You know that feeling when a movie looks so pretty it actually starts to feel aggressive? That’s the vibe Olivia Wilde went for in 2022. Whether you loved the drama behind the scenes or the actual twist in the desert, finding movies like Don’t Worry Darling usually means you're looking for one of three things: mid-century aesthetics, crushing gaslighting, or a "wait, is this a simulation?" moment that knocks the wind out of you.
Honestly, it’s a specific itch to scratch. You want the manicured lawns and the cocktail hour, but you also want the sinking realization that the person across the table isn't who they say they are. It’s about the cost of a "perfect" life. Sometimes that cost is just a high mortgage; in these movies, it’s usually your entire soul.
The OGs of the "Stepford" Aesthetic
If you haven't seen the 1975 version of The Stepford Wives, you basically haven't seen the blueprint. It is the definitive ancestor. Katharine Ross plays Joanna, a woman who moves to a Connecticut suburb and realizes the local wives are a little too into floor wax and a little too subservient to their mediocre husbands. It’s slower than modern thrillers, but the ending hits like a freight train because it feels so plausible in its own warped way.
Then there’s Pleasantville. It isn't a horror movie, but it plays with the same 1950s tropes. Two 90s teens get sucked into a black-and-white sitcom world. At first, it's all "Gee, Wally!" and soda shops. But as they introduce real human emotions—and sex, and art—the world starts turning into color. It’s a gorgeous metaphor for how "tradition" is often just a cage.
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When Reality Is Just a Set Piece
The big reveal in the third act is what usually draws people to search for movies like Don’t Worry Darling. If that’s what you’re after, The Truman Show is the high-water mark. Jim Carrey is incredible here. He’s living in a literal dome, his life is a 24/7 broadcast, and his wife is basically a walking product placement. It’s less "evil cult" and more "corporate voyeurism," but the psychological toll of realizing your sky is just painted fiberglass is exactly the same flavor of dread.
For something a bit grittier, you've got to watch The Thirteenth Floor or Dark City. These came out right around the same time as The Matrix in 1999 and got sort of buried. Dark City in particular has this incredible, moody atmosphere where the city literally reshapes itself while everyone sleeps. It questions the nature of memory. If your memories are fake, are you still "you"?
- The Matrix (1999): The gold standard for simulation theory.
- Source Code (2011): Jake Gyllenhaal reliving the same 8 minutes to stop a bomb.
- Vanilla Sky (2001): Tom Cruise in a lucid dream that turns into a nightmare.
- Vivarium (2019): A couple gets trapped in a literal infinite suburb. This one is bleak. Like, really bleak.
The Psychological Mind Games
Sometimes the "simulation" isn't digital; it’s social. Get Out is the modern masterclass in this. Jordan Peele took that "something is wrong with these polite people" feeling and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. The way the Armitage family "gaslights" Chris is much more visceral because it's rooted in real-world history. It captures that exact sense of isolation Alice felt in Victory—being the only one who sees the cracks in the porcelain.
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Speaking of Florence Pugh, she already mastered this genre in Midsommar. If Don't Worry Darling is about a secret desert cult, Midsommar is about a very public, sun-drenched Swedish cult. It’s one of the few horror movies that takes place almost entirely in broad daylight. It proves you don't need shadows to be terrified; sometimes the scariest things happen while everyone is smiling and wearing flower crowns.
New Contenders for 2026
We've seen some fresh entries lately that belong on this list. Blink Twice (2024), directed by Zoë Kravitz, feels like a spiritual successor. It’s got the private island, the beautiful clothes, and the feeling that the women are being systematically erased. It’s aggressive and stylish.
Also, keep an eye out for Companion (2025). It deals with the same themes of "engineered" relationships and control. It’s produced by the team behind Barbarian, so you know it’s going to go off the rails in the best way possible. These movies work because they tap into a very real fear: that our autonomy is just an illusion granted to us by people more powerful than we are.
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How to Curate Your Own "Victory Project" Marathon
If you're planning a weekend of movies like Don’t Worry Darling, don't just pick at random. Start with the aesthetic and move toward the psychological collapse.
- Start with the Style: Watch Carol or Revolutionary Road. They aren't thrillers, but they set the 1950s mood perfectly. They show the genuine misery behind the "perfect" mid-century marriage.
- Add the Suspense: Drop in The Invisible Man (2020). Elisabeth Moss is the queen of playing gaslit women who everyone thinks are "crazy." It builds that same frantic energy where the protagonist is screaming at a brick wall of disbelief.
- The Big Reveal: Finish with The Village or The Truman Show. These are the heavy hitters that recontextualize everything you've just seen.
The truth is, we keep coming back to these stories because they reflect our own anxieties about technology and social performance. We all curate our lives on Instagram; we all wonder if we’re just NPCs in someone else’s game.
If you really want to dig deeper into the "simulation" aspect, look into the real-world philosophy of Jean Baudrillard. His book Simulacra and Simulation is actually the book Neo hides his disks in during The Matrix. It argues that our society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs. Basically, we’re living in the "desert of the real."
For your next watch, check out The One I Love on streaming. It’s a small indie film starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss. It starts as a marriage counseling retreat and turns into a mind-bending reality warp that feels like a localized version of the Victory Project. It’s quiet, weird, and deeply unsettling.