film in 1987, Spielberg got his first taste of a historical epic about the immense gravity of political turmoil, all through the perspective of a child, in Spielberg fashion.

Empire of the Sun centers around a young English boy, Jim (Christian Bale), who struggles to survive under the Japanese occupation of China during World War II. An expert in directing child actors, a young Bale is a perfect match for Spielberg. He has a delicate touch regarding elevating children to make them sympathetic and relatable to adults. Following this story with lofty stakes from young Jim’s eyes is seamless. Despite being a film about wonder and sentimentality amid a national crisis, Spielberg displays a remarkable amount of restraint from his typical wonder and sentimentality. In this case, Empire of the Sun relies on natural emotional manipulation.

For better or worse, the film is usually leveled and doesn’t give into monumental payoffs, especially in the first half. The section before entering the internment camp contains some of the most harrowing sequences and imagery of the director’s filmography, as the despair of war-torn China correlates with the inherent danger of shattered innocence. Empire of the Sun operates as a transition phase for Spielberg, as he juggles the wholesome quest for hope against a dire historical context later seen in Schindler’s List and Lincoln.

5. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

In 2001, Steven Spielberg was handed the impossible task of completing an unfinished project by the recently passed Stanley Kubrick. Two directors with seemingly counterintuitive artistic and thematic styles would converge to produce A.I. Artificial Intelligence, a science fiction riff on Pinocchio. What was criticized at the time for muddling the cynical outlook of Kubrick as a result of Spielberg’s hopefulness is in actuality one of the soulful and sobering depictions of humanity of all time.

In a dystopian future, where A.I. is set, a highly advanced robotic boy, David, (Haley Joel Osment) vows to become real to inspire the love of his human mother (Frances O’Connor). Kubrick’s imprint on the narrative is inseparable, but make no mistake, this is Spielberg’s alluring vision. The film’s distinct three-act structure gives it a sprawling scope. Some cite this as messy storytelling, but Spielberg’s exploration into how advanced technology only suppresses the hearts of broken natural and artificial life forms across various walks of life is magnetic. A.I. expertly walks a fine line between the bleak distortion of artificial life and longing for human affection remarkably.

There is an unnerving dreamscape to A.I. that mirrors the moral quandary of the future of artificial intelligence that lingers today. The characters, environment, and feelings are all familiar, but they are ultimately impenetrable. Basic human core values, love, companionship, and trust, all are muddied in this universe. The paradox surrounding the manufacturing of affection is met with an inevitable reality of David, a programmed robot, doing whatever it takes to satisfy its coded definition of becoming a real boy. On the surface, the film’s ending is a tiring illustration of Spielberg’s sappiness, but only in a subversive reading does it conclude that artificiality clouded as blissful reality is the cruelest form of closure.

Next to comedies, more than any other, the horror genre has been historically critically undervalued, perceived unfairly as comic and dispensable. In spite of the validity of its devoted following, harsher critics go so far as to nullify horror’s purpose, snobbishly mocking it. What they’ve failed to recognise is, beyond the arbitrary artifice, these stories are exceptional vessels for wisdom of literary and social significance. Frankenstein (1931) spoke of outsider discrimination. George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) examined racism in the U.S. and Dawn of the Dead (1978) analysed consumerism.

Artists like Romero proved that genre pieces can not only match the importance of so-called high art, ‘literary’ films and books, but they can also outdo them. Alongside delivering essential allegorical messages, they are foremost enthralling pop culture entertainment. As a result of reviewers not always valuing the genre for what it is, many great horror movies have been misunderstood and underrepresented. With the exception of the 7th and 9th entries, which received negative reviews, the titles on this list hold divided percentages on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. Requiem For a Vampire (Jean Rollin, 1971)

The movie opens with a car chase involving a pair of clowns, one of them shooting a pistol out the rear window. Beautiful lovers Marie (Rollin’s frequent collaborator Marie-Pierre Castel) and Michelle (Mireille Dargent) wander through the French countryside until they discover a medieval castle. There, they’re taken prisoner by its vampire residents.

Principally, the erotic Requiem For a Vampire is the quintessential Jean Rollin movie – the supreme effort in the auteur’s especial vampire mythology. It possesses all Rollin’s hallmarks: minimal dialogue, an obsession with castles and graveyards, kinky violence, gothic hyperbole and, centrally, a de rigueur indulgence in lesbian sex scenes, rooted in the director’s sideline as a pornographer. Furthermore, the gorgeously painterly, meditative cinematography distinguishes it as an artistic highpoint in Rollin’s vampire-monopolised career.

These visuals aid in fostering the dreamlike, fairytale tone characteristic of France’s fantastique regional sub-genre (which blurs the line between horror, fantasy and sci-fi). What makes Rollin’s movies interesting and special are their idiosyncratic and visionary attributes, eschewing formulaic commerciality. In similarity to Jean-Pierre Melville’s crime films, Rollin reappropriated genre moviemaking as a platform to express his particular brand of arthouse poetry. For horror fans unfamiliar with Rollin, Requiem For a Vampire is an emblematic introduction to his filmography.

2. Race With the Devil (Jack Starrett, 1975)

2 couples (Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, Peter Fonda, Lara Parker) take a vacation in an RV. Stopping for the night at a river in rural Texas, they encounter a cult of murderous pagans who chase them across the state.

Firstly, the insidious, expertly-directed Race With the Devil is a perfect personification of paranoia. This facet is best illustrated when Lara Parker’s character goes swimming in a pool, only to look up and see a horde of people staring blankly at her. The same ominousness plagues the protagonists wherever they visit, implicating everyone as possible enemies. In effect, the trait makes Race With the Devil deeply resonant and truthful, as stirring today as it was in ‘75. This is further underlined by the Watergate-era climate of mistrust in which the film was produced.

The impression of paranoia speaks to a primal fear of others, not knowing who we can place our trust in in a malicious world. Race With the Devil plays like an individual’s nightmare recounted through cinema. With a well-paced, excellently-written screenplay, it marbles action and road movie genres with horror to encompass some of the most awe-inspiring gunfight and explosion-infused car chases of the ‘70s.

The gripping and quotable Race With the Devil may have developed a cult following, but its tremendous quality insists it should be contemporarily acclaimed as a notable horror classic. Its influence can be felt pervading everywhere across the genre, in particular the more prominent The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Race With the Devil is easily one of the best and most underrated horror films of all-time, possessing a spine-chilling ending.

3. Burnt Offerings (Dan Curtis, 1976)

The Rolf family (Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Bette Davis, Lee H. Montgomery) spend the summer in a remote old house. As more and more strange events transpire, the sentient house begins to possess the family.

What makes Burnt Offering stand out as a truly terrifying movie is how, like slipping into a lucid dream, its grounded reality eclipses into a Dalí-esque, surrealistic nightmare. As a mood-strong slow burn, its refreshing non-reliance on gore is justified by the nuance of its creepy tone and the unsettling alterations to real life. The changing faces of framed black and white photos. The old woman Marian (Karen Black) leaves out meals for but never sees, locked in her room. An amendment to the family members’ behaviours, speech and personalities.

