We all love and appreciate a great movie, we admire it even more if the movie plays tricks with our minds. Movies that mess with your head are the most engrossing and gripping and provide the maximum cinematic experience. This article will list 8 Mind Bending Movies On Netflix, which you can watch anytime.
Soon after Netflix came into the scene, it completely changed how we used to watch films. Netflix has given us the freedom to watch it whenever or wherever we are as long as there is internet service.
Netflix has also broken the language barrier by bringing different genres of foreign movies to their platform, which were, at some point, not that easily accessible.
We can also say that some of Netflix’s original movies are mind-boggling indeed and makes us wonder about things that we normally wouldn’t think of. So, in this article, let’s get introduced to the films that we have researched for you, which will undoubtedly give you a mind-bending experience.
8 Mind Bending Movies On Netflix | It Will Knock You Out Of Your Seat!!
Without any doubt, we can admit that Netflix has saved our asses for the last four-five years. Remember when we had to struggle to watch a movie, with all the hectics of downloading and so on.
Well, Netflix specifically solved that problem once and for all. Now, let’s get on with the list and find out what Netflix has to offer us.
Also, Read | 8 Mind-Bending Movies On Netflix | It’ll Leave You Stunned
#1 Shutter Island (2010)
Shutter Island (2010) happens to be one of Martin Scorsese’s masterpieces. Scorsese is one of the directors who has changed the landscape of Hollywood movies and has constantly challenged the big studios that run the industry.
The movie Shutter Island revolves around the main character, Edward “Teddy” Daniels, played by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a Deputy US Marshall, and visits a psychiatric facility only meant for the violent, criminally insane patients along with his partner Chuck Aule played by Mark Ruffalo.
Both the marshall visit the facility, which is located on an isolated island and is heavily fortified, to investigate the missing of a violent patient. The story escalates as soon as they get the first hint that things aren’t the same as it appears to be.
Halfway through the movie, we get to understand the back story of Teddy, which certainly is surprising and breaks all preconceived notions about the character.
Psychological thrillers like Shutter Island should not be missed at all. The film is packed with shocking twists and intense performances. The movie was a massive success and also received critical acclaim.
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
- Screenplay by: Laeta Kalogridis
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow
- Genre: Psychological Thriller, Crime, Drama
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 68%,
- Runtime: 2h 18m
#2 Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) is a Netflix original, interactive film where the viewer can choose and make different decisions in certain situations and find out the consequences accordingly. By producing movies like Bandersnatch, Netflix has set the bars high.
The story is set in 1984 and revolves around a young programmer Stefan Butler played by Fionn Whitehead, who is adapting a fantasy gamebook for a videogame. The unique aspect of the movie is that it has different endings as you make different decisions throughout the film. What can be cooler when you can make decisions for the protagonist in the film.
The movie will give you an idea of what a technological nightmare is and will make you question the decisions that you make in the film. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch gained huge popularity because a concept like this was never used in a cinema.
The movie premiered on 28th December 2018 on Netflix right after its official announcement.
- Directed by: David Slade
- Written by: Charlie Brooker
- Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe, Asim Chaudhry
- Genre: Sci/Fi, Drama
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1
- Runtime: 1h 30m
#3 The Invitation (2015)
The Invitation (2015) narrates the story of a divorced couple who now lives separately after the uncertain death of their young boy. Will played by Logan Marshall-Green, receives an invitation from his former wife Eden, played by Tammy Blanchard. Will, a nice guy, accepts the invitation and reaches the dinner party with his girlfriend Kira, played by Emayatzy Corinealdi.
Soon, in time as the story progresses, Will and his girlfriend realize that their host might have some ulterior motive. Eventually, the party continues to get weird and unexpected things start to happen. All of a sudden, everyone at the party gets annoyed with each other.
In due course of time, something horrific happens. It would not be fair for us to reveal what happens in the end. Having said that, we can guarantee that it will surely blow your mind.
The movie first premiered on 13th March 2015 at the SXSW film festival and eventually was picked up by Netflix.
If you’re a sucker for a great thriller cum horror movie, you should not miss watching this.
- Directed by: Karyn Kusama
- Written by: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
- Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lindsay Burdge, Michelle Krusiec, Mike Doyle, Jay Larson, John Carroll Lynch
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6.6
- Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
- Runtime: 1h 40m
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#4 The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual (2017) is about a group of five friends, among which one of the guys gets shot when he lands up in a shop robbery. After six months, the rest of the four friends decide to meet and catch up. They plan to trek through the Scandanavian forest of Northern Sweden, as Rob suggested before his uncertain death.
Only if they knew what awaits them in the dark forest, soon enough, things get weird for them, and all hell breaks loose after they enter the forest. The guys soon find themselves confined in a vortex of psychological chaos.
With the story moving forward, we discover that the dark Scandanavian forest is home to a menacing deity that desires to drive these four men hysterical by making them witness their internal darkness.
