Everyone Is Leaving ‘Saltburn’ a Changed Person

Emerald Fennel’s Saltburn has people coming out of theaters forever changed. The dark-humored psychological thriller (which really should have been a giveaway) had fans hopping in, excited to see it left them exiting bereft and traumatized. Here are their warnings—ignore them at your own risk.

Saltburn comes a few years after Fennell’s success with the 2020 film Promising Young Woman and focuses on the character of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a scholarship student who ingratiates himself into the life of his wealthy friend Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). The two form a friendship at Oxford University and Oliver finds himself a guest at Felix’s wealthy family home, complete with wealthy family. What unravels, then, is the realization that things are not what they seem, and certainly not what audiences were expecting, either.

This is something we are coming to expect more and more from films today, with thrillers becoming distinctly more devious in their methods to shock and unnerve us. Having heard a little about Saltburn, I was already a tad intrigued. It features a stellar cast with some of the best British actors (there is some home pride involved), such as Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan, and appears to make commentary on social classes (a truly British pastime).

However, having seen some of the responses to the film on social media, I am now more than a little intrigued. People seem to be genuinely disturbed at what they have just witnessed, posting before and after moods on social sites like TikTok, all set to the song “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I now need to know what part this song has to play in all this! Is there a gruesome murder scene on a dancefloor at some point? Is it that literal?

Despite the song having shook up this viewer, they still find a way to bop to it (granted it’s very hard not to):

This user feels that Elordi was simply used as bait to lure us in, thinking some type of Call Me by Your Name plot was going to unfurl in front of us, but no.

Another individual was reeled in by the presence of Elordi, only to discover “It’s a trap!”

I focused on the text on this TikTok because I have so many questions. What’s sick? What happened? What grave?!

This one has to be the most confusing by far. I have no idea how this film will in any way resemble the Bible, but let’s face it, the Bible has some sick twists and turns in it.

Heading over to X (formerly known as Twitter, yada yada) is this how I will feel coming out of the theater?

This many conflicting emotions may leave me feeling dizzy, I will make sure to schedule in flabbergasted time afterwards.

Living in a country that doesn’t have this available to watch in theaters forces me to wait for it to arrive on Amazon Prime Video, sigh. Maybe that will give me enough time to mentally prepare.

(featured image: MGM)