Emerald Fennell names her favourite movies of all time
After unleashing one of the most controversial movies of the year with Saltburn, director Emerald Fennell is a love or hate figure in the world of cinema. Interested in the impulse of revenge, her favourite films in the world seem to provide limitless inspiration for her own work.
At first, Fennell started out as an actor. Having starred in The Crown, The Danish Girl, Anna Karenina and more, she then moved her focus to working behind the screen. As a writer and director, she made her debut with the 2020 thriller Promising Young Woman.
Another project that split opinion and launched a whole web of discourse regarding the subject matter of sexual assault, revenge and feminism, Fennell never seems to shy away from gritty and horrible subject matters. In Saltburn, Fennell depicts some of the most shocking and grotesque scenes cinemagoers have seen in recent times as she creates gothic literature for the modern age.
When sharing her four favourite films with Letterboxd, it’s immediately clear where she gets her brutal inspiration from, sharing a collection of classic horrors, psychological thrillers and teenage revenge movies.
Without missing a beat, Fennell first picks out Cruel Intentions. The 1999 film starring Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Rather than set in the ancient French regime like the original, the ‘90s movie is set in a wealthy, upper-class New York high school, and students enact revenge on one another. A tale of deception and seduction, these are two themes Fennell seems especially interested in.
Next up, Fennell picks another psychological movie. The 1961 film The Innocents is based on a 1989 novella, The Turn Of The Screw, by Henry James. With the screenplay co-written by Truman Capote, it is naturally incredibly well done. A paranormal tale of ghosts and possession, this classic horror mixed with psychological and body horror elements might have provided a lot of inspiration for Saltburn, which she described as a “vampire” movie due to its gore and uncanny feel.
The highly suspenseful atmosphere in Saltburn feels like a direct descendant of Fennell’s third favourite film, The Shining. The 1980 Stanley Kubrick classic is a masterclass in keeping an audience on edge as viewers end up holding their breath in anticipation for so much of the movie. Packing the film with a general sense of unease and managing to make a horrifying thriller without too many jumpscares or classic horror elements, Saltburn’s Oliver character seems to take a lot from the insanity of Jack Torrance.
Lastly, is there any horror movie as classic or influential as Hitchcock’s Psycho? The 1960 film is considered one of the best movies ever made and undeniably Hitchcock’s finest moments. The horror picture is incredibly tense, full of interesting camera work and an instantly recognisable score. The music feels important to Fennell, who regularly mixes suspenseful instrumental scores with jarring modern songs. As a director who is quickly becoming one of the best-known names in the new horror world, it’s no surprise that Emerald Fennell pays her respects to the great director that is Hitchcock.
Emerald Fennell’s favourite films:
- Cruel Intentions (1999)
- The Innocents (1961)
- The Shining (1980)
- Psycho (1960)
