MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Day of the Locust

The Day of the Locust

1975 · 145 min

A slow, suffocating descent into delusion and desperation, beautiful and grotesque, ending in a nightmare of mob violence.

Directed by
John Schlesinger
Genres
Drama
Tagline
By train, by car, by bus, they came to Hollywood... in search of a dream.
Overview
Hollywood, 1930s. Tod Hackett, a young painter who tries to make his way as an art director in the lurid world of film industry, gets infatuated with his neighbor Faye Greener, an aspiring actress who prefers the life that Homer Simpson, a lone accountant, can offer her.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Day of the Locust

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
John Schlesinger
Genres
Drama
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • eeriestrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • ambition
  • deception
  • madness
Places
  • big city
  • home
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror5
Humour3
Realism7
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness9
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like The Day of the Locust

Movie

Nymphomaniac

2013

A long, unflinching confession that is intellectually provocative and emotionally raw, demanding patience and tolerance for explicit, disturbing content.

Bleak, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
240 min
Details
NymphomaniacHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Barton Fink

1991

A sweaty, surreal descent into creative paralysis, blending black comedy with creeping dread and dreamlike unease.

Dark, satirical, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • satirical
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
117 min
Details
Barton FinkHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Midnight Cowboy

1969

A slow, grimy descent into loneliness and fragile friendship, leaving a lingering ache of loss and quiet devastation.

Same writer: Waldo Salt · Bleak, dark, slow-burn · about isolation

Also
Same writer: Waldo Salt
Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
Midnight CowboyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Requiem for a Dream

2000

A relentless, harrowing descent into addiction and delusion, visually and sonically assaultive, leaving you drained and haunted.

Bleak, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation · ensemble

Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
102 min
Details
Requiem for a DreamHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Pearl

2022

A sun-drenched Technicolor dream curdling into something deeply unsettling, with a mesmerizing performance holding you in queasy, mounting dread.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
PearlHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sunset Boulevard

1950

A haunting, darkly funny descent into delusion and faded glamour, with a bitter, tragic sting.

Dark, satirical · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • satirical
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
Sunset BoulevardHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

2017

A raw, darkly funny, and emotionally charged ride through grief and rage, with sharp dialogue and a stellar ensemble.

Bleak, dark · ensemble

Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
115 min
Details
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Rear Window

1954

A voyeuristic slow-burn that tightens like a vise, letting you share the hero's helpless suspense and guilty thrill.

Dark · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
Rear WindowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Fists in the Pocket

1965

A cold, unsettling plunge into a suffocating family, watching it with a mix of dread and grim fascination.

Bleak, dark, slow-burn · about isolation and madness · ensemble

Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • isolation
  • madness
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
110 min
Details
Fists in the PocketHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

American Beauty

1999

A darkly comic and haunting look at suburban malaise, blending satire with tragedy as it builds to a shocking yet oddly beautiful conclusion.

Same cinematographer: Conrad Hall · Dark, satirical · about obsession and isolation · ensemble

Also
Same cinematographer: Conrad Hall
Via
  • dark
  • satirical
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
122 min
Details
American BeautyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Scarlet Street

1945

A slow, suffocating descent into humiliation and delusion, watching a meek man's longing curdle into something pitiable and grim.

Bleak, dark · about obsession and deception

Via
  • bleak
  • dark
  • obsession
  • deception
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
Scarlet StreetHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Mulholland Drive

2001

A dreamlike plunge into Hollywood glamour and dread, where scenes shift under you and nothing quite resolves.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about obsession

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • obsession
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
147 min
Details
Mulholland DriveHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

We have not loaded where to watch in the US for this title yet. Check again in a day or two.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
John Schlesinger
Written by
Waldo Salt
Starring
Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith, William Atherton, Geraldine Page, Richard Dysart, Bo Hopkins, Pepe Serna
Music
John Barry
Cinematography
Conrad Hall
Runtime
145 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.