Love it or hate it, there's no denying that "Salt Burn" made quite an impression on audiences - and not just because of the iconic ending needle drop of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor."

The controversial film is directed by Emerald Fennell of "Promising Young Woman" and "Killing Eve" fame and stars two rising Hollywood stars: Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi. Keoghan plays Oliver Quick, a mild-mannered college student obsessed with the charms of the wealthy and charismatic Felix (Eroldi).

Felix invites Oliver to visit his mansion, where he spends a memorable summer. If you were drawn in by Fennell's latest class warfare thriller, other films like "Salt Burn" may be worth checking out.

The Talented Mr. Ripley, based on the 1955 novel, stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley. Posing as a former college classmate, he enters Dickie's glamorous life. Soon, however, things start to get a little out of hand ("out of hand" as in ending up with a body count)

Throughout the entire film, the audience is left wondering whether Ripley wants to be Dickie, make love to Dickie, ruin Dickie completely, or some twisted combination of the three I wonder if it's a combination of all three. Sound familiar? Salt Burn takes considerable inspiration from Ripley, and audiences will no doubt recognize the influence. And if you liked Matt Damon's interpretation of Ripley, just wait, Netflix will be producing its own adaptation in 2024 with Andrew Scott in the lead role.

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"Salt Burn" has certain seductive qualities that Oliver Quick possesses that give him the opportunity to captivate and manipulate each member of Felix's family. He becomes fast friends with Felix, begins a sexual relationship with his sister, and charms each of his parents in his own way. In this film, the enigmatic young drifter, played by Terence Stamp, has relations with an entire Italian family, including father, mother, daughter, son, and even a maid.

But whereas Oliver's relationship has questionable intentions, Stamp's "visitor" appears to be acting entirely altruistically, providing the emotional support each member of the family needs. Theorema is as allegorical as it is sensual, reaching the philosophical depths that films like Saltburn so clearly seek to emulate."

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If you enjoy watching one character in "Saltburn" manipulate all of his friends and acquaintances, "Cruel Intentions" is for you. In this modern and edgy adaptation of the scandalous and extremely French 18th century novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar play a wealthy and destructively bored brother and sister-in-law. Catherine (Geller) bets Sebastian (Phillippe) that he can seduce the chaste Annette (Reese Witherspoon), daughter of the new principal. Easy, he thinks.

But Sebastian finds himself actually liking the earnest and likable Annette, and he gets more than he bargained for. In "Saltburn," the members of the Catton family seem to regard their acquaintances as a collection of stories and quirks rather than as people. Just as Catherine and Sebastian play mercilessly with the lives of those around them, there is no small amount of casually ruinous behavior in "Cruel Intentions" as well.

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For hundreds of years, the public has been fascinated by the seemingly glamorous life of the English upper class, with its romantic country estates and lavish spending. Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited captures this awe as it follows Charles Ryder, a college student who becomes involved with the wealthy Flyte family in rural England. As he develops relationships with the family's daughters and sons, their power relationships become increasingly complex and strained.

The 1981 miniseries Brideshead Revisited, starring a young Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews, was so popular that it briefly sparked the upscale period film craze, and the 2008 film version starring Ben Whishaw, Matthew Goode, and Emma The 2008 theatrical version starring Ben Whishaw, Matthew Goode, and Emma Thompson also offers gorgeous cinematography and strong performances from the main cast.

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One might think that getting accepted to a top college would put everyone more or less on the same playing field. But as Oliver Quick in "Saltburn" soon discovers, this is not the case, especially in class-conscious Britain. The Riot Club is a glimpse into the darker side of some of the privileged classes in British universities, those whose presence on campus is determined more by their family background than by their academic performance.

The film revolves around two freshmen, Milo (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin). The snobbish Alistair is eager to join the Riot Club, but Milo is more than a little uneasy when he catches a glimpse of their depraved behavior. The group's unrestrained, destructive, and sometimes violent ways lead the two down a dark path, but will the wealthy and well-connected ever face any real consequences for their actions?

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