tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

Bone Tomahawk

1851. Bone Tomahawk

Western Horror Drama Revisionist Western Folk Horror
7.1

20152h 13min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: S. Craig Zahler

During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.

Themes

Trust under threat, Survival under siege, Violence as necessity, Frontier lawlessness, Cultural collision, Grit under isolation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

1852. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Comedy Horror Adult Comedy Zombie Horror
6.3

20151h 33min

United States

Director: Christopher Landon

Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world’s most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they’ll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to the test to save mankind from the undead.

Themes

Ununlikely teamwork under pressure, Youthful duty and loyalty, Authority vs chaos in crisis, Improvised survival tactics, Humor amid catastrophe, Outsider collaboration

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Last Witch Hunter

1853. The Last Witch Hunter

Action Adventure Fantasy Epic Action Adventure Epic
5.9

20151h 46min

Canada, Hong Kong SAR China

Director: Breck Eisner

The modern world holds many secrets, but by far the most astounding is that witches still live among us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world and putting an end to the human race once and for all. Armies of witch hunters have battled this unnatural enemy for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who many years ago slayed the all-powerful Witch Queen, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen cursed Kaulder with immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter. Today, Kaulder is the last living hunter who has spent his immortal life tracking down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost family.

Themes

Memory as weapon, Ancient magic modern city, Immortality burden, Revival of power, Secret organization oversight, Human witch truce

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Brooklyn

1854. Brooklyn

Romance Drama History Bittersweet Romance Historical Drama
7.5

20151h 51min

Canada, Ireland

Director: John Crowley

In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.

Themes

Family obligation vs autonomy, Homesickness and adaptation, Working class aspiration, Identity through life choices, Marriage and independence, Dual-country belonging

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Room

1855. Room

Drama Thriller Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Family Drama
8.1

20151h 58min

Canada, Ireland

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

A little boy and his mother have been held captive in a locked room since his birth. One day they finally dare to escape, and he gets his first chance to experience the world outside.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Trauma and resilience, Isolation and perception, Confinement and isolation, Escape and hospital, Family fracture and reunification

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Suffragette

1856. Suffragette

Drama History Historical Drama Political History
6.9

20151h 46min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Sarah Gavron

Based on true events about the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

Themes

Class and gender constraints, Women's rights movement, Hunger and endurance, Radicalization under oppression, State repression of dissent, Public spectacle and banners

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Truth

1857. Truth

Drama Historical Drama
6.8

20152h 5min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: James Vanderbilt

As a renowned producer and close associate of Dan Rather, Mary Mapes believes she’s broken the biggest story of the 2004 election: revelations of a sitting U.S. President’s military service. But when allegations come pouring in, sources change their stories, document authenticity is questioned, and the casualties begin to mount.

Themes

Journalism under pressure, Sources credibility under doubt, Presidential election dynamics, Institutional accountability through reporting, Document authenticity scrutiny, Bias vs objectivity tensions

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Experimenter

1858. Experimenter

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.6

20151h 37min

United States

Director: Michael Almereyda

Yale University, 1961. Stanley Milgram designs a psychology experiment that still resonates to this day, in which people think they’re delivering painful electric shocks to an affable stranger strapped into a chair in another room. Despite his pleads for mercy, the majority of subjects don’t stop the experiment, administering what they think is a near-fatal electric shock, simply because they’ve been told to do so. With Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial airing in living rooms across America, Milgram strikes a nerve in popular culture and the scientific community with his exploration into people’s tendency to comply with authority. Celebrated in some circles, he is also accused of being a deceptive, manipulative monster, but his wife Sasha stands by him through it all.

Themes

Obedience to authority, Public scrutiny of science, Ethics in research, Career implications of controversy, Social pressure dynamics, Balancing curiosity and caution

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hell House LLC

1859. Hell House LLC

Horror Mystery Haunting Horror Investigation Mystery
6.4

20151h 36min

United States

Director: Stephen Cognetti

Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened.

Themes

Corporate ambition vs safety, Rumours of supernatural activity, Investigation vs spectacle, Crowd chaos and danger, Haunted setting creates pressure, Found footage reliability

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Tales of Halloween

1860. Tales of Halloween

Horror Thriller Adventure Comedy Fantasy
5.5

20151h 37min

United States

Director: Axelle Carolyn

Ten stories from horror's top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night. This creepy anthology combines classic Halloween tales with the stuff of nightmares.

Themes

Unreliable appearances, Spectral haunting, Suburban dread, Candy legend fear, Competition and aggression, Deception and cruelty

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.