Movie

Death and the Maiden

1994 · 103 min

A claustrophobic, dialogue-driven thriller that keeps you on edge with its moral ambiguity and psychological intensity.

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson

Tagline: Prepare yourself for the moment of truth.
Overview: A political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.

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: Death and the Maiden

In the USNot loaded yet.

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 3 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: revenge
justice
guilt
trauma
memory
Places: single country house
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: single location
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	3
Humour	1
Realism	8
Romance	1
Tension	9
Darkness	8
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	9

Titles like Death and the Maiden

Movie

Repulsion

1965

A slow, suffocating descent into a fractured mind, where ordinary rooms turn menacing and every sound feels like a threat.

Same writer: Roman Polanski · Tense, dark, slow-burn · about trauma · single location

Also: Same writer: Roman Polanski
Via: tense
dark
trauma
single location
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 105 min

Details

RepulsionHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Juror #2

2024

A slow-burning moral pressure cooker that keeps you uneasy, watching a decent man trapped by his own conscience.

Tense, dark · about justice and guilt · single location

Via: tense
dark
justice
guilt
single location
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 114 min

Details

Juror #2Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Hard Candy

2005

A claustrophobic, nerve-shredding duel of wits that keeps you squirming and guessing until the very last frame.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about revenge and justice · single location

Via: tense
dark
revenge
justice
single location
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 104 min

Details

Hard CandyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Knife in the Water

1962

A taut, queasy power struggle on open water that keeps you uneasy long after the boat docks.

Same director: Roman Polanski · Tense, dark, slow-burn · single location

Also: Same director: Roman Polanski
Via: tense
dark
single location
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 94 min

Details

Knife in the WaterHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Chinatown

1974

A slow, sun-drenched descent into corruption and moral rot, with a knotty mystery that tightens like a noose and a devastating final punch.

Same writer: Roman Polanski · Tense, dark, slow-burn

Also: Same writer: Roman Polanski
Via: tense
dark
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 130 min

Details

ChinatownHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

It Was Just an Accident

2025

A tense, morally fraught drama that traps you in a cycle of doubt and memory, leaving a lingering unease.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about revenge and justice

Via: tense
dark
revenge
justice
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 103 min

Details

It Was Just an AccidentHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Gerald's Game

2017

A claustrophobic, psychologically intense survival drama that keeps you on edge with its raw depiction of trauma and inner demons.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about trauma and memory · single location

Via: tense
dark
trauma
memory
single location
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 104 min

Details

Gerald's GameHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Invisible Guest

2017

A tense, twisty puzzle that keeps you guessing, with shifting stories and a slow reveal of dark truths.

Tense, dark · about justice and guilt · single location

Via: tense
dark
justice
guilt
single location
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 107 min

Details

The Invisible GuestHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Ghost Writer

2010

A slow-burning, paranoid puzzle that keeps you leaning in, with a chilly atmosphere and a lingering sense of unease.

Same writer: Roman Polanski · Tense, dark, slow-burn

Also: Same writer: Roman Polanski
Via: tense
dark
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 128 min

Details

The Ghost WriterHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Cape Fear

1991

A slow-building, nerve-shredding descent into dread, with a monstrous antagonist and a family under siege, culminating in a nightmarish, storm-tossed finale.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about revenge and justice