Of this context, the most horrific and memorable scene is when Ben (Oliver Reed) discovers a pair of cracked spectacles on the bottom of the swimming pool. He starts playing happily in the water with his beloved son Davey (Lee H. Montgomery), but an internal force begins to puppet Ben. Seemingly without realising he’s going too far, Ben chokes Davey, holding him under the water for longer and longer. Davey and Elizabeth (Bette Davis) beg Ben to stop but he doesn’t seem to hear them. Ostensibly thinking it’s all still a fun game, Ben laughs, before his face morphs into the sadistic expression of a beast’s.

Scholars have interpreted Burnt Offerings as a critique of consumerism and materialism, as well as being an allegory for the disintegration of the American nuclear family. Metaphorically, it cautions the individual’s obedience of and moral interface with systems of control. With a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Burnt Offerings has been unrecognised as a classic of ‘70s supernatural horror, as good as more famous titles.

4. The Grapes of Death (Jean Rollin, 1978)

In one of his greatest and most undervalued films, Jean Rollin spices the zombie sub-genre with French flavour. In the mountainous Massif Central region, a new pesticide is sprayed on the grape vines. When the locals drink the wine, they mutate into zombies. Élisabeth (Marie-Georges Pascal) must fight for survival as she flees across the countryside to find her fiancée.

Often, the success of a horror film hinges on whether it can cultivate an appropriately brooding aura. The Grapes of Death excels in this department, engendering a bleak, lonely tone assisted by landscapes like 18th century oil canvases. Unlike those of George Romero’s films, though helplessly compelled to murder, Rollin’s zombies retain a certain amount of human conscience and exhibit remorse, attaining pathos.

Thematically, the movie presciently offers a censure of humanity’s environmental ruin. Its French personality is at the forefront, with one instance of the zombies rhapsodising: “je t’aime!” In addition to Marie-Georges Pascal’s “moving” craft, it stars Rollin’s loyal fixture Brigitte Lahaie (Fascination). Ultimately, The Grapes of Death’s an artful, affecting, unsung horror opus – an ideal addition to a zombie fan’s watchlist.

5. The House by the Cemetery (Lucio Fulci, 1981)

The Boyle family move from New York City to an old house in rural New England, so that Dr. Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco) can conduct research. His young son Bob (Giovanni Frezza) grows aware of a sinister entity residing in the basement. A cocktail of the haunted house, slasher and zombie sub-genres, The House by the Cemetery is steered by director Lucio Fulci’s muse: the under-appreciated Catriona MacColl, who plays Lucy Boyle. She’s supported by Dario Argento’s mystifying confederate Ania Pieroni.

The House by the Cemetery was released the same year as ‘The Godfather of Gore’ Lucio Fulci’s masterwork, The Beyond, and has been overlooked as an epochal entry in his filmography. While it slowly generates a foreboding, mysterious atmosphere, the harrowing, gobsmacking climax makes it worth waiting for. Aesthetically, it captures Massachusetts with washed-out, “melancholic, wintery photography.”

The integration of inexplicable supernatural elements into family banality, such as a little girl whom only Bob can see, renders The House by the Cemetery a mind-bending experience. In spite of his youth, Giovanni Frezza’s technique is powerful, besting adult actors. As with all of Fulci’s work, the camp-gothic House by the Cemetery is charmingly corny. However, today, this mien contributes to the movie’s golden age of horror appeal, rather than detracting from its enjoyment. The material was later reimagined and paid homage to in We Are Still Here (2015).

The thriller genre is hard to define. It’s not quite as black-and-white as a horror movie or a comedy, but at the same time, you know a thriller when you see one. The genre has always been popular because of its ability to keep viewers guessing until the credits roll. While the genre generally brings about rabid fans, there are always going to be movies that go unnoticed. This list seeks to shed some light on those films.

Below, you’ll find ten recent releases that failed to garner the attention they deserved. While there is clearly a blend of various subgenres, each entry on this list can be defined as a thriller in some way. If they fit within the genre and they were released within the past five years, they’re fair game.

1. Operation Hyacinth (2021)

From 1985-1987, Polish communist police carried out a secret operation called Operation Hyacinth. The end-goal was to create a database of homosexuals within the area in an effort to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Given the time period, it should come as no surprise that this operation was anything but innocent. Brutal interrogation tactics were used to keep tabs on the LGBT citizens of Poland, and because of this, members of the gay community were forced further into the closet so that they may remain safer.

This operation serves as the basis of this appropriately named thriller from 2021. Piotr Domalewski’s Operation Hyacinth focuses on the titular operation, but rather than broadly dramatizing the two-year period, it narrows the scope, instead opting to look at both a smaller time period and smaller area. In other words, the film uses the operation as a jumping-off point, but there’s more drama beyond the uncomfortable interrogations and unethical cataloging.

Robert, the protagonist, is tasked with going undercover so that he can investigate what appears to be a string of serial homicides. The targets are consistently gay men, so in Robert’s mind, it is his moral obligation to participate in Operation Hyacinth, if only because it will stop the deaths of innocent victims. Unfortunately, his moral compass doesn’t align with that of his colleagues, who clearly have ulterior motives.

The protagonist’s conflicted morals really drive the film forward. Over the course of less than two hours, Robert battles his own personal demons while trying to juggle several massive responsibilities. This leads to something far more complex and layered than your average historical drama. There’s definitely a history lesson here, but there’s also a dense character study that aims high and almost always provides viewers with talking points.

When you factor in the strong production design and even stronger cast, you’re left with an essential cinematic experience. Operation Hyacinth entertains, inspires, and leaves a lasting impression. It’s not always fun in the conventional sense, but it’s gripping in its own way.

2. The Killing of Two Lovers (2020)

The Killing of Two Lovers is a profoundly contemplative and audaciously introspective film that combines the best parts of thrillers and prestige genres. By embarking on an exploration of existential turmoil, this feel-bad movie stands out as a remarkable work of artistry.

Clayne Crawford plays David, a man who fails to come to terms with the recent separation from his wife. Crawford’s cold, hushed demeanor paints him as a man desperately trying to fight his internal demons while simultaneously attempting to fix the relationships he tore apart. Crawford’s work is revelatory, and the way he portrayals human frailty is nothing short of incredible.

At the same time, Robert Machoian’s deft direction allows the film to speak for itself even when the cast is dead silent. There’s a sense of pensive beauty that permeates each scene, giving viewers an experience that’s as disquieting as it is meticulously crafted. The characters’ conflicts are on full display, and Machoian makes an active effort to help viewers sympathize with these struggles.

Again, the feel-bad label ultimately means this is not the movie to watch with a group of rowdy friends. This melancholic, poetic indie thriller should be seen in a room free of distractions. It’s a powerful achievement with bold themes and incredible craftsmanship. Basically, it’s essential.

3. Black Box (2021)

Not to be confused with Blumhouse’s 2020 Amazon Prime original, Yann Gozlan’s Black Box is a grounded mystery thriller about a black box analyst who uncovers a grandiose conspiracy after his skills are put to the test. It’s a smart, low-budget conspiracy thriller that has become increasingly rare in the modern age. Black Box trusts its audience to understand what’s going on, and thus, it allows its mystery to unravel slowly and intricately. It’s smaller scale, but every moment leads to something bigger and bolder.

