14 movies guaranteed to mess with your mind

An unforgettable film has a way of staying with you long after the credits roll.

Whether you’re watching it in the theater or at home, a good movie has a way of lingering in your mind longer than you realize. Sometimes, that’s a movie’s true intention. It’s designed to mess with you in ways few things can. Sometimes, this can make moviegoers feel uneasy and nervous.

Those are the movies we’re talking about today. These are the films that find a way to mess with your mind and have you questioning your reality.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder is the definition of unnerving. It’s a powerful film that, despite some required suspension of belief, continually finds a way to shock viewers.

The movie even helped inspire the Silent Hill video game franchise. Its influence is still felt in the industry today, notably in the American Horror Story anthology series.

Predestination

More often than not, time-travel movies fall victim to plot holes that they are unable to solve. Predestination avoids that trap. It’s clever, intelligent, and can stick the landing. You can argue, too, that the story is far better executed than something like Looper.

This was also Sarah Snook’s breakout performance before she became a household name from Succession.

Extinction

While 2018’s Extinction isn’t anywhere near a critically acclaimed movie, it’s still a fun ride from start to finish. There’s nothing wrong with a guilty pleasure movie, after all, and that’s exactly what this is.

One thing that Extinction does do well, however, is pull off its twist. It’s one of those things where if you see it coming, it won’t land well. For most of us, though, the reveal is one of those moments that has us instantly going back through the earlier parts of the movie to see if we can find all the hints.

This is what I Am Legend should have been.

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Moon

Look, I love Interstellar, but there’s no denying that sometimes it gets a little liberal with its science, especially at the end.

Moon, however, finds a way to stay grounded in realism despite the science-fiction plot twist. One reason why the movie ultimately works? Sam Rockwell’s incredible performance, which rightfully saw him receive critical praise and even some award recognition, notably from the BAFTAs.

The Game

Few directors are as acclaimed as David Fincher, and when he’s at the top of his game (pun not intended), his films are unlike anything else.

He arguably took a gamble with The Game, his 1997 film starring Michael Douglas. It’s a movie that’s not afraid to take risks and try something new, and deserves recognition for it. It’s something Douglas even talked about, particularly the ending:

“I think what I’m most proud about is that it’s one of the very few movies that you could not guess the ending.”

Dark City

It’s easy to call this The Matrix before The Matrix, but if the shoe fits, you wear it.

Beyond that, there’s a lot of influence from Terry Gilliam films in Dark City as well, particularly Brazil and 12 Monkeys.

Dark City has also influenced the works of other directors, with Christopher Nolan talking about its effect on him while he was writing Inception.

Brazil

Well, since we mentioned Terry Gilliam and his 1985 film Brazil, we might as well talk about it.

12 Monkeys may be the more mainstream movie, but you can argue that this is Gilliam at his very best. Part dystopian fantasy, part biting satire, Brazil utilizes its all-star cast (Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro, fellow Python alum Michael Palin) to the fullest.

Deja Vu

You know the popular saying “looks can be deceiving?” That’s something you’ll need to keep in mind while watching Deja Vu.

If you saw this while browsing through streaming libraries, it’ll look like an action movie. In reality, though, there’s a solid time-travel movie in here that could have been better if not for poor direction from Tony Scott.

Horse Girl

It feels like every time we get a movie that tackles the issues of mental health, it really hits home. That’s the perfect way to describe Horse Girl.

Sarah (Allison Brie) is a socially awkward, introverted girl, and the film showcases her journey through mental health struggles. The biggest reason this movie sticks with us through the end and is so powerful is not only Brie’s performance but also its realism.

Paprika

We can’t talk about movies that mess with your mind without a quick trip to Japan, now, can we?

Paprika is a 2006 Japanese animated film about a research psychologist and a detective who share a mind.

At times, the film is a little difficult to follow, but if you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with an incredibly satisfying plot twist and conclusion that you’ll never forget.

The Wave

Shift gears from Japan to Germany, The Wave is a socio-political thriller that does an excellent job of playing on your expectations.

It’s not necessarily an easy watch, but certainly a powerful one, and possibly even necessary. Everything builds to an ending that results in you realizing that your actions do indeed have consequences.

Director Dennis Gansel talked about how the film is built on the idea that people are immune to the possibility of history repeating itself, particularly regarding National Socialism. He said, “It is an interesting fact that we always believe that what happens to others would never happen to us. We blame others, for example the less educated or the East Germans, etc. However, in the Third Reich the house caretaker was just as fascinated by the movement as was the intellectual.”

Identity

Based on the 1939 Agatha Crhstie novel And Then There Were None, Identity toes the line between clever twist and being too smart for its own good.

I’d argue that it’s able to pull things off because once you sit down and examine things, it makes total sense. The murder mystery comes out of left field and ties perfectly into what’s happening on screen.

Prisoners

Before Dune, Denis Villeneuve directed a thriller called Prisoners in 2013. It stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, and Paul Dano, so there’s plenty of star power on display here.

As you’d expect from all the talent on display, Prisoners delivers some of the most powerful performances you’ll ever see from a movie. It takes a simple premise and spins it into a complex film that is only divisive due to how hard it hits.

Vivarium

Not every movie that messes with your mind needs to have a huge plot twist or powerful performances. Sometimes these films are just completely out there metaphors for modern life and society.

Enter Vivarium, a 2019 foreign film starring Jesse Eisenberg, that isn’t afraid to get a little weird with things. It’s trippy, it’s unsettling, and it’s a gripping commentary on suburban life that you won’t soon ever forget.