10mo ago

What are some movies that are best experienced going in completely blind?

I feel like everyone has had a movie partially spoiled by a trailer but I also feel like descriptions, movie posters, and even genre tags can be a give away and make a plot twist or scene less impactful.

One movie I vaguely remember watching without any context was the 2021 movie Oxygen. I enjoyed it but I feel like it would have been slightly more predictable if I had looked at the genre tags and that would have effected my enjoyment.

I feel like you need to have a pretty good sense of someone's tastes to make a "trust me"-style recommendation like this.

121 comments

All of them. Fuck trailers that give away major plot points.
- Though trailers being free and giving away all the action and plot is awesome when you lack money to see said movie. It's basically a super condensed version that they just give away! I've seen 19 movies this year and it only took 26 minutes and $0.
  *only kind of a joke
  
  you know you can always sail the high seas instead of begging for movie scraps
- I stopped watching trailers about a decade ago now.
  Sometimes I watch them after and they never cease to amaze me in how much they spoil.
- Agreed. Although I still like trailers to give me an idea of the general vibe.

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.
I'm so glad I knew literally nothing about it. What a rare treat to be surprised like that.
- Just watched this today.
  Ya, I feel like if someone tried to explain to me what it was, I wouldn't have gotten half of what I got out of it.
- Yeah I feel like the trailers gave away the unique nature of a lot of scenes.

Fight Club.
- I suppose I could see that. The IMDb description is
  An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
  and the "much more" and mention of soap might be a bit of a giveaway of the latter part of the movie.
  The IMDb page also has the drama tag instead of action.
  
  Yeah it's a deceptively different movie. I unfortunately knew too much going in but it still changed me.

The Matrix
- You ever see eXistenZ?

- I wouldn't have thought of it, but you're absolutely correct.
- Good call. I saw this at the movies and was like what the.
- I was spoiled on the movie a week or so before watching it. The first half was so engaging I forgot abiut the spoiler for the second half and was still surprised!

Tucker and Dale Versus Evil. There's no real way to explain that movie without giving it all away.
- This was without a doubt a super underrated movie. A great going in blind movie! I wish there were more haha
- As soon as I knew Alan Tudyk was in it I didn't need to know anything else.

Cabin in the Woods
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
- I had a friend tell me to watch Tucker and Dale and went in completely blind and I'm so glad I did. Such a hilarious movie, I'm sure the trailer would have ruined all the best one liners.
- Why'd you list the same movie twice?
  
  One has mermaids.
- Something tells me you would enjoy Zombeavers.

Oldboy (2003)
- That was definitely a great recommendation for this. I had no idea what I was getting into. I think even if you asked me half way into the movie how it was going to end I wouldn't have been able to guess it. I also thought it was really well shot and written.
  Attempting to tag /u/Gojimbo@lemmy.world and /u/darelik@lemmy.world because they wanted a follow up
  
  In the spirit of the thread, I won’t discuss it, but I’m glad you got to see it and it met expectations :)
  
  Glad you liked it and thanks for the tag.
  Edit: another one is Source Code (2011) - i don't think it was mentioned in this thread.
- I haven't seen it. I guess I'll be watching that tomorrow
  
  Oh shit! Following for the review
  
  Follow us up with a reaction
- Throwing in Serbian Film. In the same vain, old boy is better
  
  I don't feel like clawing my eyes out of their sockets

Moon
- This was recommended to me by someone who just said I had to watch it. Refused to explain. I rented it that night and went in blind. Watched it twice in a row. Need to watch again soon.
  
  Yeah it got given to me on a stick, I had no idea what it was.
- The music is dope!

Coherence.
Tell people that it's a witty comedy about a Hollywood dinner party gone wrong.
- I would have turned it off if I didn't know the genre.
  
  I saw it on streaming, and I can't remember exactly how I picked it. I suppose it was listed as 'mystery' or 'science fiction.'
- Fkin love this movie dude! I was going to write this. Have you seen the invitation (2015)?
  
  Not yet, but I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks

The sixth sense

Primer
- I don't understand Primer now.
  
  It's pretty straightforward
  
  Yeah I went in having heard quite a lot about it, and I still had to watch several times to piece together what happened.
  
  It is executed in a way that is consistent and well done if you know what is going on, but also convoluted and kind of boring if you don't catch all the details or understand everyone's motives.
  I think it is vastly overrated, but likely because I only watched it once and hated the characters. Like it is fine, just more confusing than mind bending.

Memento.
- Each scene is a spoiler for the next scene!

Snatch. Was grinning from ear to ear when the credits rolled.
- One of my fav movies of all time! If you love the cast, give "lock stock and two smoking barrels" a shot!
  
  I love that one too!
  
  Literally the best ending in cinema right there.
- I am guessing you mean the 2000 one not the 1976 one?
  
