Films in (Mostly) Confined Spaces
Most of these are mind-bending or puzzle films, with some psychological thrillers and drama mixed in. I'm fascinated by the "what if" premise and narrative/structural constraints most of these films evolve from, and the epistemological and ontological questions they pose to their viewers as they internalize the rules of the (mind) game.
No comedies yet - let me know if you can think of some. More to be added as I remember/ watch them.
No comedies yet - let me know if you can think of some. More to be added as I remember/ watch them.
List activity
250 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
160 titles
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
- DirectorAndrzej SekulaStarsKari MatchettGeraint Wyn DaviesGrace Lynn KungEight strangers awaken with no memory, in a puzzling cube-shaped room where the laws of physics do not always apply.
- DirectorErnie BarbarashStarsZachary BennettStephanie MooreMartin RoachA young programmer whose job is to watch over the reality-warping Cube defies orders to rescue an innocent mother trapped in one of its rooms.
- DirectorLuis PiedrahitaRodrigo SopeñaStarsAlejo SaurasElena BallesterosLluís Homar4 mathematicians are invited to solve an enigma. Once there, they're locked in a mechanically shrinking room and given 1 minute to solve each puzzle via cellphone while also figuring out why they're there.
- DirectorAaron HannMario MiscioneStarsAllegra MastersAimee McKayAshley KeyHeld captive and faced with their imminent executions, fifty strangers are forced to choose the one person among them who deserves to live.
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsBrie LarsonJacob TremblaySean BridgersA little boy is held captive in a room with his mother since his birth, so he has never known the world outside.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsDan NachtsheimJoy CarmichaelDavid MunsonWhile monitored and pursued, a man races to escape through a futuristic labyrinth.
- DirectorJeffrey BloomStarsLouise FletcherVictoria TennantKristy SwansonChildren are hidden away under an attic by their conspiring mother and grandmother.
- DirectorStuart HazeldineStarsAdar BeckGemma ChanNathalie CoxEight candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a final test with just one seemingly simple question. However, it doesn't take long for confusion to ensue and tensions to unravel.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartJohn DallFarley GrangerTwo men try to convince themselves they've committed the perfect murder by hosting a dinner party after strangling a former classmate to death.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
- DirectorJohn Erick DowdleStarsChris MessinaCaroline DhavernasBokeem WoodbineA group of people are trapped in an elevator and the Devil is mysteriously amongst them.
- DirectorStig SvendsenStarsChristopher BackusAníta BriemJohn GetzRacism collides with corporate greed when nine strangers - one of whom has a bomb - become trapped in a Wall Street elevator.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsMoritz BleibtreuChristian BerkelOliver StokowskiFor two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
- DirectorJonathan LiebesmanStarsNick CannonClea DuVallTimothy HuttonFour individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program.
- DirectorPhilippe MartinezStarsVal KilmerArmand AssanteEric RobertsA deranged scientist locks 6 people in a steam room and threatens to turn up the heat if the local paper doesn't publish his story about global warming.
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.
- DirectorTom SixStarsDieter LaserWinter WilliamsAshlynn YennieA mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonDiane KrugerJanuary JonesWhen a man awakens from a coma only to discover that someone has taken on his identity, he teams up with a young woman to prove who he is.
- DirectorWes BallStarsDylan O'BrienKaya ScodelarioWill PoulterThomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow "runners" for a shot at escape.
- DirectorJames DeMonacoStarsEthan HawkeLena HeadeyMax BurkholderA wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legal.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJodie FosterKristen StewartForest WhitakerA divorced woman and her diabetic daughter take refuge in their newly-purchased house's safe room when three men break-in, searching for a missing fortune.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsNaomi WattsTim RothMichael PittTwo psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsColin FarrellKiefer SutherlandForest WhitakerPublicist Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. Unable to leave or receive outside help, Stuart's negotiation with the caller leads to a jaw-dropping climax.
- DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsJohn CusackSamuel L. JacksonMary McCormackA man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
- DirectorRodrigo CortésStarsRyan ReynoldsJosé Luis García-PérezRobert PatersonPaul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
- DirectorChris CrowStarsScarlett Alice JohnsonJack GordonMichael JibsonJo, Max, Gwen and Dave win the competition.Then they head off on an all expenses paid trip to New York, courtesy of the social network. As they board the private jet, they are asked to relinquish their mobile phones and take part in the in-flight entertainment - a new online gaming experience.
- DirectorAlex GarlandStarsAlicia VikanderDomhnall GleesonOscar IsaacA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
- DirectorSimon HyndStarsJason BehrEmma CatherwoodJoe FerraraBased on Stona Fitch's novel, this is the story of a wealthy US businessman (Behr) whose brutal kidnapping and torture are streamed online as part of an ultra-violent reality TV show.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsChristos StergioglouMichele ValleyAngeliki PapouliaA controlling, manipulative father locks his three adult offsprings in a state of perpetual childhood by keeping them prisoner within the sprawling family compound.
- DirectorAthina Rachel TsangariStarsVangelis MourikisNikos OrfanosYorgos PirpassopoulosA fishing trip in the Aegean Sea among a sextet of friends becomes the perfect setting for a relentless contest of male dominance. Everything can spark a fierce competition; but, only one can wear the precious chevalier. Who will it be?
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBill MurrayOwen WilsonAnjelica HustonWith a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.Associative connection with Chevalier, above.
- DirectorJan KomasaStarsJakub GierszalRoma GasiorowskaAgata KuleszaAfter suffering extreme humiliation at school, Dominik holes himself up in his room and begins spending all his time in a virtual reality chat room.
- DirectorNick HammStarsThora BirchDesmond HarringtonDaniel BrocklebankFour teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonJessica ChastainKristen WiigAn astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue....And lots of other space films...
- DirectorGonzalo López-GallegoStarsWarren ChristieLloyd OwenRyan RobbinsDecades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where three American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon.
- DirectorDavid R. EllisStarsSamuel L. JacksonJulianna MarguliesNathan PhillipsAn FBI agent takes on a plane full of deadly venomous snakes, deliberately released to kill a witness being flown from Honolulu to Los Angeles to testify against a mob boss.
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsSam RockwellKevin SpaceyDominique McElligottAstronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsJürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus WennemannA German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsScarlett JohanssonEwan McGregorDjimon HounsouA man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth.
- DirectorDrake DoremusStarsNicholas HoultKristen StewartVernetta LopezIn an emotionless utopia, two people fall in love when they regain their feelings from a mysterious disease, causing tensions between them and their society.
- DirectorAdam GreenStarsShawn AshmoreEmma BellKevin ZegersThree skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices, which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsJames AubreyTom ChapinHugh EdwardsSchoolboys marooned on a Pacific island create their own savage civilization.
- DirectorHarry HookStarsBalthazar GettyChris FurrhDanuel PipolyStranded on an island, a group of schoolboys degenerate into savagery.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsAlastair SimArthur YoungOlga LindoA wealthy family is visited by a police inspector, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisBusta RhymesBrad LoreeThree years after he last terrorized his sister, Michael Myers confronts her again, before traveling to Haddonfield to deal with the cast and crew of a reality show which is being broadcast from his old home.
- DirectorMarc EvansStarsSean Cw JohnsonKris LemcheStephen O'ReillyFive people are offered one million dollars to spend six months together in an isolated mansion, with cameras watching their every move.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksHelen HuntPaul SanchezA FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsMelissa GeorgeJoshua McIvorJack TaylorFive friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.
- DirectorStewart RaffillStarsBilly ZaneKelly BrookJuan Pablo Di PaceThree people - a rich couple and a crew member - are shipwrecked on a tropical island and their subsequent fight for survival becomes even tougher when they begin to turn on each other.
