Movie

Red State

2011 · 88 min

A tense, violent siege that shifts from queasy horror to satirical thriller, keeping you unsettled and gripped by its bleak intensity.

Directed by: Kevin Smith
Genres: Horror, Action, Thriller
Starring: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo

Tagline: Fear God.
Overview: Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter Christian fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.

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: Red State

In the USNot loaded yet.

Directed by: Kevin Smith
Genres: Horror, Action, Thriller
Starring: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 3 of 3
satiricalstrength 2 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: faith
violence
corruption
power
deception
Places: countryside
small town
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore strong
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	7
Horror	7
Humour	3
Realism	7
Romance	0
Tension	8
Darkness	9
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	7

Titles like Red State

Movie

Sicario

2015

A relentless descent into moral ambiguity, suffocating tension, and grim procedural detail that leaves you shaken.

Dark, tense · about violence and corruption

Via: dark
tense
violence
corruption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 122 min

Details

SicarioHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Heretic

2024

A tense, talky chamber piece that turns polite conversation into a slow, unnerving trap you can't look away from.

Dark, tense · about faith and power · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
faith
power
twist ending
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 111 min

Details

HereticHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

From Dusk till Dawn

1996

A wild, bloody ride that lurches from tense crime thriller to gleeful monster mayhem, daring you to laugh and squirm at once.

Dark, tense, brisk · about faith and violence · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
faith
violence
twist ending
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 108 min

Details

From Dusk till DawnHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Revenge

2017

A visceral, blood-soaked thrill ride that keeps you tense and unsettled from start to finish, with a fierce and stylish edge.

Dark, tense · about violence and power

Via: dark
tense
violence
power
Pacing: relentless
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 108 min

Details

RevengeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Prisoners

2013

A relentless, grim descent into desperation and moral compromise that keeps you tightly wound and uneasy throughout.

Dark, tense · about faith · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
faith
twist ending
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 153 min

Details

PrisonersHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

When Evil Lurks

2023

A relentless, grim descent into rural dread that offers no comfort and punishes every hopeful choice.

Dark, tense · about corruption

Via: dark
tense
corruption
Pacing: relentless
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details

When Evil LurksHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Guest

2014

A slick, tense thriller that keeps you on edge with its eerie calm and sudden violence.

Dark, tense, brisk · about violence and deception · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
violence
deception
twist ending
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details

The GuestHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Purge: Election Year

2016

A tense, violent siege thriller that mixes survival horror with blunt political anger, rarely letting up.

Dark, tense · about violence and corruption

Via: dark
tense
violence
corruption
Pacing: relentless
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 109 min

Details

The Purge: Election YearHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

No Country for Old Men

2007

A quietly terrifying, deliberate descent into violence and fate, with sparse dialogue and vast, indifferent landscapes that linger long after.

Dark, tense · about violence

Via: dark
tense
violence
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 122 min

Details

No Country for Old MenHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

2025

A twisty, talky whodunit that balances dark satire with earnest emotion, rewarding close attention to its web of lies.

Dark, tense · about faith and corruption · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
faith
corruption
twist ending
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 145 min

Details

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out MysteryHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Frailty

2002

A slow-burn, unsettling descent into religious madness that keeps you tense and guessing, with a haunting atmosphere and a twist that recontextualizes everything.

Dark, tense · about faith and violence · twist ending