Movies like The Ritual provide a powerful cinematic experience that makes the audience uncomfortable with its impact. The movie is based on the novel, The Ritual (2011) by Adam Nevill.
- Directed by: David Bruckner
- Screenplay by: Joe Barton
- Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
- Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6.3
- Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
- Runtime: 1h 34m
#5 The Signal (2014)
I believe with films like The Signal (2014), one must enter blind, without watching any trailer or reading about it. Still, if you are too eager to get an idea about the movie, then keep on reading.
The story revolves around three MIT students, Nick (Brenton Thwaites), Jonah (Beau Knapp), and Hailey (Olivia Cooke), who are on the way to California, as Hailey will be moving in there, which does not quite sit well with Nick, as he is her boyfriend.
The story suddenly turns when they receive strange e-mails from a mysterious hacker known as NOMAD. After when they decide to track the hacker, they land up in Nevada. There they get captured by a highly questionable government agent who puts them in a secret underground government research facility.
Soon after this incident, the film takes a completely different turn, and things become bizarre and extremely disturbing.
You wouldn’t want to know what exactly goes down. The only option to find out is to watch the movie ASAP.
In The Signal, the cast also involves another important and well-established actor Laurence Fishburne, who plays the character of Dr. Wallace Damon. The movie first premiered on Sundance Festival in 2014, followed by a theatrical release in the US on 13th June 2014.
- Directed by: William Eubank
- Written by: Carlyle Eubank, David Frigerio
- Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp, Lin Shaye, Robert Longstreet, Laurence Fishburne
- Genre: Sci/Fi, Thriller
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6
- Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
- Runtime: 1h 37m
#6 Under The Skin (2013)
Under The Skin (2013) is one of those super dark and almost surrealistic films. The movie is based on the novel Under The Skin (2000) by Michel Faber.
The story is about an unknown woman, or we could even say who disguises herself as a woman, played by Scarlett Johansson. So, this mysterious woman of no origin roams the highways in search of men with dark souls who are secluded, lost, and abandoned.
This highly mysterious and strange woman seduces these men at first, making them comfortable, and when the right moment arrives, she strips them of their humanity. These men whom she targets are never found again. It’s like they have dropped from the face of the Earth.
This would be a treat if you’re a fan of dark, nuanced, and experimental films.
The movie first premiered at Telluride Film Festival on 29th August 2013, followed by its theatrical release in the UK and North America.
- Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
- Screenplay by: Walter Campbell, Jonathan Glazer
- Cast: Scarlett Johansson
- Genre: Sci/Fi, Thriller, Drama
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6.3
- Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
- Runtime: 1h 48m
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#7 Fractured (2019)
Fractured (2019) happens to be another Netflix original film that will make you question reality and that things don’t always turn out to be how they appear. The story begins with Peri, played by Luci Capri, a little girl who gets injured in a gas station.
When her father, Ray, played by Sam Worthington, and her mother, Joanne, played by Lily Rabe, takes her to the hospital, she gets admitted right away. The doctor at the hospital claims that Peri will need to go through a CT scan, so Joanne accompanies her with the doctor.
Soon after, when Ray wakes up from a nap in the waiting room, he asks the staff regarding his daughter and wife. The reply that he received shook him to the core.
The staff claims that neither her daughter nor his wife was here, or they were admitted. Ray understands that something wrong is going down here, and the hospital might have some ulterior motive.
The plot escalation will leave you in complete shock. This movie is probably one of the best original releases on Netflix. Hurry up and watch it.
- Directed by: Brad Anderson
- Written by: Alan B. McElroy
- Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Adjoa Andoh, Lucy Capri
- Genre: Psychological Thriller
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
- Runtime: 1h 40m
#8 Lucy (2014)
The film Lucy (2014) revolves around the main character Lucy, who is an American student pursuing her studies in Taipei, Taiwan. The story takes a turn when she gets manipulated into becoming a drug courier.
Things become intense when these dangerous drug dealers decide to transport the highly valuable synthetic drug called CPH4 to Europe. They plan and forcibly sew the drug into her abdomen.
In an uncertain situation, the pack of drugs in her body breaks, releasing a large amount of the drug into her system. Later, she develops increasing physical and mental capabilities, like telepathy, telekinesis, and mental time travel.
By using this power, she takes revenge on those who held her captive and caused all this pain. Lucy is a highly conceptual movie that explores the capabilities of our brain.
- Directed & Written by: Luc Besson
- Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman
- Genre: Sci/Fi, Action/Thriller
- Platforms Available On: Netflix
- IMDb Ratings: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
- Runtime: 1h 29m
Also, Read | 6 Insane Movies Like Inception That Will Blow Your Mind!!
Final Words
We hope that you’ve liked the list that we’ve researched meticulously so that you can stream these particular movies and have an amazing time. As you know, in the age of the internet, Netflix is a kind of savior.
