6 Movies Like ‘Verity’
Verity (2026), based on the popular novel by Colleen Hoover, has all the ingredients of the kind of psychological thriller that makes you question what you're being told. The story follows Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), who is hired to finish the book series of bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) after an accident leaves her unable to communicate.
After Lowen moves into the Crawford family's home to study Verity's work, she finds a strange manuscript that appears to reveal some of the family's darkest secrets. The situation becomes even more complicated when Lowen starts getting closer to Verity's husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). Verity is the sort of thriller where the characters have tons of reasons to hide the truth.
There are lots of older movies that explore similar ideas, even when they don't have exactly the same story. These films feature hidden secrets, manipulative characters, and people who discover that they don't know someone as well as they thought. If you enjoyed Verity, these 6 movies, which can be found on platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+, are worth checking out.
Rebecca (1940) follows a woman (Joan Fontaine) who marries Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). After moving to his estate, she realizes that Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who died before they met, is still a major presence in the house. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the housekeeper, is devoted to Rebecca and makes the new Mrs. de Winter feel like she can never measure up.
Everything the new Mrs. de Winter learns about Rebecca comes from other people. So those accounts don't make it easy to understand the kind of person she was. As the story progresses, the new Mrs. de Winter becomes more uncomfortable as she tries to find her place in the household, which is similar to Lowen in Verity. Viewers who love stories about secretive families will enjoy Rebecca.
Gaslight (1944) tells the story of Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman), who moves into a home with her new husband Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). Over time, Paula begins noticing strange things happening around the house, but Gregory keeps convincing her that what she is seeing isn't real. As his behavior becomes more controlling, Paula starts wondering if she is losing her grip on reality.
Throughout the movie, Paula's confusion feels increasingly difficult to escape. That idea has a clear connection to Verity, where Lowen also has to work out which version of events she should believe. If you like psychological thrillers where the main character has to question the people closest to them, Gaslight is a good choice.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) follows Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra), who hires Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay) to work as a nanny for her family. Claire has no idea that Peyton has a personal reason for wanting the job. Over time, Peyton starts using Claire's trust against her and gradually creates problems that make Claire look like she’s the person causing them.
Peyton doesn't immediately seem dangerous. She simply comes across as someone who knows how to make herself useful, which allows her to get closer to the family without attracting much suspicion. Anyone who enjoys thrillers about revenge and people who hide their real intentions will get a kick out of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.
Basic Instinct (1992) follows detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who investigates the murder of a rock star and becomes involved with the main suspect, crime novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone). Catherine has written a novel that resembles the murder, giving Nick lots of reasons to suspect her while also making it difficult for him to keep his distance.
Basic Instinct is more focused on murder and attraction than Verity, but the two movies have a similar interest in people who are difficult to read. Both stories also involve a character trying to work out whether someone is dangerous while becoming increasingly involved with them. If you liked the mystery and relationship drama in Verity, Basic Instinct is worth a look.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), who is sent to Italy to convince wealthy businessman Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) to bring his son Dickie (Jude Law) back to the United States. Instead, Tom becomes fascinated by Dickie's lifestyle and starts finding ways to stay close to him. His growing obsession eventually leads him down a dark path.
The fascinating thing about Tom is that he can seem polite and harmless in one scene, then do something that totally changes how you see him. While Verity asks you to look beyond what the characters say about themselves, Tom spends most of the story hiding his true intentions. Viewers who enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers about obsession and deception should give this one a try.
A Simple Favor (2018) follows Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), who runs a parenting vlog and becomes friends with Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), a mysterious woman whose life seems much more glamorous than Stephanie's. When Emily suddenly disappears after asking Stephanie for a simple favor, Stephanie realizes that there's much more to her friend than she realized.
The movie is more comedic than Verity, but it has many of the same ingredients. Stephanie keeps finding new information that changes how she sees Emily, and the people around them have their own reasons for keeping secrets. A Simple Favor is a good choice if you liked the twists and complicated relationships in Verity but want something with a lighter vibe.
