When it comes to movies, it’s oddly satisfying to watch a trilogy. Three acts, three arcs, three chances to get it right (or to completely derail a series). Hollywood has long embraced the idea of trilogies, turning it into a reliable form of storytelling, franchising, and dominating the box office. From The Godfather to The Lord of the Rings, movie trilogies have sometimes defined entire genres or eras because they offer closure and continuity, with just enough room to evolve.
Of course, not all trilogies are created to serve the masses. Some, like The Hangover, Back to the Future, The Matrix, and Spider-Man, are cultural touchstones. They are movies that literally everyone has seen, quoted, and argued about at some point. These are trilogies that still inspire Halloween costumes and dominate Reddit threads. But beyond movies stitched into the fabric of pop culture, there is another world of trilogies that are strange and bold and undiscovered.
This list is for the deep cuts. The overlooked and experimental movie trilogies that never got the same spotlight as their more popular counterparts. They span decades, defy genre, and barely acknowledge their own status. So if you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone, here are 9 movie trilogies that you have probably never heard of, but definitely should.
The Apartment Trilogy (1965 – 1976)
‘Repulsion’ (1965), ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968), ‘The Tenant’ (1976)
Roman Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy explores how one’s sanity gets eroded in a confined setting. Repulsion follows Carol, a woman unraveling in her sister’s apartment. Rosemary’s Baby, the more popular one of the three, centers on a young wife manipulated into bearing the Antichrist. And The Tenant features a man who starts to lose his identity after moving into a haunted flat.
Psychological Horror in a Domestic Setting
While Rosemary’s Baby is a genre-defining classic, the other two movies are more divisive. Repulsion is haunting but slow, and The Tenant eases into surreal territory without always landing. Still, as a whole, the trilogy uses an apartment as a pressure cooker for paranoia, isolation, and psychological collapse. The direction is meticulous, and the performances, especially Mia Farrow’s, are unforgettable. It may not be flawless, but it is definitely foundational for the psychological horror genre.
Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy (1993 – 1997)
‘Totally F***ed Up’ (1993), ‘The Doom Generation’ (1995), ‘Nowhere’ (1997)
The Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy, directed by the visionary Gregg Araki, is a bold and uncompromising exploration of youth culture and the chaos of queer adolescence in the ‘90s. Totally F***ed Up is a lo-fi portrait of gay teens navigating love and alienation. The Doom Generation follows a trio on a violent, absurd road trip. And Nowhere blends teen drama with sci-fi and satire.
Earns Its Place Through Sheer Audacity
The trilogy is messy, raw, and loud, and it often prioritizes mood over plot. Which is why it’s not for everyone, and not many people have heard of it. The dialogue can be stilted, the tone uneven, and the shock value sometimes overwhelms the substance. But Araki’s vision is unmistakable. These movies helped define New Queer Cinema, giving voice to characters rarely seen on screen. Nowhere in particular stands out for its fearlessness and genre-bending ambition.
The Trilogy of Death (2000 – 2006)
‘Amores Perros’ (2000), ’21 Grams’ (2003), ‘Babel’ (2006)
Each movie in the Trilogy of Death explores the ripple effects of a traumatic event and explores human suffering, chance, and consequence. There’s a car crash in Amores Perros, a heart transplant in 21 Grams, and a stray bullet in Babel, and it’s told across multiple characters and timelines. Dogs, death, and disconnection recur as motifs, while the nonlinear structure forces viewers to want to piece together clues from fragmented moments.
The Anatomy of Grief
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, this one is unforgettable because of its emotional gravity and narrative complexity. Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga craft network narratives that urge viewers to find meaning in chaos. And they’re all critically praised too. Amores Perros won the Critics’ Week Prize at Cannes. 21 Grams earned Oscar nods for Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro, while Babel won Best Director at Cannes and the Golden Globe for Best Drama.
Vomit Gore Trilogy (2006 – 2010)
‘Slaughtered Vomit Dolls’ (2006), ‘ReGOREgitated Sacrifice’ (2008), ‘Slow Torture Puke Chamber’ (2010)
This trilogy isn’t so much a narrative as it is a provocation. Written and directed by Shawn Fedorchuk under the alias of Lucifer Valentine, the Vomit Gore series follows Angela Aberdeen, a bulimic sex worker whose descent into madness is expressed through broken dreams, bodily fluids, and relentless shock. Across three movies, Angela is subjected to hallucinations and a grotesque transformation, and the structure of the trilogy is designed more to disturb than to tell a story.
Has Niche Appeal
Let’s be clear, these movies are not for most viewers. They are abrasive, often hard to understand, and deliberately offensive. But within the underground horror scene, they have carved out a reputation for pushing the boundaries of taste and endurance. Critics obviously dismissed all three movies, but the Vomit Gore trilogy has carved a cult following among fans of transgressive cinema.
