Netflix has a buzzy new hit on its hands in the form of horror-comedy It’s What’s Inside. Greg Jardin’s one-of-a-kind thriller was acquired by Netflix at Sundance this year for a whopping $17 million, and movie fans are starting to see why the streamer was so intent on landing the rights to the film. This twisty little body-swap movie mashes up a ton of different genres and unravels a narrative that keeps you guessing from start to finish.
Word of mouth has been incredibly kind to It’s What’s Inside, especially since Netflix gave it very little in the way of an actual marketing push. People who watch this movie are telling their friends about it, and it’s gaining more fans by the day. If you’re one of those that has already watched it and are still waiting for your friends to check it out so you talk about all the big twists, we’ve got several movies you need to check out in the meantime.
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Whether you love It’s What’s Inside for its body-swap sci-fi elements, it’s gorgeous locales, it’s comedy chops, or anything in-between, there is a movie out there that scratches the same itch. This list contains seven such films, all of which share at least a shred of DNA with It’s What’s Inside.
Freaky
There have been quite a few good body-swap movies over the years, but only a couple have ventured into the horror genre. Four years before It’s What’s Inside hit Netflix, Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon delivered a gave slashers a body-swap makeover with Freaky.
The fan-favorite horror-comedy sees Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn switch bodies, leaving the latter to spend most of the film as a high school girl trying to survive a slaughter in a middle-aged man’s body, and the former playing a cold-blooded serial killer. Freaky is as tense as it is hilarious, leaving you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
It’s What’s Inside is a very unique kind of film, but perhaps the closest comp from the recent horror canon would be Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. These two films obviously aren’t exactly the same, they just have enough in common that it’s easy to see how they work as a one-two punch.
Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn’t dive into the body-swap/sci-fi elements of It’s What’s Inside, but it does have the same kind of story structure. The film follows a group of longtime friends who hide out in one of their mansions for a party during a massive storm. During a game of deceit, things take a chaotic turn and old secrets come to light, forcing friends to turn on one another. Sound familiar?
Talk to Me
Body-swap movies aren’t exactly common, but horror movies about young friends playing dangerous games in big houses has become something of a trend in recent years.
It’s What’s Inside and Bodies Bodies Bodies are horror films that lean heavily into comedy territory, Talk to Me is much more terrifying. If you want something similar to It’s What’s Inside and can handle some serious scares, go into Talk to Me without reading or watching too much about it.
The Cabin in the Woods
Part of what makes It’s What’s Inside so enjoyable is that it’s unlike most other movies in the genre, and spends a lot of its runtime flipping expectations and creating something new. Few horror films are as effective at upending expectations as The Cabin in the Woods.
What starts out with the premise of a run-of-the-mill teen slasher turns out to be so much more, as The Cabin in the Woods quickly reveals that the young group of friends attempting to have a weekend getaway are actually the subjects of a much, MUCH bigger plot.
Werewolves Within
It’s What’s Inside isn’t exactly a “whodunit,” since there is no real crime at the center that needs solving, but it has a similar vibe. There are several occasions in the film where you don’t know who is who or which characters are telling the truth.
Werewolves Within checks that same box by being an actual whodunit. Josh Ruben’s indie werewolf movie is based on a popular video game and leans very heavily into the comedy realm, but it isn’t without some real monster goodness. If you’ve ever played Werewolf (or Mafia) with your friends at a party, this is a movie you’ve got to check out.
Ready or Not
In addition to some great drama and a plethora of interesting characters, It’s What’s Inside is set inside a phenomenal-looking estate. Every different room in this mansion-turned-art installation makes for its own fantastic set piece, the setting itself almost becoming another character.
If you’re also a sucker for high-stakes survival games set in enormous mansions, Ready or Not is for you. There are other good mansion-set horror movies, like Abigail or You’re Next, but Ready or Not is the best of the bunch.
Barbarian
One of the things that makes It’s What’s Inside such an exciting ride is that, right around the halfway point, the film takes a sharp turn that dramatically changes the story going forward. Once the event on the balcony happens, It’s What’s Inside becomes something else.
There isn’t another film in recent memory that pulls off a harder or more fantastic mid-movie shift than Barbarian. Zach Creggar’s directorial debut absolutely shocked audiences when, at the height of the terror an hour into the movie, Barbarian just hard-cuts to something completely different. It’s jarring at first, but it’s necessary to set up the film’s killer third act. Watch this one with a bunch of friends, if possible.