#memory-thriller

[ follow ]
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 hours ago

Exit 8 review Escher-esque subway station corridor leads to disquieting psychological mystery

A young man experiences existential panic in a surreal, looping subway scenario, questioning reality and his ability to escape.
#freida-mcfadden
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 days ago

Deliciously dark': how Freida McFadden's twisty thrillers gripped millions of readers

Freida McFadden, a bestselling author, has rapidly gained popularity, selling millions of books and recently revealing her true identity.
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 days ago

Handcuffs, dog bites and avian warfare: how personal grudges sullied Alfred Hitchcock's reputation

Donald Spoto's biography of Alfred Hitchcock reveals a complex, uneasy relationship marked by misinterpretations and personal grievances.
fromwww.amny.com
1 day ago

A new immersive experience that dives into the mind of serial killers launches in NYC | amNewYork

Mind of a Serial Killer's mission is to dissect the mindsets of what drives murder for a better global understanding, while creating a place to honor slain victims.
NYC LGBT
fromInverse
4 days ago

'Thrash' Isn't a Good Movie, But it Is a Fun One

Expecting logic from a movie with the line, 'Mommy's got to fight some f*cking sharks' is always going to be a losing proposition. The problems begin at the script level.
Independent films
London politics
fromThe New Yorker
4 days ago

Patrick Radden Keefe on "London Falling," His Book About a Teen-Ager's Mysterious Life and Death

A teenager's mysterious death in London reveals his dangerous connections and alternate identity as the son of a Russian oligarch.
SF parents
fromDefector
6 days ago

The Killing That Won't Let Go | Defector

Grief persists indefinitely, and justice remains elusive for Steve Cornejo, who was shot and killed 21 years ago without the shooter facing charges.
Berlin music
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago

Miroirs No 3 review Christian Petzold's elegantly unnerving mystery of grief and family dysfunction

Christian Petzold's film explores family dysfunction and grief, focusing on a pianist's survival after a traumatic car crash and her connection with a mysterious woman.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
1 day ago

Enough With the Vibesy Literary Remakes

Modern adaptations of classic literature often simplify complex themes, resulting in superficial interpretations that lack depth.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

The best recent crime and thrillers review roundup

Cal Hooper investigates a suspicious death in a small Irish town, revealing deep-rooted connections and conflicts among its residents.
fromAnOther
6 days ago

Five Groundbreaking Dream Sequences From Silent Cinema

Film is like that. It developed from [the silent era] into Fellini and Bergman, Buñuel and David Lynch. [They] took these ideas and created a film that was really like a dream.
Film
Books
fromSlate Magazine
1 week ago

How Stephen King Made The Shining Even Scarier

Stephen King's revisions in The Shining enhance the story's horror through specific imagery and the removal of explicit references to violence.
Television
fromThe Atlantic
2 weeks ago

TV's Failing Cure For Middle-Aged Malaise

Imperfect Women exemplifies the decline of the 'messy-mom thriller' genre despite initial viewership success.
Film
fromQueerty
6 days ago

Coming out goes off the rails in this taboo thriller that pushed the boundaries of queer Asian cinema - Queerty

Ethan Mao portrays the intense struggles of a queer Asian youth facing family rejection and the complexities of identity and revenge.
Film
fromWIRED
1 week ago

A New Horror Movie Depicts Realistic Snuff. That's Not the Most Disturbing Thing About It

The reboot of Faces of Death reflects modern society's exposure to real violence through social media and its impact on viewers.
Independent films
fromEsquire
3 weeks ago

Javier Bardem Is Absolutely Terrifying in the 'Cape Fear' Trailer

Javier Bardem stars as a darker Max Cady in the upcoming Apple TV series remake of Cape Fear, premiering June 5.
fromHyperallergic
3 weeks ago

Anki King's Nordic Noir

Anki King's work suggests an intimate engagement with New Image painting, particularly the later work of Susan Rothenberg, but she took it in a direction that is recognizably hers.
Arts
#horror
Writing
fromPolygon.com
4 weeks ago

This new crime thriller brings a haunting, video game-inspired edge to NYC noir

The novel is inspired by horror and mystery, set in 1990s New York, following a Polish immigrant's dark journey.
Film
fromABC7 Los Angeles
2 months ago

'Psycho Killer' star shares how new horror movie is a "different" "cat-and-mouse chase" thriller

A Kansas highway patrol officer hunts a satanic serial killer who murdered her husband, sparking a violent cross-country revenge pursuit.
Television
fromVulture
3 weeks ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen Could've Been a Classic

A woman with a mysterious background and a sixth sense navigates family dynamics and impending doom before her wedding.
Independent films
fromVulture
3 weeks ago

Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

They Will Kill You satirizes rich Devil worshippers while contrasting them with the mundane lives of actual Satanists, challenging stereotypes and societal fears.
Television
fromVulture
3 weeks ago

So, About That Something Very Bad That Was Going to Happen ...

