Verity (2026)

Fair warning: Verity is a movie built on one reveal, and millions of readers walked in already holding the answer. That’s a rough starting spot for a thriller. The setup is great pulp, though. A broke writer moves into a famous author’s house to finish her books, finds pages that read like a confession, and starts falling for the husband down the hall. Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett is a seriously overqualified cast for something this soapy, and they seem to know it. The first half builds real dread in that big quiet house. Then the back stretch rushes, and the ending lands more silly than shocking. Critics gave it 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and opening crowds a C+ CinemaScore, yet it still pulled $120 million worldwide on a reported $40 million budget. People showed up to gasp together. A 4.4 because good actors and a juicy premise can’t save 117 minutes that fall apart at the finish. $164 says somebody asks if you read the book first, and you say yes even though you skimmed it.

What works: The cast is way better than the material needs, and the first half turns that big quiet house into a genuinely creepy place.

What doesn’t: The final stretch feels rushed, the big reveal worked better on the page, and the ending plays closer to silly than shocking.

Who it’s for: Colleen Hoover readers who want to watch the book with friends, and anyone who loves a soapy thriller night.