A group of friends come together for a night of fun and games. The festivities quickly descend into kidnapping, car chases, shootouts, and a fight club. Inventive direction by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and a pitch-perfect cast led by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams make Game Night one of the funniest and biggest surprises of the year. Be sure to watch through to the end credits for one last funny scene.

The title pretty much says it all. A wealthy businessman takes his mistress on a hunting retreat, when two of his associates show up and very bad things happen. Actress Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz dazzles as a woman who goes from party girl to retribution-seeking femme fatale. This is not your typical violent attack/revenge movie. Written and directed with kinetic energy by the French female filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, Revenge marks her feature film debut and I can hardly wait to see what motion picture Fargeat directs next.

Murder and madness set in the suburbs. High school friends Lily and Amanda plot to kill Lily’s evil stepfather. Thoroughbreds was the most perfectly constructed movie I’ve seen all year. Olivia (Ready Player One) Cook and Anya (The Witch) Taylor-Joy are not sugar and spice but they do an excellent job complementing their characters' sociopathic tendencies. A macabre tale that is totally hypnotic.

I saw this movie at the theatre earlier this year and as soon as it was over, the person behind me said, “Let’s get out of here!” You have to love a movie that affects someone like that, or at least I do. Hereditary is a horror movie that features a dysfunctional family with a capital “D.” Beginning with an obituary notice of the family matriarch and ending with…well, I won’t spoil the film, but suffice it to say, Toni Collette gives the best performance of the year.

Each of these movies is unique, wonderfully off-beat, and comes highly recommended. Share some of your favorite overlooked movies in the comments below.