10 Dark Films For Dark Times

10. The Intruder

Set in a fictional Southern town in the early 1960s, The Intruder tells the story of Adam Kramer (William Shatner) who proceeds to incite the white townspeople to violence in order to resist the recent court ordered desegregation of schools.

Like most demagogues, it’s difficult to know for certain if Kramer actually believes his own spiel, if he just enjoys putting on an act for an audience he knows will listen or if he really believes in nothing and wants power regardless of the cost. His supporters believe him, though, and it’s not long before the situation spirals out of control.

“You’ve got no room in your head for intelligence,” a character tells him. “If you were intelligent, you would see you’ve started something you can’t control. You think you’re the boss now? Wake up, boy, that mob is the boss.”