9 Movies That Get Better The Deeper You Go

It's more than just onions that have layers...

Arrival Movie
Paramount

As much as we like to pretend that movies are just a bunch of explosions and excuses to watch infinitely more attractive people bang on screen, there's a truth to film that we often forget in the wake of blockbuster cinema: it's an art form at it's core.

Underneath all the dramatic tension and airbrushing, there's always a message to be delivered by the creatives that come up with ridiculous premises. Whether it's a robot avenger from the future, a walking, talking, electric hedgehog, or just a plain old man that becomes a walrus, filmmakers have a far deeper and more impressive narrative than can be seen on the surface if they're making their movies right.

But which ones go the deepest, and what can we find out along the way? If you like your cinema like a backwoods ogre, then you'll know that layers are best. These are the films that get better with every watch, and have theories coming out the wazoo for the approach to their material that only gets more complex the closer you look.

So put on your scuba gear and ready yourself for a dive - as we're going deep into the movies that keep on giving...

9. The Shining

Arrival Movie
Warner Bros.

Of course, no list like this would be complete without a nod to The Shining, one of those movies that offers countless interpretations of its source material to each and every person that watches it. Telling the story of Jack, Wendy, and their son Danny trapped in a snow-bound hotel as Jack slowly loses his sanity, director Stanley Kubrick layered his movie with symbolism, intricate visuals, and an ambiguous ending, so no-one really knows what's going on under the surface level narrative.

This means that we've had invested fans posit everything from The Shining functioning as an allegory for the death of Native America, to being Kubrick's personal apology for the moon landing, to serving as a representation of the Minotaur from ancient legend - amongst plenty of other batsh*t conspiracy theories that have taken hold over the years.

Whilst the truth remains that The Shining is whatever you make of it, it's truly one of those movies that offers up more the deeper you scratch into its mysterious construction, with audiences still coming up with theories to this day. Still nothing on Kubrick keeping in that bear noshing off a guest with no context though, considering he changed so many more important things from the novel. We'll find out eventually.

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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.