20 Movies That Could've Been Horror Movies

There have been many, many great movies made about regular folk making deals with the Devil to get what they want, and so it's easy to picture Whiplash as an A24-coded version of that.

After all, Damien Chazelle's ferocious psychological drama is centred around a young jazz prodigy, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who pursues greatness while being pushed to breaking point by an abusive teacher, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).

The film asks the audience to consider the toll of ambition and price of top-level success, and by the time the end credits roll where Neiman has achieved his goal via questionable methods, it truly feels like he's made something of a Faustian bargain.

Andrew has sacrificed his humanity and relationships to reach the top while working under Fletcher who, let's be honest, cuts one hell of a diabolic figure throughout the movie.

It doesn't hurt that Chazelle's filmmaking is as bracingly intense as any pulse-pounding horror flick.