Whispering Corridors Trilogy (1998 – 2003)
‘Whispering Corridors’ (1998), ‘Memento Mori’ (1999), ‘Wishing Stairs’ (2003)
Set in South Korean all-girls high schools, the Whispering Corridors Trilogy combines supernatural horror with social critique. Each movie begins with a haunting tied to the rigid and cruel education system and even though the stories are standalone, they share a thematic spine in tackling topics like repression and identity.
Haunting In All The Right Ways
Whispering Corridors, Memento Mori, and Wishing Stairs are quite revolutionary movies. Released during a wave of liberalization in Korean cinema, they were loud and brave enough to deal with taboo topics like same-sex relationships, bullying, and self-harm with compassion and elegance. Memento Mori in particular became a cult favorite for its queer subtext. Directors Park Ki-hyung, Kim Tae-yong, and Yun Jae-yeon each bring their styles and vision, and while not globally famous, the trilogy helped shape Korean horror movies.
Europa Trilogy (1984 – 1991)
‘The Element of Crime’ (1984), ‘Epidemic’ (1987), ‘Europa’ (1991)
Directed by Lars von Trier, Europa Trilogy is a mesmerizing and intellectually challenging cinematic experience. The first movie is The Element of Crime, which follows a detective under hypnosis, reliving a case in a dystopian future. Epidemic blurs fiction and reality as von Trier and co-writer Niels Vørsel play themselves writing a screenplay, and Europa follows an idealistic American in post-WWII Germany as he’s seduced into a neo-Nazi conspiracy.
Memory, Guilt, and Dystopia
As always, von Trier’s direction is audacious and polarizing. The Element of Crime is bathed in sepia tones and noir shadows, while Europa mixes black-and-white with bursts of color. Epidemic is the weakest entry, but its meta-commentary on filmmaking and the plague remains prophetic. Overall, the trilogy is not for easy viewing because it is hypnotic and disorienting. But for those willing to surrender, it’s a cinematic trance worth entering.
Red Riding Trilogy (2009)
‘Red Riding: 1974’ (2009), ‘Red Riding: 1980’ (2009), ‘Red Riding: 1983’ (2009)
Set against the grim backdrop of Yorkshire, this trilogy weaves a tapestry of interconnected narratives that span three decades of corruption, child murders, and institutional rot. The story begins with a young journalist investigating a series of killings and discovering that the police are complicit. As years pass, the protagonists, like a detective, a lawyer, and a former officer, try to expose the truth.
Noir With British Grit
Building toward a haunting, morally ambiguous conclusion, the Red Riding Trilogy boasts shifting visual styles that mirror its evolving tone, from the reds of 1974 to the greys of 1983. Directed by Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, and Anand Tucker, and starring Andrew Garfield, Paddy Considine, and David Morrissey, it has the eeriness of a whodunit, but also the suffocating feeling of systematic evil seeping into scenes.
Vengeance Trilogy (2002 – 2005)
‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’ (2002), ‘Oldboy’ (2003), ‘Lady Vengeance’ (2005)
The Vengeance Trilogy, helmed by the acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, explores the devastating consequences of revenge through three different stories. A deaf-mute man’s attempt to save his sister turns into accidental murder and violence; a man imprisoned for 15 years without explanation looks for answers and retribution; and a woman released from prison after serving time for a crime she didn’t commit orchestrates an elaborate plan to punish the real criminal.
The Futility of Revenge
Each movie in this trilogy presents a distinct narrative, but they are all united by their common theme of vengeance and the moral dilemmas that arise from it. Park’s direction is bold and emotionally charged, and the movies are marked by their striking cinematography, amazing set pieces, and powerful performances. Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes and features one of cinema’s most iconic hallway fights, which was shot in a single take, so the trilogy’s influence on global cinema is undeniable too.
The Mariachi Trilogy (1992 – 2003)
‘El Mariachi’ (1992), ‘Desperado’ (1995), ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ (2003)
Robert Rodriguez’s Mariachi Trilogy follows a wandering musician whose guitar case hides a deadly arsenal. In the first movie, a case of mistaken identity turns him into a hunted man. The second sees him as a full-blown gunslinger seeking vengeance against a drug lord. And the final chapter thrusts him into a political conspiracy involving CIA agents, cartels, and corrupt officials.
Scrappy and Stylish
Rodriguez shot El Mariachi for just $7,000 and proved that creativity upstages budget. By Desperado, he had Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, and by Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Johnny Depp joined the cast. The trilogy combines spaghetti western tropes with action elements like rooftop gunfights and slow-motion dives, and while the last movie is uneven, the trilogy as a whole stands out in the subgenre of DIY filmmaking.
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