The film understands how to gradually build its stakes. It knows that the viewers willing to pay attention will eventually make it to the big, exciting finale, but it also knows how to make that lead-up worth it without necessarily making it over-the-top. There’s an art to Black Box’s storytelling.

The intentional pacing, mixed with the whip-smart script, allows Black Box to stand out compared to its contemporaries. There’s so much passion poured into this small French thriller, and that amount of passion doesn’t go unnoticed.

4. Emergency (2022)

As always, last year had plenty of Sundance hits that failed to earn the attention of the general public. Emergency is a prime example – a movie that earned critical acclaim upon its release but ultimately failed to make a splash with mainstream audiences. On the bright side, this list exists for a reason.

Emergency deserves your attention. This comedy-thriller takes the “wild night of partying” trend and turns it on its head. See, it doesn’t completely revolve around drinking and making bad decisions. Instead, it focuses on a massive misunderstanding brought about after a group of friends finds an unconscious underage white girl. Though they have nothing to do with the young woman’s condition, they feel obligated to help her. Unfortunately for them, it’s not that easy.

The film works best as a social commentary. What happens when a group of black men try to help a young, presumably wealthy, white girl? Well, it’s not exactly a simple ten-step process. This premise brings about tension, comedy, and some stellar performances, but more importantly, it sheds light on themes that desperately need to be discussed. It takes a tired trope and subverts viewer expectations at every opportunity, and that’s why it works.

5. The Beta Test (2021)

There’s nothing quite like a Jim Cummings movie. The relatively unknown director is known for mixing cringe-comedy with countless other genres to create a bizarre concoction that always ends up being far better than it has any right to be. The Beta Test, for example, arguably has too many ideas in its head. It’s very much a “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” kind of movie, and in theory, this should result in something disastrous. Somehow though, just like with Thunder Road and The Wolf of Snow Hollow, there’s something undeniably magnetic about this erotic thriller.

From the opening scene, The Beta Test hooks viewers with its enigmatic premise. This premise, which expertly explores timely themes, unravels slowly, allowing viewers to play a little guessing game as each scene transitions to the next.

The actual storytelling is comparable to other thrillers, albeit with some additional twists and turns, but again, this isn’t your average thriller. Cummings incorporates pitch-black humor into his script, giving folks a movie that zigzags between cautionary tale and chuckle-inducing satire. There’s a steady, skillful balance between the tones and subgenres, and although an amateur might fail to deliver, Cummings understands the assignment quite clearly.

Put simply, The Beta Test is an intellectually stimulating thriller that tackles thought-provoking themes in inventive ways. Its ability to ignite conversations shouldn’t go unnoticed, and as a result, it effortlessly earns a spot on this list.

Running May 16 through May 27, the 76th edition of the most prestigious festival in the film world unveiled a stacked competition slate that included the latest work by world-renowned auteurs, an array of splashy summer releases, and buzzworthy titles that are already shaping up to be huge awards contenders next fall.

In the blockbuster studio front, the Croisette saw the flashy premieres of Pixar’s “Elemental”, and Sam Levingston’s HBO series “The Idol” starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd. The festival also had a chance to bestow Harrison Ford with an honorary Palme d’Or as he picked up his iconic whip and fedora one last time in the fifth and supposedly final installment of the Indiana Jones series.

Martin Scorsese attended the glamorous seaside resort for the first time since 1976 to kick off proceedings with the hotly tipped “Killers of the Flower Moon”, while Cannes mainstays Wes Anderson, Aki Kaurismäki, Todd Haynes, Ken Loach, Michel Gondry, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, and Pedro Almodóvar all turned up with marquee titles of their own. The jury’s nine-member panel, presided by provocateur par excellence Ruben Östlund, ultimately gave the coveted top prize to Justine Triet’s whodunit “Anatomy of a Fall”, while Quentin Tarantino made a brief appearance to introduce the 1977 revenge flick “Rolling Thunder” and tease his forthcoming film.

With the awards handed out, the red carpet all rolled up, and a wide-ranging assortment of titles to look forward to in 2023, here’s a rundown of Cannes releases that you should take interest in.

1. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)

“Under the Skin” is a tough act to follow, but maverick director Jonathan Glazer (who hasn’t lost his touch despite a decade-long hiatus) seems to have pulled it off with “The Zone of Interest”.

Loosely adapted from Martin Amis’ novel of the same name, Glazer’s Holocaust drama received this year’s Grand Prix and should challenge the notion, widely attributed to Truffaut, that there’s no such thing as an anti-war film. Without ever feeling the need to show any atrocities firsthand, “Zone of Interest” weaves a chilling meditation on the nature of evil through the domestic life of Nazi officer Rudolf Höss, who spends quality time with his family in the Polish countryside—merely a hundred meters and one barbed wire away from the extermination camp he supervises. In a genre where most entries are either heavier on the technical side or hunting for easy scares, Glazer’s latest experiment—something of a cross between Terrence Malick and Michael Haneke—is disarming in how it merely hints at the horror lurking beneath its benign surface.

2. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)

It’s been a long, bumpy road to get to Martin Scorsese’s $200-million period epic (in fact, when it releases in October, it will be close to two years since it wrapped production), but it looks like a worthwhile one. Despite screening out of competition, the hottest ticket in town belonged to “Killers of the Flower Moon”—a sprawling true-crime thriller starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone that explores a series of murders of the oil-rich Osage Nation people in 1920s Oklahoma.

The tentpole Apple TV+ production was greeted with a whopping nine-minute standing ovation at the Palais, and for the looks of it, seems like just the kind of film worth getting sore palms for. Clocking in at 206 minutes, the film spins a web of greed, wealth and deceit inside the framework of a 20th century conspiracy thriller that captures America’s rotten past yet speaks to the country’s present. There are certain filmmakers you simply stop everything for, and when it’s good ol’ Martin at the helm, you pull the brakes harder than ever. October can’t arrive quickly enough.

3. May December (Todd Haynes)

If one were to point to a contemporary American director who has most consistently swirled around the contours of melodrama, perhaps no one would be a better choice than Todd Haynes.

Though often touted as the spiritual heir to Douglas Sirk for the way he juggles heightened pastiche with clear-eyed social commentary, Haynes conjured the ghost of Ingmar Bergman for his latest award hopeful. “May December” marks the director’s fifth collaboration with Julianne Moore, who delivers a solid turn as Gracie, a convicted former teacher who became the subject of a national tabloid scandal decades ago after having an affair with one of her high school students. Natalie Portman plays a hotshot Hollywood actress who wants to spend some time with Gracie in preparation for her role in a film adaptation.

The film, which was picked up by Netflix shortly after the festival, may read like “Persona” meets “Sunset Boulevard”, with a bit of Coen Brothers campiness sprinkled in for good measure. If somehow that doesn’t sound like a title worth seeking out, expect both Portman and Moore to get heavy Oscar buzz next fall for their winning performances.

4. Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki)

Many claim that once you’ve seen one Aki Kaurismäki movie, you’ve seen them all. Still, how can we resist a new offering by the Finnish legend if he’s yet to disappoint us in the past forty years? Those who already abide by the church of Kaurismäki will find in “Fallen Leaves” something of a feel-good coda to his so-called ‘proletariat trilogy’. The rightful winner of this year’s Jury Prize, infused as it is with deadpan humor and wry wit, is surprisingly lighthearted, poignant and easily the funniest film in the entire 2023 slate.

Set against the backdrop of the looming Ukrainian invasion, the story follows the unlikely relationship that blossoms between two down-on-their-luck drifters: one a supermarket worker who’s recently been fired for stealing sandwiches, the other a security guard with something of a drinking problem. Minimalist sets, quotidian scenes, deadpan wit… Only Kaurismäki could give us a meet-cute romance where two lost souls find solace by going to the cinema to watch a Jim Jarmusch-directed zombie flick together.

5. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)

The wheels of justice grind slowly but steadily in Justine Triet’s riveting courtroom drama, which was picked by NEON and made the French filmmaker only the third woman ever to take home the top honors in the history of the competition after Jane Campion and Julia Ducournau.

Not a moment goes by in the two-and-a-half hour “Anatomy of a Fall” where you’re not second-guessing the presumed innocence or guilt of German novelist Sandra (a career-best Sandra Hüller, who also delighted pundits in “The Zone of Interest”), forced to defend herself in court when she becomes the main suspect in her husband’s murder. The genius of Trier’s icy drama lies not only in the fact that it keeps wrongfooting you at every turn, but more so in that it challenges notions of truth and justice by allowing each viewer to draw their own conclusions. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find an incisive deconstruction of a dysfunctional marriage and childhood trauma delivered under the guise of a Hitchcockian legal thriller. Not to be missed.

Today, with hindsight, critics recognise the 1990s as a belle époque in cinema history. The talent that this decade gave stage to was astonishing, especially in the form of the crime genre. Audiences were assured to see at least one defining crime classic every single year of the decade.

As a sequel to the previous article listing under-regarded crime movies of the ‘90s, this list will detail additional titles which made both the genre and the decade remarkable.

1. King of New York (Abel Ferrara, 1990)

Drug warlord Frank White (Christopher Walken) is released from prison. After reuniting his old gang, he reasserts his power and reforges his empire. Simultaneously making charitable efforts to improve New York City, he’s targeted by a sector of vigilante cops. The movie features Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, Paul Calderón and Steve Buscemi. It was written by Ferrara’s regular collaborator Nicholas St. John and financed by future Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

King of New York garnered mixed reviews and was brushed off in favour of better-publicised gangster films of 1990, like Goodfellas and The Godfather Part 3. In retrospective analysis, it’s been identified as a decade-defining piece, arguably Ferrara’s best film and a crucial chapter in gangster cinema. It’s bold, stylish and atmospheric, iconoclastic of the late-‘80s, early-‘90s hip-hop aesthetic. Shot almost entirely on rainy nights, Ferrara builds a chiaroscuro look which matches the macabre personalities of his characters.

Like the impeccably-tailored costumes, the location choices contribute to King of New York’s evocation of the criminal underbelly. Seedy, abandoned, graffitied warehouses are suitably selected as sets – ubiquitous in New York City before its 21st century gentrification. As usual, Walken’s acting is phenomenal and hypnotic. He supplies a poker-faced, tiger-like turn as Frank White, steering from joviality and dancing to psychopathy without forewarning. He’s matched in quality by a breakout role from Laurence Fishburne as White’s cocky righthand man. The two participate in one of the most riveting car chases in film lore.

The narrative exhibits racial divisions in the U.S., at the same time as warranting the audience to question what constitutes a villain in their eyes. Both sides of the law are painted with equally deplorable and redeeming characteristics. Quentin Tarantino has expressed his admiration for King of New York and how it spurned his filmmaking. This is noticeable in the film’s overall style and Tarantino’s choice of casting Paul Calderón and Steve Buscemi in his own work. King of New York’s influence expands further, with late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. having used the moniker Frank White in several of his songs.

2. Down Among the Big Boys (Charles Gormley, 1993)

This TV movie is a Scottish gangster reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. Jojo (Billy Connolly) is an infamous thief in Glasgow. Tension swells when his daughter gets engaged to a detective, whose father is the most hard-lined sergeant on the force.

Down Among the Big Boys is a fitting vehicle for Britain’s most beloved standup comedian, Billy Connolly. He gifts the film with his vitality, intelligence and comic flair, supported by prime Scottish talent like Rab Affleck. Like Connolly’s standup material, the movie’s an ideal showcase for Glasgow’s unique, cheeky black comedy. By this token, the city’s sectarian conflicts are addressed in tongue-in-cheek fashion.

Whilst the Orange walk (a parade extolling protestant pride) transpires on a street, in a bank vault below, Jojo and his crew of catholic robbers blow open the doors to safety deposit boxes with explosives every time the drums beat. Down Among the Big Boys is shot as roughly as the smoke-filled pubs it depicts, communicating the culture of Glasgow. It features a cameo from Gary Lewis as a hapless alcoholic. 9 years later, Lewis would shine in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.

3. The Getaway (Roger Donaldson, 1994)

Doc (Alec Baldwin) pulls off a heist at a dog racing track in Arizona and flees with his wife Carol (Kim Basinger). The criminal who assisted Doc with the robbery, Rudy (Michael Madsen), attempts to double-cross him. Doc and Carol race for the Mexican border, but are tailed by Rudy and the police. There’s an early role from the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, cast against type, as well as James Woods, Jennifer Tilly and The Straight Story’s Richard Farnsworth.

The classic Bonnie and Clyde-esque story is an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s 1958 novel and a remake of the 1972 version starring Steve McQueen. Director Walter Hill penned the screenplay for both the ‘72 and ‘94 iterations. In 1994, The Getaway was met with terrible reviews. It was even condemned by Baldwin himself, regardless of his sterling lead performance. However, ‘90s neo-noir cinema god Michael Madsen, a highlight of the movie, has rightly defended it.

In essence, The Getaway’s simply an entertaining, intense Americana heist-road movie with enough twists, car chases, double-crosses and high-octane gunfights to satisfy any neo-noir fan. It climaxes with an epic shootout at an El Paso hotel. This action set piece is as exhilarating as one can find anywhere in the genre. Additionally, the screenplay offers a subtextual assessment of capitalism and the American Dream. Viewers are recommended to ignore the film’s unprecedented abysmal reviews and revel in its sleazy popcorn fun.

4. The Passion of Darkly Noon (Philip Ridley, 1994)

An innocent evangelical Christian, Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser), escapes through the wilderness of North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains. After collapsing, he’s rescued by the sensual Callie (Ashley Judd) and sheltered in her forest home. Darkly develops a romantic obsession with Callie. When her mute husband, Clay (Viggo Mortensen), returns home, Darkly’s jealousy triggers an alteration in his personality.