The finale of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen delivers a gruesome conclusion with a high body count, fulfilling its ominous title.
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen review so scary it will send you hysterical

Rachel's journey to meet her fiancé's parents is filled with ominous signs, leading her to question her engagement.
Writing
fromPolygon.com
4 weeks ago

This new crime thriller brings a haunting, video game-inspired edge to NYC noir

The novel is inspired by horror and mystery, set in 1990s New York, following a Polish immigrant's dark journey.
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 weeks ago

The Writer and the Traitor by Robert Verkaik review divided loyalties

Graham Greene announced that he was resigning from MI6. Kim Philby, his chief in Section V, MI6's counterespionage arm, blinked. Greene had played his part in tending the illusion.
London politics
Books
fromThe New Yorker
3 weeks ago

The Sci-Fi Novelist Who Disappeared for Decades

Cameron Reed's science fiction explores cognitive estrangement, revealing alien worlds that reflect and challenge our own societal norms and moral dilemmas.
fromAnOther
2 weeks ago

Night Stage: Anatomy of a Modern Erotic Thriller

The illicit thrill of hidden desires definitely propels Night Stage, a riveting queer noir about an up-and-coming actor Matias and an aspiring politician Rafael who begin hooking up in public spaces.
Film
Film
fromInsideHook
2 weeks ago

"The Drama" Has No Idea How to Handle Its Controversial Twist

The Drama presents a romantic comedy that takes a dark turn with a shocking revelation about a character's past involvement in a school shooting plot.
Independent films
fromInverse
3 weeks ago

Kiyoshi Kurosawa Just Released An Eerie Psychological Thriller Like No Other

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Chime explores modern terrors through a ringing sound that incites violence, reflecting societal issues and psychological pressures.
Film
fromArs Technica
2 weeks ago

What Memento reveals about human nature, 25 years later

Christopher Nolan's breakout film Memento explores memory and personal identity through a unique narrative structure.
#film-vs-literature
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen: the Duffer brothers' horror series is absolutely terrifying

The new series by the Duffer brothers combines horror elements with a wedding setting, creating an unsettling atmosphere filled with eerie occurrences.
Film
fromMetro
2 weeks ago

The Drama criticised for 'sick' plot twist after misleading marketing

The marketing for The Drama misleads audiences about its serious themes, particularly regarding a shocking plot twist involving a school shooting.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

The best recent crime and thrillers review roundup

Killing Me Softly and Whidbey explore complex themes of trauma, morality, and systemic failures in healthcare and society.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

'Scarpetta' is a captivating murder mystery and a high-wire balancing act

Scarpetta alternates between two timelines with different actresses portraying Kay Scarpetta, supported by strong ensemble performances from established television actors.
Television
fromBustle
1 month ago

Kerry Washington's New Thriller May Have A Shocking Twist

Apple TV's Imperfect Women follows three women navigating an affair and murder, exemplifying the 'good for her' genre where morally gray female characters make questionable choices in response to difficult circumstances.
#thriller
Film
fromThe Verge
3 weeks ago

Red Rooms makes online poker as thrilling as its serial killer

Red Rooms effectively combines realistic technology with expert tension building, creating an unpredictable thriller that keeps viewers engaged and questioning character motives.
Film
fromThe Verge
3 weeks ago

Red Rooms makes online poker as thrilling as its serial killer

Red Rooms effectively combines realistic technology with expert tension building, creating an unpredictable thriller that keeps viewers engaged and questioning character motives.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

Author Luke Kennard talks about his novel, 'Black Bag'

Luke Kennard's novel 'Black Bag' fictionalizes a 1967 psychology experiment where a silent, bagged actor in a classroom gradually becomes liked by students through repeated exposure, exploring how familiarity transforms perception.
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Split Infinitive

Raymond Chandler clashed with The Atlantic's copy editor Margaret Mutch over her correction of a split infinitive, arguing that deliberate rule-breaking in language creates authentic, living prose.
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

