TV + Movies

4 Odd Movies To Watch If You Loved ‘Saltburn’

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Saltburn / Talented Mr. Ripley

Saltburn (2023) was Emerald Fennell’s surprisingly great black comedy psychological thriller that premiered at the end of 2023.

It was an amazing movie — and since we can’t experience it again, here some other films with a similar vibe.

Poison Ivy (1992)

This was the role that turned Drew Barrymore from a struggling child actor into an in-demand adult actor.

Drew Barrymore stars in this erotic thriller as Ivy, a street-smart teen who befriends a private school girl, Sylvie (Sara Gilbert), in order to insert herself into the girl’s wealthy family and flirt with her dad, Darryl (Tom Skerritt). Once she is invited in, Ivy spends as much time in Sylvie’s home as possible even befriending her sick mother — all while doing her best to seduce Darryl.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow all star in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Another social climbing psychopath, this time played by Matt Damon, attempts to infiltrate the lives of the upper class. Of all the films on this list, Ripley may be the closest to Saltburn, though it is a darker and creepier version of a similar plot. Ripley also lacks the explicit sex scenes from Saltburn, but there are some unsettling erotic moments between Matt Damon and his love interests.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Scream queen Naomi Watts was cast by David Lynch even though he had never seen any of her previous films, which is pretty shocking. Who hasn’t seen Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996)??

David Lynch’s beloved surrealist mystery film has themes of friendship turning to obsession, imposters and upward mobility. Betty (Naomi Watts) is an aspiring actress who has just arrived in Los Angeles when she meets “Rita”, a woman who is experiencing amnesia after an accident on the winding road above the Hollywood Hills, Mulholland Drive. Betty and Rita try to solve the mystery of Rita’s accident and subsequent amnesia while Betty also auditions for a big role and the two begin to fall for each other.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

This film would not be considered similar to Saltburn if it didn’t star Koeghan as a creepy, intelligent, scheming young man.

This is a wonderful option for a double feature with Saltburn. Barry Koeghan is incredibly creepy as a teen boy, Martin, whose father has recently died. He is befriended by a surgeon, Steven (Colin Farrell), who invites him to meet his wife (Nicole Kidman) and family. At first the family enjoys Martin, but he becomes obsessive and clingy. At the same time, a mysterious illness paralyzes both of Steven’s children. Martin reveals the cause of the illness and offers Steven a gruesome deal in exchange for a cure.