Horror-crime-arthouse-thriller The Passion of Darkly Noon is one of the most underrated and unusual films of the 20th century. Since its release, it’s been unfairly misunderstood and maligned. In truth, it’s the spellbinding opus of English renaissance man Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin), who’s also a celebrated poet, painter, novelist, playwright, photographer and children’s author. What is more, next to The Whale, the movie marks Fraser’s most accomplished and intelligently constructed performance, showcasing his surprising range.

Every shot of the film deserves to be hung in a fine art gallery, reflecting the atmospheric works of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth. Tonally, it animates the abstraction of poetry through its sparklingly-lit, surrealist moving paintings. This is palpable when Darkly watches a large, silver shoe gliding hypnotically and inexplicably down a river.

Thematically, the piece exposes the fallibility of conformity to rigid ideologies. This can be interpretable as applicable to any dogma that imposes psychological bondage. The narrative demonstrates the tragedy that can be caused by thoughtless obedience, the ramifications which our perceptions towards others can have.

Moreover, it examines the perverse manifestation of emotional repression, sexual rivalry and a debate between the values of modernity versus traditionalism and religion, permitting room for multiple readings. There’s no other film remotely akin to The Passion of Darkly Noon. It’s a treasure to discover and an impressionistic experience one will never forget.

5. Last Man Standing (Walter Hill, 1996)

In the 1930s, ‘John Smith’ (Bruce Willis) drives into the town of Jericho on the Texas-Mexico border. Jericho’s been colonised by Italian and Irish American mobsters from Chicago in order to import alcohol from Mexico. Regularly switching allegiances, Smith attempts to coerce the gangsters into eviscerating one another for his own financial gain. Christopher Walken, William Sanderson (Blade Runner), Bruce Dern, Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) comprise the cast.

Walter Hill’s mafia western is a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961) and its remake: A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Indeed, stylistically, Last Man Standing owes a debt to Sergio Leone. The renowned Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas) contributes his hallucinogenic slide guitar to the score. The film was a box office bomb and considered with a negative critical reaction. What reviewers forsook was its straightforward entertainment value, interesting plot and trigger happy shootouts.

The redolent set design, sepia colour grading, hardboiled narration and period costumes facilitate the fantasy of its heightened world, which Hill described as “a ‘once upon a time’ mythic-poetic situation.” In a broader context, the movie represents a microcosm of ethnic tensions and conflicts in the United States – as pertinent today as it was in ‘96.

Willis is a reliably macho, beguiling action star, though it’s Christopher Walken who conveys the film’s most skilled performance as the sly, psychotic, Tommy gun-rattling Hickey. Undeserving of its status, satisfying genre entry Last Man Standing will be of interest to fans of violent action flicks. Furthermore, it’s recommendable to those in search of prohibition-era crime fiction, like Bonnie and Clyde or Boardwalk Empire.

Decades from now, film scholars will likely mention Ari Aster as one of the defining and most influential directors of our age, whose work not only swirls around genre conventions but re-defined arthouse cinema altogether.

Despite his age, the 36-year-old has already established himself as a brand-name filmmaker with a strong authorial stamp. That lofty reputation is owed in no small part to his devastating one-two punch of horror staples produced by A24. Most readers will likely be familiar with the 2018 family nail-biter “Hereditary”—a harrowing portrait of family strife starring a career-best Toni Colette as a grief-stricken matriarch—as well as the 2019 Swedish fever-dream “Midsommar”, which essentially did to the Scandinavian folk festivity what “Jaws” did to sharks in ’75.

The 3-hour-long existential tragicomedy “Beau is Afraid”, which journeyed into theaters last April, marks Aster’s latest, and perhaps most polarizing effort to date. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a chronically paranoid Jewish man struggling to get his life together, the entire movie rides on the razor’s edge between the director’s trademark cosmic dread and deadpan humor, delivering a whole six-course meal for the senses that sparked rarefied passions this spring. With the A24 film slated to arrive on VOD soon and all the controversy still brewing online, we take a trip through Aster’s catalog to see how Beau stacks up against the rest of his heavy hitters.

11. TDF Really Works (2011)

Before carving a nice niche for himself in the horror genre, Ari Aster cut his teeth as a filmmaker doing short movies at the AFI Conservatory, where he met many friends and future collaborators that would go on to work with him in bigger projects. As you will soon find out in the present list, the filmmaker behind “Midsommar” and “Hereditary” gravitated towards comedy more than any other genre during his early days, with a penchant for the profane and taboo.

Standing as concrete proof that any aspiring director, no matter how talented, is capable of overcoming false starts, this 2011 short film which Aster wrote, directed, shot and co-starred in, gave us a tissue sample of his crude and absurdist sense of humor. The YouTube video is essentially a three-minute-long infomercial parody about a product called, ahem, ‘Tino’s dick fart device’, which if nothing else, proves Aster was not afraid of swinging for the fences and ruffling a few feathers. All things considered, though, you should steer clear of this misfire unless you consider yourself a hardcore completist.

10. Basically (2014)

Polish cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski has been one of Aster’s key collaborators throughout his career, working alongside the director in eight different projects so far including all three of his feature-length films.

What makes this 15-minute-long short worth a watch is not so much its barebones story—in a nutshell, a “Fleabag”-style 4th-wall-breaking monologue about a spoiled, self-indulgent white Hollywood actress ranting about her problems and grappling with her dysfunctional life—but Pogorzelski’s steady hand behind the camera. Emmy-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan does a convincing job portraying an entitled rich woman completely in over her head (think something along the lines of Alicia Silverstone’s in the 1995 “Clueless”), but overall, as a corrosive satire of the American upper-class society, this is no “American Psycho”.

9. The Turtle’s Head (2014)

Not only is Ari Aster known as a household name in his own right, but a self-proclaimed film buff with an encyclopedic knowledge about the history of cinema. You can tell that he’s an avid cinephile with a soft spot for arthouse directors like Michael Haneke, Ingmar Bergman or Paul Schrader, but sprang from his love for old-school detective serials came this 12-minute oddity.

At once wildly unpredictable and oddly hilarious, “The Turtle’s Head” centers around one Detective Bing Shooter, a grizzled, womanizing private eye who seems to have come straight out of a ’40s Warner Bros. Pictures’ noir picture to solve a labyrinthine mystery. Full of dopey voiceovers, hard-boiled dialogues and a fine-tuned Bogart impersonation, Aster’s pastiche should strike a chord with “A Maltese Falcon” aficionados, but viewer discretion is advised, though, as the film soon pivots from one mystery to a new, unexpected one concerning the detective’s medical condition. “The Turtle’s Head” should serve as a strong reminder never to underestimate Ari Aster’s ability to put the audience at unease in the space of a few frames.

8. Beau (2011)

If you liked the Joaquin Phoenix-led surreal comedy “Beau is Afraid”, one title worth seeking out next is the 2011 short film that inspired it. Much like its feature-length counterpart, “Beau” tells the story of a middle-aged man who plans to visit her mother but goes into a frenzy after having his apartment keys stolen right in front of him.

