Cube (1997)

Every room in Cube looks the same, and so do half the people stuck in it. Strangers wake up in a maze of identical boxes that change only by the color of the light, and some of the boxes are rigged. Vincenzo Natali keeps it lean: no backstory, no explanation, no way out but the next hatch. The puzzle is legit gripping. Watching Leaven work out prime numbers under pressure is somehow more stressful than the traps. The problem is the writing for the people. Most of them are types, and the acting swings from solid to shrill, especially once Quentin starts to unravel. David Hewlett’s Worth, the shrugging office drone, quietly turns into the most interesting person in the box. It made just $565,905 worldwide, yet 264,452 IMDb voters have since found their way in. A 6.8 because the trap is brilliant and the people stuck in it are paper thin. $419 says you step into an elevator this week and glance up at the ceiling hatch before the doors close.

What works: The premise is brilliantly simple, and the math puzzle builds real dread without ever explaining too much.

What doesn’t: Most of the characters are thin types, and several performances tip into shrill overacting as the tension rises.

Who it’s for: Puzzle lovers and escape room regulars who like their thrillers small, strange and unexplained.