The Black Dahlia Murder and the Power of Storytelling

The myth is that the murdered woman was 'a sex worker, a gangster's moll, or a movie extra yearning to become Lana Turner.' In fact, Elizabeth Short was a young woman who wanted to see more of the world than her hometown offered. She had suffered abuse from her father and dreamed of making a new life for herself in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

'Islands' is a spare and satisfying slow-burn thriller

Islands is a spare, slow-burn drama set on barren Fuerteventura that examines alienation and luxury through a broken tennis pro's interactions with a wealthy family.
Books
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Patricia Cornwell on Crime and Creativity

Fear is the primary obstacle to creativity; overcoming it and persisting through rejection enables successful creative work.
fromInverse
1 month ago

25 Years Later, Christopher Nolan's First Great Noir Thriller Remains His Most Essential

Memento provides a Rosetta Stone to decode deeper meaning within his larger-scale efforts, offering a window into the complex paradoxes that add thematic weight to his intricately plotted stories. Nolan's films often jump from a familiar genre archetype. In Memento, Guy Pearce's Leonard Shelby recalls the weary antiheroes of film noir, but his filmography is full of familiar figures ranging from superheroes to great men of history.
Film
Writing
fromBig Think
1 month ago

"If it sounds literary, it isn't": The deceptively simple rules behind good writing

Neal Allen and Anne Lamott co-authored Good Writing by combining Allen's 36 writing rules with Lamott's annotations, creating a collaborative guide where Allen explains rules and Lamott provides practical examples and alternative perspectives.
fromInverse
1 month ago

'Undertone' Is Scariest With What It Doesn't Show

The first thing you notice about undertone is how quiet it is; not just in its audio mix, but in how it's shot - primarily steady wide shots that slowly pan across empty rooms, allowing your eyes to frantically scan for something amiss. It's an understated form of filmmaking that allows for the movie's scares to hit all that much harder.
Film
#horror-thriller
Film
fromVulture
1 month ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen Trailer Teases Something Bad

A newlywed couple faces mysterious supernatural threats at a remote cabin wedding, with the nature of the impending danger deliberately kept mysterious in promotional materials.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Bad Voodoo review escaped-convict horror worthy of a theme park ghost train

A grieving mother uses voodoo against escaped convicts who invade her home, blending Haitian Vodou with Western pop culture conventions in an implausible thriller with weak performances and awkward cinematography.
Film
fromVulture
1 month ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen Trailer Teases Something Bad

A newlywed couple faces mysterious supernatural threats at a remote cabin wedding, with the nature of the impending danger deliberately kept mysterious in promotional materials.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Bad Voodoo review escaped-convict horror worthy of a theme park ghost train

A grieving mother uses voodoo against escaped convicts who invade her home, blending Haitian Vodou with Western pop culture conventions in an implausible thriller with weak performances and awkward cinematography.
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

'Crime 101' is an old-fashioned heist film that pays off

If there's anything I miss in pop culture, it's the presence of ordinary movies. I don't mean blockbusters like Avatar or cultural events like Barbenheimer or Oscar contenders like One Battle After Another. I'm talking about the routine, well-made entertainments that, for nearly a century, used to open in theaters every week. You'd go see them because the story sounded good or you liked the stars or you just wanted to enjoy something as part of an audience.
Arts
Books
fromEngadget
2 months ago

What to read this weekend: The unsettling new horror novel, Persona

A trans woman uncovers non-consensual pornography of herself and is drawn into escalating horrors involving identity, exploitation, internet influence, and economic precarity.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

The best recent crime and thrillers review roundup

Two contemporary novels probe suburban domesticity, revealing secrets, manipulation, and moral ambiguity through slow-burn suspense and darkly comic plotting.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Monsters and madness and men, oh my! The Terror is the unsung treasure of peak television

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Dan Simmons, it chronicles a doomed Royal Navy expedition dispatched to the Arctic in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Under the leadership of Captains Sir John Franklin and Francis Crozier, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, manned with 129 crew, set sail from England in 1845. They became locked in pack ice off King William Island in the winter of 1846.
Television
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Good People by Patmeena Sabit review addictive mystery caters to modern attention spans

A novel uses short testimonies to unravel a teenager's death while exposing immigrant family dynamics, communal gossip, wealth-driven envy, and cultural tensions.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

I'll Be the Monster by Sean Gilbert review are they fantasists or psychopaths?