- DirectorEdward LudwigStarsThomas MitchellEdna BestFreddie BartholomewA family of Swiss origin living in London during the onslaught against Europe by Napolean seeks to leave and emigrate to Australia to nurture their values and raise their sons.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsHalle BerryPenélope CruzRobert Downey Jr.A psychiatrist awakens as a patient in a mental institution, with no memory of the murder she's accused of committing. As she tries to regain her memory, a vengeful spirit manipulates her.
- DirectorSteven R. MonroeStarsKelly BrookDennis HopperHippolyte GirardotNine strangers, with no apparent connection between them are abducted: drugged, kidnapped and sealed in a house together.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsCharles HerbertJo MorrowMartin MilnerA family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.
- DirectorSteve BeckStarsTony ShalhoubShannon ElizabethEmbeth DavidtzWhen Cyrus Kriticos, a very rich collector of unique things, dies, he leaves his house, fortune, and his prized collection of ghosts.
- DirectorJan de BontStarsLiam NeesonCatherine Zeta-JonesOwen WilsonDr Marrow enlists Theo, Luke and Nell for a study of sleep disorders at the Hill House. As soon as the terrifying truth about the mansion is revealed, everyone is found fighting for their lives.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsCatherine DeneuveIan HendryJohn FraserA sex-repulsed woman who disapproves of her sister's boyfriend sinks into depression and has horrific visions of rape and violence.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróStarsLuis TosarMarta EturaAlberto San JuanCesar, a miserable man who works as an apartment concierge, takes a special interest in an attractive woman who lives there. He goes to great lengths to trouble her.
- DirectorJosh KlausnerStarsJuliette LewisWilliam HurtShelley DuvallA woman inherits a rent-controlled apartment and is terrorized by a neighbor.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsWinona RyderAngelina JolieClea DuVallA directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
- DirectorJodie FosterStarsGeorge ClooneyJulia RobertsJack O'ConnellFinancial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes them and their crew as hostage.
- DirectorJakob M. ErwaStarsEsther Maria PietschMatthias LierTatja SeibtAmbitious cello student Jessica receives the invitation to an international contest. A great opportunity - but at the same time enormous pressure. Stress begins to gnaw on Jessica's everyday life and soon reality and imagination blur.
- DirectorJack HellerStarsKatherine WaterstonScott EastwoodSara PaxtonThree strangers arrive one by one at a mysterious cabin in the middle of nowhere only to learn they've been brought together for a reason.
- DirectorDrew GoddardStarsKristen ConnollyChris HemsworthAnna HutchisonFive college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
- DirectorEric HurtStarsMarc SingerArt LaFleurHayley DuMond2 families looking for a new home go to an isolated open house, but when they find a girl with no tongue, they soon discover they can't leave.
- DirectorDavid BrooksStarsAlice EveJosh PeckBrian GeraghtyOn a late night visit to an ATM, three co-workers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.
- DirectorMichael WinnickStarsJames MarstersTony ToddMarc WinnickEight strangers with no memories find themselves trapped in an abandoned facility. As they desperately try to find answers and escape, their own Shadows attempt to consume them from the darkness.
- DirectorPaul T. ScheuringStarsAdrien BrodyCam GigandetForest Whitaker26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsLeslie BibbRyan KwantenAmy SmartFlight 7500 departs Los Angeles International Airport bound for Tokyo. As the overnight flight makes its way over the Pacific Ocean during its ten-hour course, the passengers encounter what appears to be a supernatural force in the cabin.
- DirectorDaniel KrigeStarsNicholas HopeKelly PaternitiSam ReidSix captive office workers are literally chained to their desks by deranged former regional manager Thomas Reddmann (Redd). He assigns his 'human resources' the impossible task of proving his innocence or suffering gruesome consequences.
- DirectorJames Ward ByrkitStarsEmily BaldoniMaury SterlingNicholas BrendonStrange things begin to happen when a group of friends gather for a dinner party on an evening when a comet is passing overhead.
- DirectorCharlie McDowellStarsMark DuplassElisabeth MossTed DansonA troubled couple vacate to a beautiful getaway, but bizarre circumstances further complicate their situation.
