With the emergence of many new blockbuster movies these past few weeks, one has undeniably stood apart from the rest.  Emerald Fennell’s thriller comedy Saltburn, released at the end of 2023, has proven to be nothing short of a hit, quickly grossing $20 million in box office sales.  The movie’s star studded cast included Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pink, Carey Mulligan, and many others, all excelling at their roles in the film.  The twisted comedy has received an overwhelming positive response on social media platforms for its aesthetic visuals, comedic aspects, and dark, even disturbing, twists.  

“The movie had so many plot twists and unexpected moments.  It didn’t make that much sense in the beginning but it all clicked together in the end,” said junior Catherine Karman.  

The movie follows impoverished Oxford student, Oliver Quick, and his classmate Felix Catton as they spend a wild summer at Saltburn, Felix’s estate in the countryside.  Though everything seems to be off to a great start, a quick turn of events leaves guests at the manor living in fear as death and tragedies strike the estate.  

With the movie’s inclusion of unusual scenes, such as the “vampire” or “bathtub” scenes, the film was quick to start trending on video sharing platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok.  Saltburn, being Fennell’s sophomore project after Promising Young Woman (2020), was meant to be a playful psychological thriller, cementing her spot in Hollywood as a bold director unafraid to put out her unorthodox ideas in the film world.  The movie checks off all of a thriller lover’s boxes as well.  From extravagant chateau parties in the lush English countryside to jaw dropping twists and disturbing frames and subplots, Saltburn really has it all, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats through the duration of the movie.  

“The movie was so weird.  It had a lot of twists and a complicated plot, but I still liked it.  You have to wait for the end for it to make sense though, the beginning’s confusing,” said junior Mia Powers.  

The film has themes of intense desire and obsession, social commentary, including ideas of the reality of an “impossible beauty” and the corruption of class privilege, as well as concepts such as “eat the rich” lingering throughout the movie.  From the contextual messages audiences absorbed from the film along with the Pinterest worthy shots of the estate to the chilling final scene with Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s cheery “Murder on the Dancefloor,” it’s guaranteed to be a movie that will leave a lasting impression on its viewers.  

“I’m [she’s] emotionally and psychologically hyper-gothic, and emotional and unconstrained and metaphorical.  And this film lives out of a stew of things that I love.  I like working out of specific sub-genres where you can see where the seams are that you can start pulling at,” Fennell said in an interview with Screen Daily.

In various interviews, she explained that the inspiration for the movie all came from an image of someone licking a bathtub, used in the now infamous bathroom drain scene, with the rest of the movie really being built around that one shot.  

“I [she] feel lucky that I can make my films with people who really support and get it.  You don’t have to feel brave if you have lots of people standing beside you and doing it themselves because they all have faith in it,” said Fennell in her interview with Screen Daily.   

The director had nothing but praise for the movie’s cast and their undeniable chemistry, especially between actors Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Barry Keoghan.  Fennell stated that even before his big breakout in the horror comedy film, The Banshees of Inisherin, she knew that she wanted Keoghan for the part.  With upcoming movies in the works, Keoghan and his co-stars have been seen all over the Internet these past few weeks, whether on red carpets,  in interviews, or even in edits that admiring fans have made of the movie.  

“I loved the cast and movie so much.  The scenes were kind of weird sometimes, but the movie was still really good.  It’s all over my ‘For You’ page and impossible to escape on social media.  I’d definitely recommend watching it,” said junior Jaylan Jellabi. 

The “#saltburn” tag on Tik Tok has already gained a whopping 3 billion views online, proving the movie to be a hit in theaters and among the masses online.