Glimpse them chatting in a restaurant or posing on Instagram, and you might think they have it all. The pair live in London but often travel, drawing the eyes of other guests, their skin glowing, their limbs artfully at ease. She writes affirmations on hotel stationery; he claims to taste notes of bark and tobacco in his chianti. As Sean Gilbert's dark, observant debut opens in Istanbul, this apparently perfect couple bicker and sweat, for secrets lurk behind their facade and one of them might be murder.
Books
Books
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Curing Zombies in "The Bone Temple"

Monsters evolve to mirror the cultural anxieties and ambitions of their eras, revealing societal fears about race, empire, mental health, and scientific cure.
#vertical-video
fromJezebel
1 month ago

Turns Out, When You Write a Novel About Killing a Politician, People Tell You How They'd Do It

When the people who are after me get here, they'll arrest me and put me on trial, or they'll disappear me to some black site. Or they won't bother with any of that and they'll just kill me. All of these seem like plausible outcomes, but in the novel's prologue, the narrator seems much more confident of her success: I am a fucking genius, a gorgeous fucking genius, and the only thing left to do is sit down and write.
Books
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

Why Are So Many Movies About Kidnappings Right Now?

Contemporary hostage films use captivity to interrogate power imbalances, allowing marginalized figures to confront untouchable elites and reflect wider social anxieties.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

'Even the Dead' wraps up John Banville's smart, moody mystery series

Quirke mysteries combine noir darkness with literary prose, following a Dublin coroner confronting trauma, moral ambiguity, and hidden crimes in 1950s settings.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Psycho Killer review delayed satanic serial slasher is devilishly dull

Psycho Killer endured nearly two decades of failed attempts before a 2023 production, yet remains an inessential B-movie undeserving of wide theatrical release.
fromThe Independent
1 month ago

17 great movies ruined by terrible endings

10 Cloverfield Lane Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr are locked in an underground bunker for the majority of this left-field sequel to Cloverfield, with thrilling results. In the film's final throes, Winstead's character exits the bunker, and finds that her captor was telling the truth about an alien invasion above - a twist that completely and ruinously dissipates the hard-earned tension that came before.
Film
Film
fromKqed
3 months ago

'Dead Man's Wire' Is a Retro Thriller That's Pertinent to the Present

Dead Man's Wire channels Dog Day Afternoon's righteous rage and contemporary echoes, propelled by Bill Skarsgård's intense performance and critique of media spectacle and capitalism.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Scare Out review twisty spy thriller is all style, little substance

Zhang Yimou transitioned from arthouse visionary to establishment filmmaker, producing state-aligned spectacle exemplified by the propagandistic Scare Out.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

My Sister's Bones review drab adaptation doesn't deliver the dark punch of the bestselling novel

A drab psychological-thriller film fails to generate intrigue despite a strong cast, weak pacing, and an underpowered twist ending.
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

"The Psychological Horror of Being a 13-Year-Old": Charlie Polinger on The Plague

After spotting that Eli's rash guard conceals a red, flaky skin disorder, the boys have concluded that he has the titular plague, a contagious disease that affects social standing as much as it does dermatological well-being. If anyone ever touches him, they must thoroughly wash themselves before they're considered full-blown infected. Even something as innocent as Eli sitting at the same lunch table sends his teammates running and screaming.
Film
Film
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

"Crime 101" Is an Enjoyably Moody Exercise in Michael Mann Lite

Crime 101 blends strong noir elements and coastal motifs with an uneven, cliché-prone depiction of Los Angeles.
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

Why You Should Avoid All Spoilers For 2026's Most Shocking Thriller Movie

Sirāt is a grim, electrifying desert rave thriller that shifts from hypnotic, cathartic dance atmosphere into a sudden, harrowing descent into violence and exploitation-style horror.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

What We Hide review opioid-crisis thriller sees sisters pick up the piece and hide their mother's dead body

A fatally overdosed mother called Jacey is unceremoniously bundled into a trunk at the start of this southern US-set drama; the uncredited actor who plays her should probably have a word with her agent, as the role is surely in contention for a world record as the least likely to boost your career. Jacey is just one of the drug casualties littering director Dan Kay's underpowered film about the US's super-strength opioid crisis, as her two bereaved daughters desperately tread water in the aftermath.
Film
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

It's already yesterday again: the 20 best time-loop movies ranked!

Time-loop films recycle the reset premise while varying stakes and constraints, with urgency or exposition determining whether repetition enhances drama or undermines suspense.
[ Load more ]