Let’s get real: it’s a bit like Amazon Prime Video, this scrolling through a sea of cinematic jungle. There’s a whole heap of it out there, some genius, some so deeply buried you’d need a map and a torch to locate it. But never fear, dear fellow movie lover! I’ve done the digging for you, collating the top 10 most underrated movies currently streaming on Prime Video. The hidden gems that actually deserve so much more in the way of the type you’ll be frantically messaging your friends about at 2 a.m. Let’s reverse order and save the best surprises for last.
10. Jug Face (2013)
If creepy Southern Gothic horror is what you’re in the mood for, Jug Face will haunt you in all the right ways. This indie flick follows a young woman trapped within a secluded backwoods cult, where a mysterious pit determines who will be sacrificed. Eerie and atmospheric, it’s a folk horror punch that will stay with you long after the credits. A truly hidden gem for horror aficionados.
9. The Limey (1999)
Steven Soderbergh’s revenge thriller is a stylish, simmering tale of rage and retribution. Terence Stamp puts in a magnetic performance as a British ex-con on a mission amidst the grit in the Los Angeles underworld. Sharp editing, electric dialogue, and tight atmosphere make The Limey one of Soderbergh’s most underrated masterpieces.
8. Green Room (2015)
Punk rock blended with neo Nazis is what makes this an unrelenting thriller. A touring band lands at a remote club, where a murder sets them off on the run, with Patrick Stewart delivering one of the most chilling performances to date. Claustrophobic and tense, Green Room will have you on the edge of your seat, balancing bloody shock with genuine suspense.
7. Submarine (2011)
Richard Ayoade’s directorial début is a sweetly awkward coming-of-age tale set in Wales, as a teenager tries to navigate love, identity, and teenage angst, with Submarine marrying strange humor and real emotion. With its inventive visuals and heartfelt storytelling, it’s something special among independent dramas.
6. Bones and All (2022)
A cannibal romance, if you will. Wild sounding, but Luca Guadagnino pulls it off in a hauntingly elegant manner. Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell play outsiders navigating love and dark desires. Bones and All is bold, poetic, and upsetting. You’ll be pleased to find out it’s just that kind of cinematic experience for viewers who seek a unique and unforgettable one.
5. Cold Skin (2017)
Imagine The Lighthouse, but with sea monsters: Cold Skin is a tale of isolation, obsession, and existential horror set on a remote Antarctic island in the year 1914. Taking a more atmospheric and visually impressive approach, this cosmic horror shows both human and monstrous nature in equal measures, a perfect film for those who enjoy creepy, thoughtful cinema.
4. The Handmaiden (2016)
Park Chan Wook’s erotic thriller is a labyrinth of deception, passion, and betrayal. Set in 1930s Korea, the story follows a confidence trickster and a rich heiress entangled in a web of lies. Featuring some gob-smacking cinematography and electric performances, The Handmaiden is at once a visual feast and a deliciously Hitchcockian psychological thriller.
3. Welcome to Me (2014)
Kristen Wiig is great in this dark comedy about a lottery winner who starts her own talk show. Weird, hilarious, and heart-wrenching all at once, it’s the perfect mix of cringe and pathos. Welcome to Me is a singular comedic experience that cements Wiig’s range as a performer.
2. A Most Violent Year (2014)
A two-hander for 1980s New York, starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain as the morally ambiguous husband and wife who navigate the dangers of corporate white collar crime, this is a tightly wound, slow-burning potboiler with stunning cinematography and powerhouse performances; A Most Violent Year is a tense, taciturn ode to grit and determination.
1. Millennium Actress (2002)
Satoshi Kon’s anime is an amazing tribute to film. Playing out through a reclusive actress telling her life and career story, the mixing of memory and reality turns this movie into a kaleidoscopic voyage through the film history of Japan. Emotionally speaking, it’s a visually stunning, universal richness in a way few narrative works are that has nothing to do with anime or its genre.
There you have it: 10 incredibly underrated movies on Prime Video that are just waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re in the mood for horror, romance, or something unique, these films prove there’s more than enough brilliance hidden in the streaming shadows. Happy watching!