Saagar Kote
‘Verity’ revolves around Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling NYC writer, who accepts a job to complete the unfinished books of bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who remains largely unresponsive and immobile after a serious car accident. To help Lowen understand Verity’s work, her husband, Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), invites her to stay at their isolated home in Vermont and review her manuscripts. While going through the papers, Lowen comes across a secret manuscript that appears to expose disturbing secrets about Verity’s life and family. She also learns that Jeremy and Verity lost their daughter the previous year, adding to the troubled atmosphere surrounding the household.
As the discreet written account reveals increasingly shocking details, Lowen begins to question the woman behind the stories. Her suspicions grow alongside her attraction to Jeremy, leaving her caught between professional ambition, personal desire, and uncertainty about what she has uncovered. Brought to life by Michael Showalter, the psychological thriller film is based on Colleen Hoover’s eponymous novel. If the premise appealed to you, these films, similar to ‘Verity,’ explore themes and characters that will keep you entertained from beginning to end.
10. The Voyeurs (2021)
‘The Voyeurs,’ penned and helmed by Michael Mohan, is an erotic thriller film that explores how curiosity can spiral into dangerous obsession. After settling into their dream loft in downtown Montreal, Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) discover that their windows offer a clear view into the home of their attractive neighbors, Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Seb (Ben Hardy). Intrigued by the couple’s private lives, they begin watching them from across the street, but their fascination deepens when they discover that one neighbor is cheating on the other.
Pippa eventually takes matters further by attempting to intervene in their relationship, drawing both couples into an increasingly tangled situation. The voyeurism soon gives way to deception and desire, forcing Pippa and Thomas to confront the dangers of their actions. ‘The Voyeurs’ examines the consequences of crossing personal boundaries through voyeurism and interference, while ‘Verity’ explores how disturbing revelations can unsettle perceptions of a woman and her family, thus connecting the movies thematically.
9. The Invisible Guest (2016)
‘The Invisible Guest’ or ‘Contratiempo’ is a Spanish mystery thriller film that centers on Adrián Doria (Mario Casas), a complicated and mysterious man who becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when he awakens inside a locked hotel room next to his deceased lover, Laura. Desperate to build a solid defense before his trial, he seeks help from Virginia Goodman (Ana Wagener), a seasoned lawyer. Adrián recounts the events leading to the crime, but Virginia remains skeptical, pressing him to address inconsistencies in his testimony. With each new detail revealed, the boundaries between truth and deception blur, casting doubt on the true nature of the crime. Much like ‘Verity,’ the Oriol Paulo directorial features unreliable accounts, deceit, twists, and moral questions that force the characters to make hard choices under duress.
8. The Gift (2015)
Writer-director Joel Edgerton’s ‘The Gift’ is a psychological thriller that examines how unresolved past events can threaten an apparently happy marriage. Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) seem to have settled into the life they want until they unexpectedly cross paths with Gordo (Joel Edgerton), someone Simon knew in high school. Gordo soon begins making uninvited visits and leaving mysterious gifts for the couple. His increasingly troubling behavior eventually brings a disturbing secret from more than 20 years ago to light.
When Robyn discovers what happened between the two men, her perception of her husband begins to change. With their comfortable existence disturbed, Robyn must reconsider how well she truly knows Simon and whether the past can ever remain buried. Robyn in ‘The Gift’ and Lowen Ashleigh in ‘Verity’ become increasingly entangled in unsettling situations as they discover troubling details about other people’s lives.
7. Deep Water (2022)
‘Deep Water,’ crafted under the direction of Adrian Lyne, is an erotic psychological thriller film based on Patricia Highsmith’s titular novel. Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) and Melinda Van Allen (Ana de Armas) maintain their troubled marriage through an unconventional arrangement that allows Melinda to pursue relationships with other men. However, Vic’s growing fixation on his wife’s affairs, his need to control things, and the unsolved murder of one of Melinda’s former lovers complicates the situation.
The couple’s increasingly toxic relationship continues to deteriorate as jealousy and resentment take hold. Their destructive games begin affecting those around them, turning an already unhappy marriage into a dangerous situation where personal conflicts carry potentially harrowing consequences. ‘Deep Water’ examines how jealousy and resentment can turn a marriage into a dangerous game, while ‘Verity’ explores how secrets surrounding a family can complicate relationships and fuel suspicion.
6. The Woman in the Window (2021)
‘The Woman in the Window’ introduces Anna Fox (Amy Adams), a child psychologist confined to her Manhattan home by severe agoraphobia, who fills her isolated days by observing the people living around her. Separated from her husband and daughter, she becomes increasingly interested in the Russell family, her neighbors across the street. Her quiet routine takes a disturbing turn when she believes she witnessed a murder inside their home, only to find that nobody seems willing to accept her account. While the police question her claims, Anna’s depression and dependence on medication further undermine her credibility.
