Backrooms
2026 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 2,441 votes
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Curated by SceneIt · United States
Mind-Bending Movies
This SceneIt list helps you quickly choose ambitious science-fiction and mystery stories that reward attention. Results are selected for the United States and balance audience response with practical watchability.
Updated 2026-08-03 · Ratings from TMDB
How we chose these titles
We rank eligible titles using TMDB audience ratings, vote confidence, relevance to the theme, and current popularity. Ratings can change as new votes are added.
The Prestige
2006 · TMDB 8.2/10 · 17,847 votes
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Maze Runner
2014 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 18,283 votes
A teenager with no memory of his past finds himself among a group of boys living in a walled enclosure surrounded by a massive, ever-changing maze. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Arrival
2016 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 19,617 votes
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · TMDB 8.0/10 · 12,760 votes
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Thing
1982 · TMDB 8.1/10 · 8,090 votes
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Witch: Part 2. The Other One
2022 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 461 votes
A girl wakes up in a huge secret laboratory, then accidentally meets another girl who is trying to protect her house from a gang. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Twelve Monkeys
1995 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 9,249 votes
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Source Code
2011 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 9,257 votes
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Contact
1997 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 5,082 votes
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Watchmen
2009 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 10,126 votes
In a gritty and alternate 1985, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Limitless
2011 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 11,597 votes
The life of an unsuccessful writer is transformed by a top-secret 'smart drug' that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Dark City
1998 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 3,266 votes
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
What Happened to Monday
2017 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 6,492 votes
In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Caddo Lake
2024 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 541 votes
When an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, forever altering a broken family’s history. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Thirteenth Floor
1999 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,570 votes
In Los Angeles, a wealthy man, known as Mr. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
K-PAX
2001 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 2,806 votes
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Secret of NIMH
1982 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 961 votes
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Videodrome
1983 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 2,516 votes
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Solaris
1972 · TMDB 7.8/10 · 1,866 votes
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.