Film

The Twin

Name: The Twin
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Released: 2022
Cast: Teresa Palmer, Steven Cree, Barbara Marten, Tristan Ruggeri, Andres Dvinjaninov

A mother in rural Finland confronts the possibility that her surviving son is being possessed by his dead twin brother. This is a slow-burn supernatural thriller that trades jump scares for dread, building its horror through atmosphere, isolation, and the corrosive doubt that creeps into parental love. It's for people who find psychological unease more frightening than gore.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like slow-burn horror that builds dread through a mother's unraveling certainty rather than jump scares, and you enjoy a folk-horror setting where the quiet landscape feels like part of the threat.

Skip it if you want a brisk genre ride; this one lingers on mood and ambiguity, so the middle stretches can feel thin if you're waiting for the scares to arrive.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a patient, mostly hushed runtime of about two hours, where the unease accumulates in small domestic moments rather than in sudden shocks.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hereditary2018

A family unravels as they're stalked by something genuinely inexplicable. Like The Twin, it trusts you to sit with mounting horror rather than explain it away, and finds its deepest terror in what parents cannot protect their children from.

But It's a slow film that demands patience, and some of its imagery is deeply disturbing in ways that linger uncomfortably long after the credits.

The Babadook2014

An Australian horror film about grief and motherhood where the monster might be grief itself. It shares The Twin's interest in ambiguity—is this supernatural, or psychological?—and its willingness to sit with ugliness and pain.

But It's deliberately difficult and doesn't offer much comfort. The relationship between mother and child is fractured and painful to watch.

It Comes at Night2017

Isolation in a cabin, paranoia that might be justified, and the slow poisoning of trust within a family. Atmospheric dread rather than scares, and genuinely unsettling precisely because you're never quite sure what's real.

But Very little happens in a traditional plot sense. If you want clarity or resolution, you'll leave frustrated.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Twin

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Xtro1982

Both feature a child as the locus of horror, and both suggest that the thing claiming kinship to the boy might not be what it appears. But where The Twin builds dread methodically, Xtro throws you into the deep end of weirdness without explanation.

Deeply weird British sci-fi horror about a boy and an alien entity that's intimate and intimate in the most disturbing ways. Visually grotesque and genuinely disorienting—nothing quite like it exists.

But It's genuinely bizarre in ways that feel arbitrary. The 1982 production values are very apparent, and what passes for plot is threadbare. It feels more like a fever dream than a movie.

The Witch2016

A family isolated in the woods, historical setting, and the creeping certainty that something is very wrong. It builds horror through period detail and psychological tension, and trusts the audience entirely.

But Slow, dialogue-heavy, and the ending offers no catharsis. Some find it pretentious rather than scary.

Mulholland Drive2001

Reality fractures. A second viewing rewires everything you thought you understood. Like The Twin, it's interested in the unreliability of perception and the horror of not knowing what's real.

But It's deliberately cryptic and doesn't reward people looking for straightforward narrative. You'll spend more time arguing about what it means than enjoying it.

The Innocents1961

A governess in an isolated house begins to suspect the children in her care are possessed. A masterpiece of ambiguity—are they haunted, or is she unwell?—shot in gorgeous black and white.

But It's a period piece from 1961, so the pacing is deliberate. If you need constant plot movement, it will feel glacial.

Goodnight Mommy2015

Austrian horror about twin boys and a mother whose face is wrapped in bandages after surgery. Unsettling and strange, building to a gut-punch reveal that recontextualizes everything before it.

But It's genuinely disturbing in its treatment of childhood and trust. The twist is harsh and some find it exploitative rather than earned.

The Silent Twins2022

True story of twin sisters whose silent communication becomes isolation, then psychosis. It explores the intensity and danger of twinship in ways that parallel The Twin's central horror.

But Based on a memoir, so it's grounded in real tragedy rather than supernatural horror. If you came for the possession angle, this goes elsewhere.

Come True2020

A teen joins a sleep study and experiences increasingly disturbing visions. Slow-burn sci-fi horror with a genuinely unsettling atmosphere and visual imagination that lingers.

But The plot is thin and deliberately ambiguous. It prioritizes mood and imagery over narrative, which some find frustrating.

A Dark Song2016

Both feature isolation in a strange landscape, a parent's desperation, and the possibility that the supernatural is offering something real rather than malice. But where The Twin is ambiguous about what's happening, A Dark Song commits entirely to the reality of the spiritual realm.

Irish supernatural drama about a woman and an occultist in a house attempting a dangerous ritual. Intimate, patient, and genuinely moving—it treats the supernatural as real and urgent rather than as a plot device.

But Nothing explodes. The horror is quiet and internal. If you need external threat or action, this will feel static and self-indulgent.