Though not quite his coming-out-party as a capital D-Director, “Beau” marked a paradigm shift in Aster’s career that exemplified his many strengths as a horror filmmaker and synthesized a number of recurring themes that would eventually become his stock-in-trade: repressed trauma manifesting in strange ways, dysfunctional mother-son relationships… Still, you can sense that the young director wasn’t entirely confident yet and had a long way to go until he’d fully honed in his style. Be that as it may, any Aster devotee worth their salt should give it a try if only to see how his trademark themes and morbid sensibilities have evolved throughout the years.

7. C’est la Vie (2016)

“Your bloated sense of self-worth is equal to the hole that has been ripped out of my dignity”, a homeless man angrily confesses straight to the camera while explaining his many daily encounters in Aster’s underrated 2016 short.

Much in line with the narration-heavy comedy of “Basically”, Aster’s last directorial effort before graduating into the big leagues and shooting “Hereditary” folds an angry, clear-eyed commentary on American society and capitalism delivered through a corrosive monologue by a despondent drug addict living on the fringes in the streets of Los Angeles. Your mileage may vary, but “C’est la Vie” cynical condemnation of humanity cuts deeper now than ever, walking a tight-rope line of being deliberately funny and low-key depressing in how it slips hard-hitting truths under the guise of comedic banter. If you got eight minutes to spare, this is a compelling short, though a little rough around the edges, that would make a helluva double feature with Aster’s latest film—and might as well leave you with something to chew on after the credits roll.

The thriller is one of the most compatible and accessible genres in the medium of film. It complements films of all genres, including non-genre films, but they also work proficiently on their own. A plot can be extraneous when put through the wringer of a captivating thriller.

When done right, thrillers strike the perfect balance between thoughtful and engaging art and sheer entertainment. The idea of a thrill is inherent to the power of cinema. Many of the great films of the past and present contain thrilling elements, but there are so many hidden gems in the genre that inject viewers with adrenaline and conjure meditations on the human spirit.

1. Marnie (1964)

In the word association game, Alfred Hitchcock is paired alongside thrillers. The Master of Suspense pushed the boundaries of cinematic thrills for decades. His genius was through the psychological manipulation of the audience, constantly leaving them on ice. In 1964, what is now recognized as the end of a golden age for Hitchcock starting in the ‘50s, he directed Marnie, one of his most overlooked films and mentally taxing thrillers of his filmography.

In a familiar Hitchcock story, the titular Marnie (Tippi Hedren) experiences immense psychological traumas, and her husband Mark (Sean Connery) attempts to resolve her issues, even though his wife is a habitual thief. In terms of plotting, the film has a light grasp. Audiences are left to ride the waves of this tumultuous relationship. In the usual brilliant Hitchcock fashion, he maintains a strong viewer perspective on the various mental crises taken on by Marnie. The intense visual language of Hitchcock’s directing to exhibit her mental anguish is the closest the director has gotten to horror, even more so than Psycho or The Birds.

With this thriller, Hitchcock let loose his rigid structuring and allowed the trauma to guide the story along. Because of the emotional violence behind the suppression of trauma, Marnie is perhaps the director’s most harrowing work ever. The film represents Hitchcock at his most confrontational with his sexual perversions and examinations of the darkness of one’s soul. Connery’s character is a revisionist take on a Hitchcock protagonist, as his supposed heroism is immediately undermined by an inherent sense of paranoia. No MacGuffin or set piece is required, as psychological turmoil is thrilling enough as a dramatic device. All in all, Marnie is worthy of being placed highly in the Hitchcock canon.

2. Snake Eyes (1998)

Commonly labeled, sometimes dinged for it, as the heir apparent to Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma was New Hollywood’s master of sexually perverse, voyeuristic thrillers. His mechanical efficiency made his cinematic style feel lively and original even when his stories appeared to be redundant. After a decade of dabbling in new genres, De Palma returned to his roots in 1998 with Snake Eyes, a voyeuristic Hitchcock homage that is De Palma at his most maximalist.

A murder mystery set in Atlantic City, Snake Eyes depicts a shady detective, Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), who witnesses a political assassination at a boxing match and seeks to find the missing pieces and loopholes to the investigation of the perpetrator and greater conspiracy at large. Beyond the Hitchcock allusions, including a disillusioned individual inadvertently entangled with a murder case, the film is indebted to Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which uses a similar dramatic device that centers the narrative around the differing perspectives of the assassination from various characters.

De Palma, more than any of his contemporaries, understands the filmmaker’s role as a manipulator, and this device allows him to flourish this concept. Observing each perspective of the assassination is fresh and fascinating, leaving the viewer uncertain of the truth. For just a trashy thriller on the exterior, it is daunting how far De Palma goes to assert his athletic filmmaking prowess, with the crowning achievement being an unbroken take of Cage walking through the casino floor. The camera does things that shouldn’t be possible for a camera to execute, but De Palma strives to operate it ingeniously with every film. No shot is left boring. While Snake Eyes is purely a stylistic narrative, it does feature commentary on the artifice in film. It is quite self-aware of its trickery, and yet De Palma never fails to play his audience like a fiddle.

3. Play Misty for Me (1971)

1971 was a noteworthy year for Clint Eastwood. He portrayed the iconic Harry Callahan on screen for the first time, and made his assured directorial debut, to the likes of which are not expected for actors. Under the guidance of his mentor and Dirty Harry director, Don Siegel, Eastwood split duties as the star and filmmaker of Play Misty for Me. In surprising fashion, he did not begin his illustrious directing career with a western or cop film, but instead, pivoted into the direction of a psychological thriller. The genre was suited to display Eastwood’s chop behind the camera.

The film centers around a popular radio disc jockey, Dave (Eastwood), and the obsessive fan, Evelyn (Jessica Walter), who sends his life into a free fall. Viewers are never fully informed as to how or why Evelyn is drawn to Dave to an unhealthy degree, but this sentiment resonates with the power of Eastwood’s charm. While having one’s debut film be relating to fame and prominence seems quite vain, Eastwood has a graceful touch in examining himself and his stardom and has practiced doing so for the next 50 years. As a thriller, Play Misty for Me checks all the right boxes that are expected and coveted–to the point that Eastwood perhaps relies too heavily on genre formalities.

Additionally, the film lacks the meditative quality that would be the driving force of his future films. Eastwood leaves compelling character work on the table. The genre elements are effective enough to elevate a broad script, and the director has an eye for sharp imagery that complements the sleazy nature of the story. It was a bold move for Eastwood to delve into a thriller engaging with provocative sentiments, as Play Misty for Me preceded future landmark erotic thrillers such as Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct. From the start, Eastwood showed his abilities as a filmmaking chameleon.

4. Three Days of the Condor (1975)

In response to the political turmoil at the time, paranoid conspiracy thrillers were a mainstay in the 1970s. No entity was more sinister than the domestic government. A year before All the President’s Men, Robert Redford starred in one of the most entertaining political thrillers of the time. With his frequent collaborator Sydney Pollack directing, Three Days of the Condor showed that downbeat thrillers about life or death in the face of superior powers were elevated popcorn entertainment in the ‘70s.

