Debapriya Bhattacharya
Marking the feature directorial debut of Mark Anthony Green, ‘Opus’ follows young journalist Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), who gets invited to a private listening party by 1990s pop superstar Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) as he decides to come out of retirement. Upon reaching Moretti’s Utah compound, it becomes apparent to Ariel and the other guests that the singer is part of a cult. The journalist starts to dig around as Moretti’s hospitality and performance start to win the rest over. When Ariel becomes aware of what her host has planned, she becomes desperate to escape. The taut horror thriller paints a twisted picture of stifled creativity. If you’ve enjoyed the story, here is a list of movies similar to ‘Opus’ that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
10. The Neon Demon (2016)
‘The Neon Demon’ by Nicolas Winding Refn revolves around Jesse (Elle Fanning), a 16-year-old aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles following the death of her parents. She meets photographer Dean (Karl Glusman), who does her first shoot, makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone), and other models before being signed by Roberta Hoffman (Christina Hendricks), the owner of a modeling agency. Listening to Roberta telling her that she has the qualities needed to become a top model brings about a change in Jesse’s easygoing demeanor, making her more cutthroat like her rivals. Like Ariel Ecton, she soon realizes that she is trapped in a world that is far more sinister than it appears on the surface.
9. Saint Maud (2019)
Rose Glass made her feature directorial debut with ‘Saint Maud,’ where a nurse (Morfydd Clark) becomes a devout Roman Catholic after failing to save a patient’s life and takes the new name, Maud. She takes up work as a private palliative care nurse in an English seaside town and is assigned to care of Amanda, an American former dancer and choreographer with stage four lymphoma. Amanda’s hedonistic lifestyle pains Maud and she becomes determined to save her soul. However, her efforts are hindered as she is forced to confont her own sinful past. Maud finds herself trapped in a calling for higher purpose, much like the cult in ‘Opus.’
8. Mother! (2017)
Helmed by Darren Aronofsky, ‘Mother!’ stars Jennifer Lawrence as the titular character, a woman who lives with her husband (Javier Bardem) in the countryside. The latter is an acclaimed poet struggling from a writer’s block, while his wife and muse spends her days renovating their home, a Victorian mansion. A stranger (Ed Harris) knocks on their door one night and unexpectedly becomes a guest at their home. Later, the stranger’s wife and two children arrive to join him. As the poet becomes more accommodating to everyone, who he claims are his fans, but his wife, she becomes ever more frustrated. ‘Mother!’ comes across as a fever dream, like ‘Opus,’ where Jennifer’s character finds herself trapped in among the people around her.
7. Hereditary (2018)
Yet another feature directorial debut, ‘Hereditary’ by Ari Aster centers around the family of miniature artist Annie Graham (Toni Collette), which includes her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and her two children, Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). Following the recent death of her mother, Annie begins to uncovers secrets from the matriarch’s past that has frightful impacts on the entire family. Similar to Ariel in ‘Opus,’ Annie’s attempts to escape lead her deeper down the rabbit hole, and she finds herself to be a mere pawn in greater events.
6. Black Swan (2010)
Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’ chronicles a New York City Ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake.’ The company requires a new prima ballerina for the production, who needs to portray the fragile and innocent White Swan as well as the dark and sensual Black Swan. Young dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) finds herself to be a perfect fit for the first role, whereas newcomer to NYC Ballet Lily (Mila Kunis) is seen embodying more characteristics of the second. The rivalry between the two for the opportunity soon transform into a twisted friendship, and Nina appears to crack under pressure. Both ‘Opus’ and ‘Black Swan’ paint a brutal picture of creative madness.
5. Martyrs (2008)
‘Martyrs’ by Pascal Laugier begins with a young Lucie Jurin escaping from a slaughterhouse, and fifteen years later as an adult (Mylène Jampanoï), killing a family she believes to be involved with torturing her as a child. Her friend Anna Assaoui (Morjana Alaoui) looks out for her and confronts her slow descent into madness, before she comes to face the secret society that is responsible for Lucie’s condition in the first place. Much like ‘Opus,’ it an underground cult that brings about the death of many in ‘Martyrs.’
4. Apostle (2018)
Set in London in 1905, ‘Apostle’ by Gareth Evans follows Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens), who finds his sister Jennifer (Elen Rhys) kidnapped for ransom by a religious cult headed by Malcolm Howe (Michael Sheen). He travels to a remote Welsh island to rescue her and infiltrates the local community. In the process, he learns of their beliefs and finds that their veil of self-righteousness hides deep-seated corruption. Similar to ‘Opus,’ the protagonist unknowingly finds a new purpose within the cult’s beliefs.
3. The Invitation (2015)
Helmed by Karyn Kusama, ‘The Invitation’ centers around Will (Logan Marshall-Green), who along with his girldfriend, attends a dinner party at his ex-wife, Eden (Tammy Blanchard), and her new husband David’s (Michiel Huisman) home. In the presence of their other friends, the latter couple announces joining a cult that helps them to cope with grief. Soon, Will starts noticing signs that the hosts’ intentions are less than honorable. As in ‘Opus,’ the guests are treated well in the beginning before all hell breaks loose.
2. The Wicker Man (2006)
Loosely based on the David Pinner’s novel ‘Ritual,’ ‘The Wicker Man’ by Neil LaBute stars Nicolas Cage as police officer Edward Malus, who is informed by his ex-fiancée Willow Woodward (Kate Beahan) of the disappearance of their daughter Rowan (Erika Shaye Gair). The search that follows leads Edward to an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he meets a cult of neo-pagans with sinister motives. Much like the cult in ‘Opus,’ they do not feel any aversion to human sacrifice.
1. Midsommar (2019)
Written and directed by Ari Aster, ‘Midsommar’ follows a young American couple, Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor), who gets invited by their friend to a nine-day midsummer festival in the rural Hälsingland region of Sweden. The festival takes place every ninety years and is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all to attend. While they arrive with their friends at a seemingly green paradise on earth, the nightmarish rituals that follow soon transforms it into a hellscape. There are many similarities between ‘Opus’ and ‘Midsommar,’ with both stories focusing on cults that lure in unwary guests with a show of festivity. Ariel and Dani’s experiences often overlap as they struggle to make sense of everything around them and ends up finding themselves taking the center stage.
Read More: Zombie Movies Like Ziam
