The majority of young adult films are about coming of age. While a handful, such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Spectacular Now, are excellent, the majority fall short. It is also difficult for filmmakers to dig into other teen-related issues. The biggest challenge is figuring out how to make films about teenagers that aren’t about romance or growing up. Is it possible to treat teenagers as adults? ‘Nerve’ is the solution to such queries. Yes, teenagers can be successfully treated like adults.
The plot of ‘Nerve’ centers on an online dare game in which participants are given anonymous dares in exchange for money. As the dares become more difficult, the contestants compete against one another for the grand prize. Vee, a high school senior, chooses to join the famous online game Nerve after being encouraged by peers to do so. What appears to be harmless fun quickly devolves into a frightening game involving progressively hazardous behaviors. Finally, the film concludes with a high-stakes ending that both shocks and surprises the audience. Now that we’ve covered the basics of the film, let’s have a look at some of our suggestions for films that are similar to Nerve. Some of these films, such as Nerve, are available to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu.
Circle (2015)
No, not the Tom Hanks-starring film from 2017. This underappreciated picture is almost entirely set in a single room. When a group of people wakes up, they find themselves encircled by a circle. They are then compelled to participate in a lethal game in which they must vote for a person to be killed every minute. Even though I felt the finale to be a little underwhelming, the psychological themes raised by the film as the participants vote to murder off others is intriguing to see.
Coherence (2013)
‘Coherence,’ a film about eight friends who attend a dinner party and see a bizarre chain of reality-bending events, is based on a scientific hypothesis known as Schrödinger’s cat theory. Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It is frequently referred to as a paradox. Simply said, it’s the idea of numerous parallel realities existing at the same time. A fascinating film with an even more intriguing concept. Give it a shot. You will not be dissatisfied.
Exam (2009)
Exams are stressful enough as it is, so why not make them even scarier? ‘Exam’ achieves exactly that, locking eight people nominated for a corporate position in a room and giving them a test with one question and some strange instructions. The camera angles and concentration in this great elimination-style thriller, which was nominated for a BAFTA, are nearly virtuoso. You’ll never look at exams the same way after seeing this low-budget treasure.
This supernatural psychological thriller had its world premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Tarantino’s mark of approval implies that a horror film must be well-made in every logical sense. The substance lives up to the hype, with excellent character development and a slow, steady build of tension aided by the soundtrack and an enigmatic conclusion. The plot revolves around a metaphorical monster that chases and murders its victims, and this can be passed down through sex to another victim. The picture has been used as a metaphor for sexually transmitted illnesses, but the true horror comes from the film’s nightmare aspect, where escape is simply not an option.
Paper Towns (2015)
Although not a thriller in the same vein as Nerve, this is a film with a central enigma. Even though the riddles aren’t the focus of the plot — it’s Q’s unrequited love for Margo – on the route to find Margo, Q must solve a slew of riddles that Margo has placed as trail markers for him to follow. And it is well known that pure love has the potential to find anything. As a result, Q assembles the puzzle pieces and seeks out Margo in order to win her. She doesn’t love him, though. Isn’t it heartbreaking?
Primer
‘Primer’ is more than a movie; it’s a complex science conundrum. Multiple viewings are required to completely comprehend each and every detail of ‘Primer,’ and those who claim to have “understood” the film on the first watching are either lying or being a smart-ass. Don’t be shocked if you feel delighted and victorious when you eventually “understand” the movie, similar to how you feel after you complete a difficult puzzle. I have yet to watch a film that was that tough to understand in just one viewing in my whole movie-going experience.
Saw
Two men awaken in a chamber, shackled to their feet and accompanied by two hacksaws and a body. What’s the catch? One must flee the room, while the other must murder him in exchange for his family. While the hostages ponder looking at the hacksaw – to cut off the feet connected to the chain – flashbacks describe the backstory. One of the strangest films ever filmed. This is a film that will make you feel uneasy. But that’s where the adventure begins!
Timecrimes
Every list like this is bound to include a time travel film, and Timecrimes stands out as a film that finds comfort in convention before using it to the utmost extent possible. The competent direction, sophisticated sense of humour, and captivating visual language distinguishes it from countless other stories of a similar nature—and this great direction prevents a plot that just keeps extending from crumbling under the weight of its own ambitions. A masterwork of science fiction horror/thriller filmmaking.
The Gift (2015)
With the success of ‘Gone Girl,’ a psychological thriller based in a domestic environment, here’s another underappreciated movie in the same genre. Who knew that Jason Bateman, the charming, bumbling Michael Bluth from ‘Arrested Development,’ could portray a dark part so well? A fantastic film that begins as a stalker thriller and gradually moves into darker territory. The distinction between protagonist and adversary is hazy. The Gift will have you on the edge of your seat for the whole film, and in terms of shock value, it almost matches ‘Gone Girl.’
The Invitation
Karyn Kusama’s 2015 horror film is an in-depth examination of the human psyche and probable paranoia. Will, who is performed to perfection by Logan Marshall-Green, begins to think that the guests at the dinner party he is attending are members of a cult. The psychological horror of the human mind devolving under the weight of suspicion and paranoia, accentuated by the uncharacteristic acts of the other dinner guests, makes for great psychological horror, and the film’s violent climax, which spreads across the entire city of Los Angeles, appears to be a symbolic outflow of the repression that the entire narrative seeks to maintain.
