7 Years On, A24's Weirdest Masterpiece Is Still the Perfect Weekend Watch

A24 is constantly putting out unconventional cult films, and 2019's The Lighthouse is no different. Seven years after its release, it's still one of the studio's strangest movies. Robert Eggers' genre-defying, black-and-white film has earned a reputation for being confusing, unsettling, and deliberately difficult to interpret, causing plenty of viewers to skip it altogether. But that reputation sells the film short. Beneath its surreal imagery and increasingly odd dialogue is an absorbing character study that rewards patience far more than many other modern horror movies.

While A24 has become synonymous with bold filmmaking, The Lighthouse represents the studio at its most uncompromising. The movie refuses to explain itself, embraces ambiguity, and asks viewers to decide where exactly reality ends. Seven years on, it's still so original and unforgettable that it makes the perfect weekend watch, especially for anyone looking for a film that sparks discussion long after the credits roll.

The Lighthouse is Unlike Any Other A24 Movie

Released in 2019, The Lighthouse stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers assigned to a remote island off the coast of New England. Pattinson's Ephraim Winslow is a quiet drifter who is assigned to work under the increasingly erratic and experienced Thomas Wake (Dafoe). Their uncomfortable, awkward working relationship soon devolves into paranoia, obsession, and psychological warfare as the pair get trapped together by violent storms.

The movie was shot on 35mm black-and-white film stock using period lenses.

Almost every creative decision makes the final version of The Lighthouse feel truly unique. Director Robert Eggers shot The Lighthouse in black and white using a nearly square 1.19:1 aspect ratio, making every frame feel claustrophobic despite the vast ocean that surrounds Winslow and Wake. Combined with Mark Korven's unsettling score, authentic maritime dialogue, and harsh coastal landscapes, the result is an atmospheric film that, though it feels timeless and as if it could've been made decades ago, also feels completely fresh.

Each One of The Lighthouse's Strange Moments Serves a Thematic Purpose

Part of what makes The Lighthouse so rewarding is that its strangest moments are never there just for shock value. Throughout the movie, viewers are left questioning whether what they're seeing is real, imagined, or symbolic. Mermaid visions, mysterious tentacles, impossible storms, and escalating, violent confrontations blur together as Winslow's mental state deteriorates. Rather than providing straightforward answers, Eggers uses these surreal moments to place audiences in the same mindset as his protagonist.

The Lighthouse also draws heavily from Greek mythology, New England folklore, and maritime literature, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. References to Shakespeare and old maritime superstitions add another layer beneath the psychological horror, while the constantly shifting power dynamic between Wake and Winslow explores masculinity, guilt, and isolation. Each rewatch reveals new visual details and symbolic clues that are easy to miss the first time around, making The Lighthouse one of those rare films where the watching experience genuinely improves when viewers know the ending.

Eggers' 2019 Masterpiece Will Make a Great Weekend Watch

Since The Lighthouse's release, audiences have seen countless new horror, fantasy, and thriller movies, but none can truly capture the same atmosphere as Eggers' masterpiece. Instead of relying on elaborate mythology or countless twists, Eggers expertly builds tension almost entirely through performances, sound design, and mounting uncertainty. Pattinson and Dafoe deliver the strongest performances of their careers, carrying nearly the entire film while constantly shifting between horror, comedy, and tragedy. As a daring and nightmarish watch, it defies genre categorization and takes viewers on a wildly layered ride.

Given this, The Lighthouse is the perfect weekend watch, especially with someone else, because half the fun comes from discussing the film's themes, ending, and meaning. For viewers who skipped it because they assumed it was simply too weird, the past seven years have only strengthened the case for giving it another chance. The Lighthouse is undeniably strange, but every bizarre image, cryptic conversation, and unsettling sequence asks viewers to interpret its larger themes. It remains one of A24's boldest achievements, which is certainly saying something for the studio, and it's a great reminder that some of the best movie experiences come from films that are willing to challenge their audience.