In the film, a Manhattan CIA researcher, Turner’s (Redford), co-workers are killed and are forced to evade the assassins out to get him as he discovers the truth behind this conspiracy. More populous and less weighty and the political thrillers of Alan Pakula, Three Days of the Condor works on impressive spectacle. Pollack’s directing of energetic chase sequences and suspenseful standoffs is stellar. As a film set in New York in the ‘70s, the film has an aesthetic edge over the competition. The screen presence of Redford and Faye Dunaway grabs the attention of the audience, even if they are unclear of the exact machinations of the plot.

In many ways, the film is a melting pot of collected thematic devices of ‘70s American cinema. Sometimes, Pollack tries to tackle everything without the proper sophistication. Certain plots, especially regarding the overarching plot of the Max Von Sydow character, are left better when not explicitly stated. It does not say as much about America as the film thinks it does. Either way, Three Days of the Condor is a worthwhile text due to its craft and precise tone. This is the perfect middle-brow film that mainstream audiences crave today.

5. Sorcerer (1977)

William Friedkin was one of the hot directors of the 1970s, cementing himself as an auteur with The French Connection and The Exorcist. His relentless kinetic energy behind the screen and innovative and daring visual language made him an automatic point of interest in the film community. For his follow-up to his smash-hit horror sensation, Friedkin went big with his rendition of The Wages of Fear. By going big, it meant that Sorcerer would feature one of the most disastrous behind-the-scenes film productions of all time–to the point of recklessness. Overlooked at the time, the 1977 film stands as one of the most impressive feats of filmmaking and thrilling cinematic joyrides ever.

Sorcerer tracks four separate criminals on the run from the law who conjoin in a small South American town and are offered $10,000 and legal citizenship if they transport a shipment of dangerously unstable nitroglycerin to an oil well 200 miles away. Friedkin maintains a thrilling momentum to the narrative even when the action and dramatic tension stall. The run-and-gun, handheld cinematography made famous from The French Connection is alive and well in this film. As the show-stopping driving sequences demonstrate, there is a level of slickness that prevents the filmmaking from being amateurish. Although viewers are purposefully restricted from learning much about the four main characters, Friedkin brings enough pathos to them that makes the already weighty stakes of the story feel overwhelming.

As a thriller, the genre does not excel much further than Sorcerer. A nihilistic decay of humanity preys upon the characters as they hold on for dear life in a run-down truck in the hope that the supply of nitroglycerin doesn’t eviscerate them. The prospect of money and citizenship tempts them with salvation, but the trucks used for transportation are merely a vehicle for their death.

There had been lots of attempts to introduce old-school horror masters to the younger generations, from the show “Masters of Horror” to documentaries like “In Search of Darkness”. While some filmmakers like John Carpenter are still well-known and beloved, some others are rarely being discussed anymore which is a shame. As great as Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Ti West, and Robert Eggers are, they would be nothing without their masters.

For true horror fans, however, these maestros always meant something and still do. However, even the most accomplished and most “cult” of horror filmmakers sometimes make films that are largely ignored even if they’re in their prime. Here are ten films from great filmmakers of the horror genre that are worth to be seen by every horror fan. Only one of them is a non-horror but still is a film that is made for people who love and appreciate horror.

10. A Cat in the Brain (1990, Fulci)

Italian giallo cinema was not all about Argento and Bava. It was also Umberto Lenzi, Sergio Martino, Paolo Cavara, and many more. If you’re a fan of the genre, you probably know all these names well. One of them happens to be Lucio Fulci who also has made lots of comedies and westerns but is mostly remembered for his giallo films.

“A Cat in the Brain” is one of his most underrated ones, unfortunately. Probably because it’s not accessible enough? It seems like he went out to make the deranged version of Fellini’s 8½ and luckily, he succeeded. Fulci is playing himself in a movie, a version of him whose plagued by nightmarish dreams that almost drive him insane and hinder the work of his current film. In his dreams, he encounters splatter scenes, especially from his later creative phase. He visits the psychiatrist Prof. Egon Schwarz to get help but things get even more out of control. It’s one of his last movies and a fittingly meta one. He doesn’t only takes a look at his own career but also expresses his love for the genre.

9. Special Effects (1984, Cohen)

His stuff might not be for everyone but there’s no one like Larry Cohen and given his cult status, he deserved to get a mention on our list. He’s an endlessly fascinating figure. His 70s works, particularly It’s Alive (1974), God Told Me To (1976), and It Lives Again (1978) made him a favorite among some horror fans. The critics were somewhat confused by his work. It’s hard to break down his work for that reason ‘cause they can be so complex but also “weird” enough to not appeal to everyone. He’s a bit of like Sam Fuller in that regard. You can’t just dismiss even their failures.

Aforementioned films aside, he’s also known for “Q” and “The Stuff” which is why our list prefers to name “Special Effects” instead. One of his lesser-known works that deserve a second look. He’ll later make a glorious comeback with “The Ambulance” which still deserves a bigger audience but ”Special Effects’ Is more in the vein of his horrors.

The plot is about a sleazy filmmaker who strangles a would-be actress and films it. Her husband is charged with the murder. It feels like a De Palma movie made by Cohen and the result is… well, if you think Cohen is an auteur, it’s great. If you don’t, then it’s still an intriguing one. 80s synth soundtrack might be overbearing sometimes but it’s a fascinating film to check out, at least for the seductive camera work, good acting, nasty killing scene, gritty New York scenery, and effective finale.

8. The Pit and the Pendulum (1991, Gordon)

“Re-Animator” has a strong fan base and some of his other films have also received acclaim and attention like “From Beyond” but it’s unfortunate that Stuart Gordon never got the fame he deserves. He never stopped being interesting, even his later films like “King of the Ants” and “Edmund” are worth checking out. He also directed arguably the best episode of the short-living anthology “Fear Itself” called “Eater”.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe and was previously adapted into cinema by Roger Corman. The third act in that film was astonishing and made it a cult hit back in time. If you’re a fan of the story, gotta say, it’s a very loose adaptation of it. So don’t be fooled by the title. If you know Gordon’s style, his usual tone, and how he approaches adaptations, you must already know what to expect before seeing it.

However, those who are not familiar with him enough might find it all a little too weird. Here the tone is constantly changing between something dark and serious with self-aware B-movie black comedy. Story-wise, it cleverly integrates the motives of insanity, sexual violence, and religious madness. Last but not least, Lance Henriksen always delivers as the baddy. Even the detractors of the film might enjoy his performance.

7. Tales of Terror (1962, Corman)

Roger Corman is many things. He’s the producer (and sometimes director) of many so-bad-its-good B-movies, director of great dramas like “The Intruder” as well as great Edgar Allan Poe adaptations among others, he’s the distributor of European and Asian auteurs in America, he’s the man who gave careers to many directors and actors. The documentary called “Corman’s World” is great enough to explore his career, though his life and career are so rich that one would need a series about it. We usually just call it “Poe films”, but most of them have one another common element which is incomparable Vincent Price.

Corman/Price collaborations have to be one of the most underrated filmmaker/actor collaborations of cinema. They just keep delivering and “Tales of Terror” is one of their lesser-known ones, unfortunately. It is an anthology film consisting of three very entertaining stories. Since they’re short, it’d be spoilerish to talk about their plots but it’s not just the stories that make them great. It’s all very stylish, the production design is truly wonderful in all of them. Price plays three roles and he’s masterful in them all. The wine-tasting scene between Peter Lorre and Price will be enough for you to not regret watching this.

