15 Best Hidden Gem Movies Of 2018

2. Climax

Provocateur Gaspar Noe has essentially honed his own style of abrasive, ugly filmmaking into its own brand by now, with his indulgences and preoccupations with abhorrent characters doing abhorrent deeds being part of the appeal of each new release.

As a result, when his latest feature, Climax, begins with ten minutes of talking-head interviews on an old CRT television, framed by VHS tapes of movies which clearly inspired this flick (Suspiria and Possession are both displayed prominently), before kicking into bright, bold flickerings of the French flag to a thumping disco soundtrack, you're either going to be enraptured or ready to call it quits.

Even if you're not a fan of the director's other work though, Climax is worth sticking with because it's surprisingly one of Noe's tightest films to date. Eschewing the lengthy, languorous runtimes of his last two releases in favour of a 94-minute fever dream about a dance troupe's descent into hell when their Sangria is spiked with LSD, the film pulsates with an energy that it just about manages to maintain until the credits roll.

It's a tantalising premise, and as you'd expect, it eventually devolves into an orgy (figuratively and literally) of technicolour violence, all choreographed to the beat of one of the best damn soundtracks of the year.