Determined to understand what she saw, she begins investigating the family herself, but the deeper she digs, the harder it becomes to distinguish the truth from her own fears. Directed by Joe Wright, the psychological thriller film is based on A. J. Finn’s novel of the same title. ‘The Woman in the Window’ explores how Anna’s mental health struggles undermine her credibility as she investigates the Russells, while ‘Verity’ examines how Lowen’s discoveries complicate her understanding of an author and her family, placing both characters in uncertain positions.
5. The Girl on the Train (2016)
In ‘The Girl on the Train,’ Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), a divorced woman, spends her daily train journeys watching a couple, Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett) and Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans), who live near her former home. Fascinated by their lives, Rachel imagines them to be happy until she believes she has witnessed Megan being attacked. When Megan later disappears, Rachel becomes convinced that her observation could help solve the case. However, her unreliable memories make it difficult for her to explain exactly what she saw, casting doubt on her account.
Determined to understand what happened, Rachel becomes involved in the investigation and is forced to confront troubling details that challenge her understanding of the events. When the mystery deepens, the line between memory and reality becomes increasingly uncertain. With Tate Taylor in the director’s seat, the psychological thriller film is an adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ eponymous novel. Both ‘The Girl on the Train’ and ‘Verity’ follow curious women whose investigations into other people’s lives lead them toward disturbing revelations and unsettling questions about the line between reality and deception.
4. Side Effects (2013)
‘Side Effects’ tells the story of Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara), whose emotional state deteriorates as her husband, Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum), prepares to return home after serving time in prison. Seeking help, Emily consults psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), who prescribes medication after discussing her case with Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). However, the treatment soon appears to have disturbing consequences, leaving Emily struggling with dangerous side effects. As her condition worsens, Dr. Banks finds himself facing an increasingly difficult situation, with Emily’s well-being at risk and the consequences of his medical decisions becoming harder to ignore. Steven Soderbergh steers this psychological crime thriller, which, akin to ‘Verity,’ examines how secrets affect relationships and how outsiders can upend them.
3. A Simple Favor (2018)
‘A Simple Favor’ chronicles the experiences of Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a single mother who shares aspects of her life online, and finds her orderly routine disrupted when she befriends Emily (Blake Lively), a stylish and seemingly very different mother from her son’s school. Their friendship takes an unexpected turn when Emily mysteriously disappears, leaving no obvious clues behind. Determined to understand what happened, Stephanie begins investigating her friend’s disappearance, with Emily’s husband, Sean (Henry Golding), eventually joining her search.
They dig into Emily’s past and uncover secrets that complicate the search and suggest that her disappearance is far more layered than it first appears. The comedy-mystery film is helmed by Paul Feig and based on the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell. Stephanie in ‘A Simple Favor’ and Lowen Ashleigh in ‘Verity’ find themselves drawn into situations involving another woman’s hidden past, forcing them to reconsider what they know and how they define the truth.
2. Rebecca (2020)
In ‘Rebecca,’ an unnamed young woman (Lily James) marries the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), expecting a fresh start at his grand estate on the English coast. However, adjusting to her new position proves difficult as she discovers that the household remains deeply influenced by Maxim’s deceased first wife, Rebecca. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), only intensifies the bride’s discomfort through her unwavering devotion to the woman who came before her. As Rebecca’s presence continues to overshadow her marriage and new home, the young bride struggles to establish her place in the estate.
Her attempts to understand the past eventually lead her toward harrowing secrets that threaten her understanding of the life she has entered. Ben Wheatley provides the directorial vision for this British romantic thriller film, based on Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same title. While ‘Rebecca’ explores how the secrets surrounding a deceased woman continue to affect her husband and his new bride, ‘Verity’ similarly examines how revelations about an author’s past complicate the lives of her husband and the writer investigating her work.
1. Gone Girl (2014)
‘Gone Girl’ is the saga of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), who becomes the focus of a high-profile investigation when his wife, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary. What begins as a search for a missing woman soon attracts intense media attention, turning Nick’s private life into a subject of public scrutiny. Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) investigates the case, but inconsistencies in Nick’s statements and his secretive behavior raise doubts about his innocence. While suspicion grows and public opinion turns against him, the seemingly perfect marriage begins to unravel.
The investigation exposes a web of deception, hidden motives, and disturbing secrets, leaving investigators and the public struggling to determine whether Nick is responsible for Amy’s disappearance or possible murder. Brought to life by David Fincher, the psychological thriller film is based on the eponymous novel by Gillian Flynn. Both ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Verity’ use conflicting information and unsettling revelations to blur the line between appearances and reality, keeping the truth uncertain. The films explore troubled marriages surrounded by disturbing secrets, forcing characters to question how well they truly know their spouses.
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