6. Two Evil Eyes (1990, Romero & Argento)

Since we’re talking about Poe anthologies here, it makes sense to follow one Poe anthology with another one. George Romero and Dario Argento – two of the greatest horror filmmakers of all time have previously collaborated on the masterpiece called “Dawn of the Dead” (1978). It was originally intended to be an anthology film consisting of four segments based on Poe stories, but John Carpenter and Stephen King refused to be involved. Instead, we got two short segments, one by Romero and the other one by Argento.

Again, since it’s an anthology, revealing much about the plot would spoil the stories. However, both segments work not only because of the stories but also for the great technical details. Romero sounds like an unusual choice for the material he got but he’s delivering the goods. It keeps your interest all the way through and surprises you with its ending. Argento’s segment is even better with a great Harvey Keitel performance, a more twisted plot, and more stylish direction choices. The fans of both directors might enjoy this, though Argento’s segment is more likely to please the fans of his other works.

The words “underrated” and “overrated” have always caused controversy because, frankly, they’re both hard to define in a way that feels concrete. Yes, we all vaguely know the dictionary definition of these terms, but there’s so much contention regarding what makes something overrated or underrated.

Is a film underrated if it garnered glowing reviews but failed to ignite the box office? What about if you flip it? The live action Lion King grossed well over a billion dollars worldwide, so is it okay to label it underrated based on its poor reviews? Let’s be honest – trying to figure out a one-and-done definition will always be exhausting, so we’re going to keep things simple.

The films listed below are simply underappreciated. They can be considered underappreciated because of a lack of mainstream success or because of lukewarm reviews. In some cases, a film on this list might be a critical and commercial failure. It doesn’t matter because, in the end, this list just seeks to shed light on movies that deserve extra attention. Positivity is the primary goal here, and even if not every entry fits everybody’s definition of “underrated,” there’s still plenty to celebrate.

1. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes

It’s hard to talk about Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes without bringing up One Cut of the Dead. They’re both ultra-low-budget one-shot Japanese movies that uniquely utilize creative camera tricks to move their inventive stories forward. They also defy genre conventions by eschewing Hollywood clichés, instead opting for more creative storytelling techniques.

That being said, they are very different movies when you move past those very obvious comparisons. Yes, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes uses some of the same tricks, but it’s still an incredibly inventive sci-fi gem that has more heart and soul than most Hollywood blockbusters. Without the lavish special effects, A-list stars, and massive setpieces, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes must rely on other things. That’s where the creative premise comes into play.

The film looks into the lives of a group of people who discover an unusual device. This device allows them to see two minutes into the future, but only from the perspective of a lone television in a cafe. When the group learns that they can create a Droste effect, they pile on screen after screen, pushing them further and further into the future.

The premise itself is creative enough, but on top of that, the movie just oozes with charm. The characters are lovable, the twists are clever, and the jokes land more often than they don’t. This isn’t as high-stakes as something like Tenant, but that doesn’t matter. It finds other ways to grab your attention.

2. Babylon

It’s easy to see why Chazelle’s three-hour epic has garnered mixed reviews. It’s an exercise in maximalism that often struggles to justify its ridiculous runtime. Put simply, certain viewers can’t quite stomach a film that’s so brazenly in-your-face for so long. Yes, Babylon is bound to polarize, but let’s make one thing perfectly clear – in spite of its messy nature, Babylon is never boring.

The cocaine-fueled black comedy focuses on several distinct characters who try to make a name for themselves in the early days of Hollywood. There’s Jack Conrad, the stoic moviestar who bounces from one bad choice to the next. Then you have Nellie LaRoy, a desperate, brash young woman who proudly jumps through hoops to become the next Hollywood it girl. Finally, there’s Manny, the naive who sort of stumbles into the movie industry after several unusual encounters. These characters make Babylon worth watching.

See, the actual narrative isn’t anything new. In particular, we’ve seen variations of Jack Conrad’s story hundreds of times. What sets Babylon apart is the way each character is handled. While they’re not exactly good people, the central trio is undeniably entertaining. In particular, Nellie LaRoy, played by the marvelous Margot Robbie, commands the screen at every given opportunity. She finds a way to keep you hooked even when more frustrating aspects begin to pile up.

It almost feels unfair to tell viewers that they should ignore the obvious faults, but let’s be real, Babylon is an absolute treat once you stop overanalyzing it. To add to that, it’s not like it’s a complete “check-your-brain-at-the-door movie.” This isn’t Crank or Hobbs & Shaw. It’s still a reasonably intelligent look at the ups and downs of Hollywood. The execution is clumsy, but even so, it’s a joy to sit through.

3. Cha Cha Real Smooth

This Sundance hit may have impressed critics upon release, but its inability to leave a lasting impression hasn’t gone unnoticed. Although Cha Cha Real Smooth undoubtedly has loyal fans, the initial hype seemed to come and go rather quickly. This could be because it lacks the groundbreaking moments of some other noteworthy releases, but even so, this is a movie that deserves attention.

The premise is simple enough. A 22-year-old party host named Andrew quickly becomes enamored with an older woman named Domino. As Domino’s layers begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Andrew has a lot of growing up to do. The relationship between the two protagonists propels the narrative forward, but that’s because the dialogue is so witty and engaging.

In spite of its relative simplicity, Cooper Raiff delivers one hell of a script. Films like this often suffer because of a lack of authenticity. That’s not the case with this movie; the characters behave like real, authentic human beings, and more importantly, they behave like admirable (albeit flawed) human beings.

This is all strengthened by strong performances. Dakota Johnson is, no surprise, fantastic. The actual surprise is Raiff, who directs himself. Raiff delivers a confident performance throughout the entirety of the runtime. When these two are the ones bringing such a strong script to life, it’s easy to see why the final product is so good.

4. The Outfit

The Outfit brings to mind gangster thrillers from a different era. It lacks the flashy pizazz of its contemporary brethren, and it instead seeks to deliver intricate thrills without the fluff. Since people are used to more grandiose crime movies, it’s easy to see why The Outfit slipped through the cracks so quickly, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of attention.

Strong performances and a layered screenplay ensure Graham Moore’s lean little movie packs a punch. Rylance is excellent, and thankfully, he has a strong script to work with as well. It might not provide as much impact as the classics it seeks to replicate, but it still provides plenty of entertainment, especially if you know what you’re signing up for.

5. Thirteen Lives

Ron Howard’s dramatization of the Tham Luang cave rescue isn’t quite as interesting as the main story, but that’s often expected of movies like this. The historic event, which was previously covered in the documentary The Rescue, has so many fascinating elements that it’s hard to cover everything in one feature length narrative film. That being said, Thirteen Lives is still an endlessly thrilling feat with an A-list cast.

Surprising nobody, Howard has quite the knack for directing. With him behind the camera, audiences are left with a visually stunning drama that makes terrific use of strong actors. If it occasionally feels too safe, that’s because it is. Nevertheless, it’s powerful and it’s in the right hands.