The ongoing reactions to Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn have been an endless source of joy, but as the credits roll after “Murder on the Dance Floor,” you might find yourself craving more twists, turns, and hot, devious sad boys.
We’re here to help. There’s something special about the vibe of Fennell’s latest, so we’ve compiled a list of movies to watch after you’ve devoured Saltburn.
The Riot Club
Based on the play Posh, The Riot Club takes us into the world of rich British schoolboys with the likes of Sam Claflin, Max Irons, and Douglas Booth. It’s less twisted, but similarly explores the schoolboy attitudes at institutions like Oxford and will give you that energy you’ll be missing after you finish Saltburn.
As someone who loves the Laura Wade play very much, The Riot Club is a fine adaptation, but it isn’t a perfect movie. Saltburn is what I would watch over The Riot Club now. Still, it holds a special place in my heart because I do love watching Claflin, Irons, and Booth together.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Many of those who didn’t enjoy Saltburn say it reminded them a lot of The Talented Mr. Ripley, so why wouldn’t it be on the list? Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) as he weaves a tale of wealth and luxury to get close to Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). It’s a movie that had many of us asking when Dickie and Tom were going to kiss each other. Actually, I’m still asking that question.
In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom is willing to do anything to not only get close to Dickie, but also to get the life that Dickie has—similar to what Oliver is doing in Saltburn. Oliver just takes it a step further to completely destroy the Catton family. Tom’s lust for a life different from his own is very different than Oliver’s quest for destruction, but there is still connective tissue between Saltburn and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
This is here for Barry Keoghan and because we love to see him get twisted. The Killing of a Sacred Deer, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, follows Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), who lets Martin (Keoghan) into his family and his home, where he shatters the perfect suburban life that Steven has built. It’s a similar idea behind Saltburn in the sense that an outsider is coming into the home of a family, chaos ensures, and said outsider is played by Barry Keoghan, but it is tonally different from Emerald Fennell’s work.
It does, through the film’s twists and turns, leave you uneasy in a similar way to Saltburn, so you will get your twisted little Keoghan fix with Killing of a Sacred Deer—a perfect fit if you miss Oliver Quick.
Bones and All
A doomed love story that works despite knowing that you shouldn’t want these characters to be in love? That gives me Bones and All vibes, even though Lee (Timothée Chalamet) and Maren (Taylor Russell) at least deserve to have happiness more than the characters of Saltburn. Yes, I am rooting for cannibals more than the rich.
More of a horror/thriller movie than Saltburn is, Bones and All gives us that thrill in the same way that Fennell’s work does and is twisted in nature, but the love story at the heart of it keeps us coming back to the Luca Guadagnino film.
A Simple Favor
Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick making out. I’ve said enough. A Simple Favor became the talk of the town for Lively’s suits, and we kept talking about it because of Kendrick’s portrayal of Stephanie and her obsession with Emily. Do you understand what makes a lot of these movies connected to Saltburn? It’s the obsession one character has for another. That’s the sweet spot.
The Paul Feig film either works for you or it doesn’t. Many of us were fascinated by the connection that Lively and Kendrick had and the twists that Feig displayed with Jessica Sharzer’s screenplay.
Parasite
One of the first movies that people think about when they hear the phrase “eat the rich,” Parasite kicked off the 2020 Academy Awards and became the talk of Hollywood. Bong Joon-ho’s film brought a family into the home of the rich, having them ask a very simple question: Why not take from the rich for themselves?
What Oliver Quick did was systematic. What the Kim family did to the Park family was chaotic, destructive, and just meant to cover themselves, and we loved every single second of it—even the peaches. Watching Parasite is such a fascinating experience because you never quite know where the movie is going, and even by the end, you want to sit back down and watch it again to figure out how you missed the clues, and that’s why Bong Joon-ho is one of the best.
Cruel Intentions
We really had it all in the ’90s. Annette (Reese Witherspoon) is just a pawn in Sebastian’s (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) games and sexual conquest, and it all begins with an article that she wrote. A movie that explores sexuality, betrayal, and showed everyone a different side to Buffy Summers, Cruel Intentions really was a defining film for many.
Where Saltburn highlights the schoolboy attitude of the English elite, Cruel Intentions Is a glimpse into the rich and twisted of American high society. Their games are all intended to mess with the minds of those who did nothing to hurt them, and it is truly a movie that still stands the test of time.
Passages
You know how Oliver Quick is a twisted man who you can’t root for? That’s how I felt watching Passages and Tomas. There was nothing about Tomas I enjoyed. Franz Rogowski played him as a man who just did whatever he wanted when he wanted and didn’t care who he hurt in the process, which is very much how Oliver is operating throughout Saltburn.
The vibe of Passages works with a movie like Saltburn because of the selfish nature of the characters we’re on this journey with. Tomas and Oliver would get along.
Call Me by Your Name
Rich boy, living with his rich family, who gets completely destroyed by a man who comes to his home? Sounds familiar. Call Me by Your Name brought us Timothée Chalamet as Elio, a young boy living with his family in Italy when he meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), and the two form a relationship. Elio, who is much younger than Oliver, falls deeply in love with Oliver.
Their relationship is one that leaves Elio heartbroken by the end, crying into the fire as he watches the flames flicker on, and what really connects these two films is that the pain Elio feels is still felt throughout all of Saltburn in characters like Oliver and Felix.
Promising Young Woman
Why not check out Emerald Fennell’s first film after watching her second? Promising Young Woman was Fennell’s film, starring Carey Mulligan. A movie all about revenge, looking to take down men who hurt women and finally take a stand, Fennell’s work was yet again a twisted take on the idea of a revenge flick.
What makes Promising Young Woman so fascinating is the bright colors, fun nail polish, and vibrant vibes present throughout the dark themes. It is filled with actors we know and love, iconic songs, and an ending that still divides audiences but is necessary viewing if you’re still riding high from Saltburn.
(featured image: A24/Paramount Pictures/Universal Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing)
