tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

Vacation

1931. Vacation

Comedy Adventure Buddy Comedy Globetrotting Adventure
6.2

20151h 39min

United States

Director: John Francis Daley

Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood vacation for his own kids, a grown up Rusty Griswold takes his wife and their two sons on a cross-country road trip to the coolest theme park in America, Walley World. Needless to say, things don't go quite as planned.

Themes

Fidelity concerns, Fragile family bonds, Nostalgia versus reality, Parental expectations vs mishaps, Travel chaos and resilience, Teenage conflict and growth

Available on

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

Backtrack

1932. Backtrack

Mystery Horror Thriller Psychological Horror Mindbender Mystery
5.9

20151h 30min

Australia, United Kingdom

Director: Michael Petroni

Troubled psychotherapist Peter Bowers is suffering from nightmares and eerie visions. When he uncovers a horrifying secret that all of his patients share, he is put on a course that takes him back to the small hometown he fled years ago. There he confronts his demons and unravels a mystery 20 years in the making.

Themes

Family secrets, Moral ambiguity, Trauma and memory, Investigative pressure, Haunted past, Guilt and accountability

Available on

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

The Legend of Barney Thomson

1933. The Legend of Barney Thomson

Comedy Drama Dark Comedy
6.2

20151h 36min

United Kingdom, Canada

Director: Robert Carlyle

Barney Thomson, awkward, diffident, Glasgow barber, lives a life of desperate mediocrity and his uninteresting life is about to go from 0 to 60 in five seconds, as he enters the grotesque and comically absurd world of the serial killer.

Themes

Appearance vs reality, Secrecy and consequence, Mediocrity under pressure, Deception within families, Violence in daily life, Accidental crime

Available on

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

Synchronicity

1934. Synchronicity

Mystery Science Fiction Thriller Time Travel Sci-Fi Mindbender Mystery
5.4

20151h 41min

Mexico, United States

Director: Jacob Gentry

A daring physicist travels into the past to stop a mysterious woman from stealing his invention. But once there, he uncovers a surprising truth about the machine, the woman, and his own fractured reality.

Themes

Time travel ethics, Trust and betrayal, Corporate control of invention, Altered reality perception, Parallel universe instability, Ownership of ideas

Available on

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

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive.

Themes

Identity fragmentation, Family under threat, Mythic punisher, Mall threat, Horror anthology, Christmas horror, Weird tales

Available on

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

The Stanford Prison Experiment

1936. The Stanford Prison Experiment

Thriller Drama History Mind Game Thriller Historical Drama
6.8

20152h 2min

United States

Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez

In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.

Themes

Prison brutality dynamics, Prison role assignment, Human experiment ethics, 1970s social pressure, Based on true story tension, Group conformity under rules

Available on

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

Irrational Man

1937. Irrational Man

Drama Comedy Dark Comedy Psychological Drama
6.6

20151h 35min

United States

Director: Woody Allen

On a small town college campus, a philosophy professor in existential crisis gives his life new purpose when he enters into a relationship with his student.

Themes

College campus ambition fuels risk, Existential crisis motivates dangerous acts, Philosophy professor ethical justification crime, His student emotional leverage, College campus romance risks, Existential crisis ethics in action

Available on

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

Trainwreck

1938. Trainwreck

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
6.2

20152h 5min

United States

Director: Judd Apatow

Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.

Themes

Fear of commitment, Career versus romance, Public scrutiny of romance, Self-destructive dating patterns, Family obligation vs romance, Personal growth and change

Available on

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

Some Kind of Beautiful

1939. Some Kind of Beautiful

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
5.7

20151h 39min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Tom Vaughan

By day, Richard Haig is a successful and well-respected English professor at renowned Trinity College in Cambridge. By night, Richard indulges his own romantic fantasies with a steady stream of beautiful undergraduates. But Richard has grown tired of the game and is looking for something more meaningful and lasting. So when Kate, Richard’s tanned, athletic, 25-year-old American girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant, Richard is thrilled. He looks forward to having a family of his own, being a father his children could be proud of, not some sex-fueled bobcat. There is only one problem. Richard’s not in love with Kate. Richard is in love with Kate’s sister, Olivia. He had been in love with her ever since he first saw her.

Themes

Infidelity and deception, Career vs personal life, Age-gap romance, Teacher-student dynamic, Parental duty and care, Search for lasting connection

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Plex Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ant-Man

1940. Ant-Man

Science Fiction Action Adventure Superhero Action Bio-Genetic Sci-Fi
7.2

20151h 57min

United States

Director: Peyton Reed

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Family dynamics under strain, Protecting dangerous knowledge, Ambition versus restraint, Corporate secrecy and rivalry

Available on

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