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Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt has garnered plenty of attention for its experienced cast and intriguing premise. Julia Roberts portrays a respected Yale professor, Alma Imhoff, who is married to Michael Stuhlbarg's Frederik. Her life becomes increasingly complicated when one of her students makes a s*xual abuse accusation against her colleague and threatens to reveal a dark secret.
In addition to Roberts and Stuhlbarg, the psychological thriller also stars Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Chloë Sevigny, among others. Because of the way the storyline is formatted, After the Hunt presents conflicting versions of the "truth", which maintains the anticipation till the very end. It also helps that the cinematic shots are complemented by a memorable score for a stronger impact.
Viewers who enjoyed watching After the Hunt should check out the psychological thrillers on this list that are similarly riveting and thought-provoking.
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Disclaimer: This list contains information from various sources.
Run, Armand and five other psychological thrillers like After the Hunt that keep the audience guessing
1) Enemy (2013)
Like Julia Roberts in After the Hunt, Enemy is also helmed by an experienced actor who knows how to bring a complex character to life on screen. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Enemy is an adaptation of José Saramago's The Double. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Adam Bell, a college history professor who becomes obsessed with finding his exact lookalike named Anthony.
This psychological thriller, like After the Hunt, prompts viewers to put their thinking caps on. Yes, viewers might have a few lingering questions after watching the ending, but the fact that it is still quite interesting to try and piece the clues together makes it worth the watch. Playing a dual role can be taxing, but Gyllenhaal finds a way to make both men equally notable.
Where to watch: Enemy can be streamed on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
2) Earthquake Bird (2019)
After the Hunt is enjoyable to watch because the tension builds at just the right pace, and the same is the case with Earthquake Bird by Wash Westmoreland. Based on Susanna Jones' debut novel, the psychological thriller stars Alicia Vikander in the lead.
She plays Lucy Fly, a young Swedish immigrant working in Japan. She is brought into questioning when her American friend Lily Bridges (Riley Keough) goes missing. The narrative switches between the present and the past to give viewers a better understanding of the series of events.
Even though the pacing feels a little slow at first, viewers who stick around are rewarded with a satisfying ending. It is evident that the production team put in effort to recreate Tokyo in its late 80s and the attention to detail certainly adds to the viewing experience.
Where to watch: Earthquake Bird can be viewed on Netflix.
3) Run (2020)
The plot of Run, like After the Hunt, starts with a lot of ambiguity, and viewers are unsure of what to believe. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty, it stars Kiera Allen and Sarah Paulson as the lead characters. Allen's Chloe Sherman is a disabled teenager who starts to suspect that her mother, Diane (Paulson), is keeping secrets from her and decides to get to the bottom of the truth.
Similar to After the Hunt, Run thrives on realistic performances by the main cast. Both Allen and Paulson do a great job of capturing the strained mother and daughter dynamic between their characters. While there are some scenes here and there that feel a little overdone and dramatic, the well-written screenplay still manages to keep the viewer hooked till the very end.
Where to watch: Run is available for streaming on Netflix.
4) God’s Crooked Lines (2022)
This Spanish psychological thriller by Oriol Paulo boasts an intriguing female protagonist, just like After the Hunt's Alma. Adapted from a novel by Torcuato Luca de Tena, the movie stars Bárbara Lennie as Alice Gould de Almenara. She enters a psychiatric ward to investigate a mysterious death in the facility. Her time in the facility turns out to be a more disturbing experience than anticipated.
This is certainly not the first movie to be set in a psychiatric hospital, but it manages to avoid the predictable clichés and presents a refreshing, riveting plot. The psychological thriller captures the viewer's attention with clever twists at just the right places. The main highlight of God’s Crooked Lines has to be the well-developed characters, as each one brings something special to the table.
Where to watch: God’s Crooked Lines can be streamed on Netflix.
5) Watcher (2022)
Chloe Okuno's feature directorial debut, like After the Hunt, maintains the suspense till the very end. In the lead is Maika Monroe, who plays Julia. Along with her husband, she moves to Bucharest. The apartment building that they move into has a big picture window, and Julia becomes convinced that there is a strange man in the building across the street who continuously watches her.
In terms of premise, Watcher, like After the Hunt, doesn't present something wholly original that the audience has never seen before. While the narrative may seem familiar to many, the real draw is Okuno's execution. The lighting, the camerawork, and the music all come together seamlessly to create an unsettling vibe that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
Where to watch: Watcher can be viewed on Prime Video.
6) Fair Play (2023)
More than the situation that the characters find themselves in, the main focus of After the Hunt has to be the characters themselves and the way their flaws unravel as the narrative progresses. Chloe Domont's feature directorial debut, Fair Play, also follows a similar pattern.
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich play Emily Meyers and Luke Edmunds, respectively. They are involved in an intimate relationship, but they keep it a secret at their workplace, a cutthroat Manhattan hedge fund. When one of them receives an unexpected promotion, their relationship becomes strained due to jealousy and bitterness.
The narrative explores how insecurities and resentment can wreck a relationship. Like After the Hunt, Fair Play captures the evolving dynamics between the characters in a way that helps viewers become invested in their emotional journeys.
Where to watch: Fair Play is available for streaming on Netflix.
7) Armand (2024)
Similar to After the Hunt, the plot of Armand is also centered around the topic of s*xual allegations. Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel's feature directorial debut stars Renate Reinsve, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, and Endre Hellestveit, among others.
Reinsve's Elizabeth has to attend a parent-teacher conference after hours when a boy from her son's class makes an accusation against him. Elizabeth tries to grasp the situation and understand what really happened during the meeting with the boy's parents and the school staff.
Like the college backdrop in After the Hunt, Armand's school setting is also crucial to the plot. The muted performances coupled with impactful dialogue create a tense atmosphere that adds to audience anticipation.
Where to watch: Armand can be streamed on MUBI and Apple TV+.
Fans of After the Hunt will enjoy these tense thrillers because they boast complex narratives and exciting plot progressions.
