Films About Strange Towns
Films set in strange towns often explore the uncanny, the surreal, and the bizarre aspects of small-town life. These movies can create a sense of isolation or otherworldliness, allowing for unique storytelling that often blends elements of mystery, horror, and dark comedy. Strange towns serve as a backdrop for characters to confront their fears, desires, and the absurdities of life, resulting in narratives that challenge reality and explore the human condition in unexpected ways.
“Hot Fuzz”, 2007
Director: Edgar Wright
This British action-comedy follows a top London cop who is reassigned to a seemingly idyllic village. As he investigates a series of suspicious deaths, he uncovers a dark secret that reveals the town's sinister side.
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon, Karl Johnson, Olivia Colman, Bill Bailey, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Robert Popper, Joe Cornish, Chris Waitt, Eric Mason, Billie Whitelaw, Peter Wight, Julia Deakin, Tom Strode Walton, Troy Woollan, Rory Lowings, Paul Freeman, Trevor Nichols, Elizabeth Elvin, Stuart Wilson, Lorraine Hilton, Kevin Wilson, Nicholas Wilson, Sampson, Edward Woodward, Graham Low, Patricia Franklin, Anne Reid, Kenneth Cranham, Adam Buxton, Stephen Merchant, Elvis, Tim Barlow, Ben McKay, Rory McCann, Alice Lowe, Ron Cook, David Threlfall, Lucy Punch, David Bradley, Colin Michael Carmichael, Maria Charles, Alexander King, Cate Blanchett;
Production year: 2007;
Genre: action, thriller, comedy, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 121 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
“The Wicker Man”, 2006
Director: Neil LaBute
A police officer travels to a remote island town to investigate a missing girl. The community's strange beliefs and rituals lead him into a chilling confrontation with their pagan traditions.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Diane Delano, Michael Wiseman, Erika-Shaye Gair, Christa Campbell, Emily Holmes, Zemphira Gosling, Matthew Walker, Mary Black, Christine Willes, Sophie Hough, David Purvis, Xantha Radley, Tania Saulnier, Anna Van Hooft, Moraea Bieber, Jayda Bieber, Talia Ranger, Kendall Cross, Simon Longmore, Andre Danyliu, Jacqueline Robbins, Joyce Robbins, Aaron Eckhart, James Franco, Jason Ritter, Monique Ganderton, George A. Murphy, Richard Rigby, Talia Rogers, Linley Subryan;
Production year: 2006;
Genre: horror, thriller, detective;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 102 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 3,8;
“The Stepford Wives”, 2004
Director: Frank Oz
A woman moves to a quaint suburban town only to discover that the wives of the community are mysteriously submissive and overly perfect, hinting at a dark secret behind their idyllic lives.
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, David Marshall Grant, Jon Lovitz, Dylan Hartigan, Fallon Brooking, Faith Hill, Matt Malloy, Kate Shindle, Tom Riis Farrell, Lorri Bagley, Robert Stanton, Lisa Masters, Christopher Evan Welch, Colleen Dunn, Jason Kravits, Emily Wing, C.S. Lee, Tony Torn, Mary Beth Peil, Andrea Anders, Mike White, Carrie Preston, Billy Bush, Tyler McGuckin, Nick Reidy, Sebastian Rand, Tanoai Reed, Blaise Corrigan, G.A. Aguilar, Meredith Vieira, Rick Holmes, KaDee Strickland, Larry King, Munro M. Bonnell, Michelle Durning, Kenny Kosek, Will Woodard, Elizabeth Austin, Deanna Dys, Joanne DiMauro, Digene Farrar, Bernard Ferstenberg, James Peter Lynch, Shannon McGann, Cristin Mortenson;
Production year: 2004;
Genre: horror, science fiction, thriller, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 93 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 5,3;
More information about the film “The Stepford Wives” on the website imdb.com
“Eraserhead”, 1977
Director: David Lynch
David Lynch's surreal debut film takes place in a bizarre industrial town where the protagonist grapples with fatherhood and existential dread amidst unsettling imagery and sounds.
Starring: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Anna Roberts, Laurel Near, V. Phipps-Wilson, Jack Fisk, Jean Lange, Thomas Coulson, John Monez, Darwin Joston, T. Max Graham, Hal Landon Jr., Jennifer Lynch, Brad Keeler, Peggy Reavey, Doddie Keeler, Gill Dennis, Toby Keeler, Jack Walsh;
Production year: 1977;
Genre: horror, science fiction, fantasy, drama;
Age: 18+;
Duration: 90 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Eraserhead” on the website imdb.com
“The Cabin in the Woods”, 2011
Director: Drew Goddard
While primarily a horror film, it features a group of friends who venture to a remote cabin in the woods, which is part of a greater conspiracy controlled by mysterious forces that manipulate their surroundings and experiences.
