Countless films with convoluted plots and sequences cause viewers to scour the internet for answers to explain what played out across the screen. Some filmmakers and their projects accomplish this feat well (Christopher Nolan is the king of the hill on those terms), others do not, and then there’s the group that falls in the middle. Whether for comedic value or just poor filmmaking, audiences are left asking themselves after certain films, “What did I just watch?”
Several movies are so bad they’re good or just so well-made that you have to watch them again to catch all the pieces to answer that familiar question. Without spoilers, from the best kind of confusion to the worst, these films caused silent theaters, a compulsion to Google “X Movie Ending Explained,” and head shaking.
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
The recipient of seven Oscar nominations and one win at the 67th Academy Awards, Pulp Fiction is perhaps the most iconic “What?” film. Writer and director Quentin Tarantino took ’90s moviegoers on a rollercoaster experience with the tale of two hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits, their stories all colliding by the film’s end.
Number eight on IMDb’s list of top films, this crime genre remains a staple in cinematic history, especially for its quotable lines and scenes; however, the film is pure chaos, and by the end of it, critics and audiences were deliriously stunned with delight as they rated the film highly, still unsure about what just happened. Tarantino’s masterpiece can be streamed with subscriptions to platforms like Amazon Prime and Hulu.
‘Midsommar’ (2019)
It could be writer / director Ari Aster’s style, given that Hereditary conjured the same visceral reactions, but Midsommar left audiences’ jaws on the floor from start to finish. After a family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) travels abroad with her boyfriend and his friends to attend a Swedish midsummer festival. As her relationship hangs in the balance, Dani and the others discover the festival is much more sinister.
From the graphic deaths to the cult traditions, critics and audiences were taken for a disturbing ride throughout the film’s almost two and a half-hour runtime. Scoring higher with critics, Aster’s work continues to set him apart in the horror genre with films that leave audiences appreciative of the cinematic value but stunned into silence. For those who have not seen it, Midsommar is available with subscriptions to various platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Another fine film from director and co-writer Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse is a black and white mystery drama that left viewers questioning what just happened and why were they okay with it? Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoethe film follows a pair of lighthouse keepers trying to hang onto their sanity in late 1800s New England.
With excellent performances from both stars, The Lighthouse drew in critics and audiences by using cinematography to build a claustrophobic tension for the characters and the viewers. The film comes in just under two hours in runtime, balancing drama, mystery, and horror elements that caused moviegoers to question anything and everything about what went on at that lighthouse. To see what all the fuss is about, viewers can stream this film by renting it from Apple TV or with a subscription to Amazon Prime.
‘Sausage Party’ (2016)
An R-rated animated feature produced by the comedic voices of Seth Rogan, Kristin Wiig, Jonah Hill, Nick Krolland James Franco, Sausage Party received a mixed bag of reviews from critics and moviegoers. A group of grocery store food items learns that life is not as perfect as it seems when they discover what lies beyond the checkout. The various foods band together to escape the grocery store employees and humans who want to purchase them.
Audiences seemed off-put by the excessive language and sexual content, while critics thought it thoroughly original as it backed up its offensive humor with timing and other gags. Either way, the film is thought-provoking no matter which side of the aisle you fall on as a viewer. Without spoiling the film, the ending scene certainly seemed to divide viewers and elicit the “What am I watching?” response. This animated film is available for free with a cable subscription on FXNOW or available for rental on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegasadapted from Hunter S. Thompson‘s novel, is a sensory overload, causing a divide between critics and viewers. The comedy stars Johnny Depp as journalist Raoul Duke and his psychopathic lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) as they engage in a drug binge full of psychedelic shenanigans on the way to Las Vegas.
Two minutes short of a two-hour runtime, the film is co-written and directed by Monty Python co-creator Terry Gilliam. Critics were not impressed with this installment in his filmography, but the audiences that managed to sit through the whole film were satisfied with the film’s commentary on the ’70s drug culture. For new viewers attempting to make sense of this chaotic adaptation, it’s available for rental on Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Apple TV.
‘The Snowman’ (2017)
An icy thriller bogged down by production woes; The Snowman failed to live up to the standard of the best-selling novel it’s based upon. A detective investigates a serial killer who leaves his victims built into snowmen. Martin Scorsese was briefly attached to the film before director Tomas Alfredson took on the job.
A jumbled mess of scenes with poor editing, voice dubbing, and more, the film’s stars, Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson,managed to somehow convey a beginning, middle, and end even though audiences weren’t sure how they got there. The film is still manageable, even laughable, to get through despite its filmmaking stumbles. With subscriptions to HBO Max, Amazon Prime, or Hulu, new viewers can stream and see for themselves.
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022)
There’s no way around it; After watching Netflix’s continuation of the Leatherface saga, audiences questioned, “what was the point?” Set 50 years after the first installment, a group of idyllic entrepreneurs attempts to buy out a remote Texas town, disturbing one of horror’s established villains, Leatherface (played by Mark Burnham in this installment). The filmmakers opted for an obsessive amount of gore, sacrificing the scare factor and other cinematic techniques that made the 1974 original so highly rated.
The film’s saving grace is that its runtime is 81 minutes. Despite casting up-and-coming actress Elsie Fisher (Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade), Texas Chainsaw Massacre did not seem to sit well with either critics or Netflix subscribers, making it one of the worst films of 2022 where audiences went, “What did I just watch?”