  Correct

Ex Machina

The head fucks.
Memento, Being John Malkovitch, Fight Club, inception, that kind of thing.
Most movies really don't suffer due to spoilers. But when it's one of those where you only get to experience the twist once as a virgin viewer, you can end up losing all of the fun of it.
- I agree. The Usual Suspects and Sixth Sense also fit in here

6th Sense
Old but great
- So glad I didn't get spoiled first! A lot of the mannerisms had a different context prior to the twist.

Memento.

Completely blind? Idk maybe try audiobooks.

John Wick was great. I didn't even know it was gonna be an action movie. Probably any good movie is best watched blind. I try and avoid trailers most of the time

Triangle 2009
- Never seema to get the love it deserves.

Hereditary

Sorry to bother you. Loved it. It's not for everyone.
- That's a good one. I am surprised I don't hear more about it especially considering the cast
  
  I think the weird 2nd half throws people for a loop. It's a freaking weird movie and not for everyone. Also, it wasn't advertised too much, IMO.
  that said, I loooooved it.

Not a movie but the experience of watching it feels cinematic to me (such that I rank it in my favourite films) and it was made by a film maker:
Twin Peaks (incl season 3, released 2018).
It's a TV show and the first 2 seasons lean into that format, but if you go ahead and skip the "filler" in season 2, and are prepared to tolerate the indulgences of season 3, all together it's like a very long art house film.
Apart from knowing that it's by Lynch, it was wonderful to watch all the way through without knowing anything about it (which I did a few years ago). The experience of finishing it is ~~not~~now one of my favourite "films".

The first thing that comes to mind isn't a movie but a miniseries - Midnight Mass.
For a movie maybe Groundhog Day?
- I love Midnight Mass
  
  I heard about it from RedLetterMedia and decided to check it out based on their recommendation. There was a lot of potential for it to be a waste of time and a cheap throwaway use of its premise but everything about it was obviously carefully planned and executed and it took itself very seriously. If it was something I just saw listed on Netflix I probably wouldn't have even looked into it given the title and subject matter and if I was told about some specifics I would have assumed it was going to be some horror schlock.

I always do this as I hate spoilers.
I had no idea what to expect when I watched Swiss Army Man.
- Beautiful film, thanks for the reminder

One Cut of the Dead. Absolutely brilliant execution.
- Do you think much of that could be spoiled?
  I guess knowing the reason it is special might be a tad distracting.
  
  I really recommend going in as blind as possible. You'll understand what's unique halfway in, but don't give up before then.

I thought the movie "source code" seemed stupid when I saw the marketing materials, but you should ignore those completely because the PR people literally didn't know what kind of movie they were marketing. I wouldn't have watched if it weren't for a family member deciding to put it on.
Also don't read any description from people who understood the movie ahead of time, it would spoil it. My only hint is that it's time travel adjacent, and if you understand a bit about those kinds of theories you'll understand the movie. The delivery is good, just go in blind when watching it.

The grand Budapest hotel - quirky, witty, fabulous and just outstanding acting.

Palm Springs

The invitation (2015). Amazing movie. Don't watch the crap movie of the same title from 2022, it is utter trash.
- Someone else mentioned it but you might like Coherence. Similar vibes.
  
  I love the movie too! Thanks for the rec!

The Matrix.

A Clockwork Orange
- I think I disagree with this one, or at least it varies. Probably at least a content warning for some.

All I knew about The Matrix was it had karate, and the slow mo looked cool. I walked out and said "I have no idea what I just watched, but it was amazing."

Predestination

I posted this here a couple of months ago: Old Henry (2021). It's one of the best slow-burn character dramas to come out recently, in my opinion. I would steer clear of any synopsis of this movie, go in blind and enjoy the story.

Completely blind? Something with a lot of descriptive dialogue and good sounds and music. 😏
- 👈😎👈

Dog Soldiers

Audition
- That's also on my watch list for this week.

Shutter Island. It is both a movie that is better when you don't know what it's about and when you've already seen it once. Watch it twice.

Enter the Void. Best enjoyed on acid with friends 😉

The Endless
Two brothers go on a road trip to investigate the UFO cult they spent time in during their childhood. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers

"Arlington Road" and "Cabin in the Woods"

The perfect host is pretty good!

The Empire Strikes Back

I've got 2 Id recommend: Matchstick Men Identity
- Yessssss. Identity is my favorite Cusack film. Such a fun one.
- Upvoting for Matchstick Men. It flies under the radar, but a good con story should.

Lots of great suggestions below already, thought I'd add The Prestige. Peak Nolan in my opinion, and definitely benefits from going in blind.

I'm gonna try for some where there's a chance you don't already know what they are:
Bad Boy Bubby
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
The Music of Chance
I'm Not Scared

Snowtown,but really dont trust me.

I feel like you need to have a pretty good sense of someone’s tastes to make a “trust me”-style recommendation like this.
You do. Also, if you ask specifically for movies you have to be unprepared for, won't that make you prepared for them?
- It's kind of a question by proxy. I'm less asking for me and more asking for suggestions that might be good to blindside friends with.
  For example we're spending time together and I put it on for something to watch.

barbarian

20th Century Boys.
El mundo es nuestro

Memento

121 comments