- DirectorChris ShadleyStarsMelissa Joan HartWilliam Lee ScottJohn TerryNine strangers are kidnapped and forced to figure out the connection they have to each other as one has to die every ten minutes.
- DirectorDavid Guy LevyStarsBrittany SnowJune SquibbJeffrey CombsDesperate to help her ailing brother, a young woman unknowingly agrees to compete in a deadly game of "Would You Rather," hosted by a sadistic aristocrat.
- DirectorRobert SchwentkeStarsJodie FosterPeter SarsgaardSean BeanA bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet, the child vanishes, and nobody will admit she was ever on the plane.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsRachel McAdamsCillian MurphyBrian CoxA woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in a political assassination.
- DirectorBeqa JguburiaLevan BakhiaBeka JguburiaStarsScout Taylor-ComptonChristina UlloaTravis Van WinkleFour friends travel to a lakeside cabin for a carefree weekend, the fun turns into a nightmare when 3 of them end up locked in a hot sauna. Every minute counts and every degree matters as they fight for their lives in the heat up to 247°F.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsShin'ya TsukamotoTakahiro MuraseTakahiro KandakaA man wakes up to find himself locked in a cramped concrete maze of corridors, in which he can barely move. He doesn't remember why he is there or how he got there. He has a terrible stomach injury and is slowly bleeding to death.
- DirectorDaisuke YamanouchiStarsHiroshi KitasenjuSheena NagamoriMayumi OokawaFour random people (including a married couple) volunteer to participate in a mysterious game for a chance to win 10 million yen. They have to take turns torturing their fellow players until only one is left.
- DirectorLuis CámaraStarsGeorgia MackenzieMark WilsonPascal LangdaleSeven guests are invited to an after party on the abandoned floor of an office building, handpicked to play a series sadistic and deadly puzzles.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJessica HarperStefania CasiniFlavio BucciAn American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.Kind of confined...
- DirectorXavier GensStarsLauren GermanMichael BiehnMilo VentimigliaSurvivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsEvan Rachel WoodJim SturgessJoe AndersonThe music of The Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsRobert DuvallDonald PleasenceDon Pedro ColleyIn the 25th century, a time when people have designations instead of names, a man, THX 1138, and a woman, LUH 3417, rebel against their rigidly controlled society.
- DirectorWilliam EubankStarsBrenton ThwaitesOlivia CookeBeau KnappOn a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness - only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
- DirectorJonathan DueckStarsJames Van Der BeekDarryn LucioTara Spencer-NairnAn aspiring screenwriter trying to write a new horror script finds himself mentally breaking down after days of isolation in his apartment.
- DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsShia LaBeoufDavid MorseCarrie-Anne MossWhen a teenager is placed under house arrest, he succumbs to despair and starts spying on his neighbors, hoping to spice up his life. This, however, leads him to witness a serial killer on the loose.
- DirectorHarry WinerStarsJamie Lee CurtisKevin PollakKyle HowardDesperate to keep their various parents from getting divorced, a group of teenagers kidnaps them and holds them prisoner in a basement to force them to reconcile.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternAn eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorBenjamin EppsStarsKristin ChenowethMatthew ModineOlesya RulinWhen her family misses her jump roping competition, a 16-year-old girl and her siblings hold their parents hostage, hoping to correct their unsatisfying behavior.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasElena AnayaJan CornetA brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsJohn CusackRay LiottaAmanda PeetStranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one.
- DirectorGregory HoblitStarsRichard GereLaura LinneyEdward NortonAn altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
- DirectorJohn SuitsGabriel CowanStarsAilsa MarshallMichael McLaffertyDavid HiglenThrown naked into a desolate room with thirteen strangers, Tonya discovers that she is the final contestant in a deadly game. Restrained by lethal electronic collars, the players must utilize hints and tools from a box marked "pieces" to find both an exit and the reason for their abduction. One by one the players are eliminated as their "curfew" begins and the lights go out. With each dead body comes another clue, which they use to discover that one of them is the killer. The question is ... which one?