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian J. White, Amy Acker, Tim DeZarn, Tom Lenk, Dan Payne, Jodelle Ferland, Dan Shea, Maya Massar, Matt Drake, Nels Lennarson, Rukiya Bernard, Peter Kelamis, Adrian Holmes, Chelah Horsdal, Terry Chen, Heather Doerksen, Patrick Sabongui, Phillip Mitchell, Naomi Gantug, Ellie Harvie, Patrick Gilmore, Brad Dryborough, Emili Kawashima, Aya Furukawa, Maria Go, Serena Akane Chi, Abbey Imai, Marina Ishibashi, Miku Katsuura, Alicia Takase Lui, Jodi Tabuchi, Sara Taira, Alyssandra Yamamoto, Richard Cetrone, Phoebe Galvan, Simon Pidgeon, Matt Phillips, Lori Stewart, Greg Zach, Sigourney Weaver, Luke Burnyeat, Marny Eng, Jo King;
Production year: 2011;
Genre: horror, comedy, fantasy;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 95 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7;
More information about the film “The Cabin in the Woods” on the website imdb.com
“A Ghost Story”, 2017
Director: David Lowery
This meditative film explores the passage of time and existence through the eyes of a ghost who observes the strange lives of the residents in a town long after his death, blending the eerie with the poignant.
Starring: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, McColm Cephas Jr., Kenneisha Thompson, Grover Coulson, Liz Cardenas, Barlow Jacobs, Richard Krause, Dagger Salazar, Sonia Acevedo, Carlos Bermudez, Kimberly Fiddes, Daniel Escudero, Kesha, Jared Kopf, Afomia Hailemeskel, Will Oldham, Brea Grant, Augustine Frizzell, Jonny Mars, Rachel Ballard, Bryan Pitts, Rob Zabrecky, Sara Tomerlin, Margot Tomerlin, Sylvie Tomerlin, Savanna Walsh, Derrick Halverson, David Miller, Hector Escalante, Randy E. Aguebor, Joel David Taylor, Monalisa Amidar, Phillip Amidar, Stan Sanders, Alvis Lewis, David Fraga, Kimberly Gail Williams, Tanya Foster, Giovannie Cruz, Paulie Killgore, Otis Harris, Kathy Jordan, Scooter Walsh, William Sydney, David Helms, Jordan Jett Raines, Kelli Holdridge, Taylor Anne Ramsey, Alexis Fleisig;
Production year: 2017;
Genre: fantasy, drama, melodrama, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 92 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
More information about the film “A Ghost Story” on the website imdb.com
“The Lighthouse”, 2019
Director: Robert Eggers
Set on a remote island with a solitary lighthouse, this psychological thriller follows two keepers who descend into madness, revealing the strange and haunting aspects of isolation and human psyche.
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes, Kyla Nicolle, Shaun Clarke, Pierre Richard, Preston Hudson, Jeffrey Cruts, Sully Seagull;
Production year: 2019;
Genre: horror, fantasy, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 109 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,4;
More information about the film “The Lighthouse” on the website imdb.com
“Annihilation”, 2017
Director: Alex Garland
A group of scientists enters a mysterious area known as “The Shimmer,” a strange and ever-changing environment that warps reality and challenges their understanding of life and identity.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Wong, Sonoya Mizuno, David Gyasi, Sammy Hayman, Josh Danford, John Schwab, Kristen McGarrity, Kola Bokinni, Annarie Boor, Kirk Bowett, Luis Miguel Cherubini, Richard Clark, Bernard Collaco, Honey Holmes, Cosmo Jarvis, Bobby Mahmi, Odette Michell, Kumud Pant, Hiten Patel, Matthew Simpson, Lily Taylor, Malika Uter-Moye, Miroslav Zaruba;
Production year: 2017;
Genre: horror, science fiction, thriller, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 115 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
More information about the film “Annihilation” on the website imdb.com
“Under the Silver Lake”, 2017
Director: David Robert Mitchell
A neo-noir mystery that follows a man as he investigates the sudden disappearance of his neighbor, leading him through the strange and surreal underbelly of Los Angeles, filled with odd characters and conspiracies.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Laura-Leigh, Zosia Mamet, Jimmi Simpson, Patrick Fischler, Riki Lindhome, Wendy Vanden Heuvel, Deborah Geffner, Jeannine Cota, Chris Gann, Callie Hernandez, Jessica Makinson, Reese Hartwig, Izzie Coffey, Kayla DiVenere, Tucker Meek, Sky Elobar, Stephanie Moore, Sibongile Mlambo, Jackson Gann, Brode Gann, Rex Linn, Jules Willcox, Rozie Bacchi, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Christina Wildes, Nicole Disson, Luke Baines, Allie MacDonald, Victoria Bruno, Kandice Melonakos, Silversun Pickups, Grace Van Patten, Millie Atchison, Cheyenne Haynes, Elizabeth Hinkler, Pepi Sonuga, Ivy Matheson, Gabrielle Maiden, Brittney Parker Rose, Oscar Best, Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Sydney Sweeney, Greg Wayne, John Eddins, Mary Cameron Rogers, Guy Nardulli, David Yow;
Production year: 2017;
Genre: detective, comedy, crime;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 139 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,5;
These films not only captivate audiences with their peculiar settings but also invite them to question the nature of reality, community, and the human experience.
In conclusion, films about strange towns serve as a captivating lens through which we explore the uncanny and the unknown, inviting audiences to confront their deepest fears and curiosities about the human experience. From the eerie landscapes of “Silent Hill” to the surreal charm of “The Truman Show,” these narratives often reflect our own societal anxieties and the complexities of identity, all while enveloping us in atmospheres that blur the lines between reality and fantasy. Whether through elements of horror, mystery, or dark comedy, these films remind us that the most peculiar places can reveal profound truths about ourselves and the world we inhabit. Ultimately, they challenge us to embrace the bizarre, finding beauty and meaning in the strangeness that surrounds us.
