10 Greatest Thematic Movie Trilogies, Ranked

Some trilogies are obvious — one long story split into parts — but others link films through recurring ideas rather than a single narrative. This piece looks beyond the familiar examples to consider groups of movies that gain depth when viewed together, even if their plots and characters don’t always overlap.

Dario Argento’s Three Mothers trilogy peaks early with Suspiria, followed by a decent Inferno and a weaker Mother of Tears. John Carpenter’s Apocalypse set begins with the essential horror of The Thing, then moves to Prince of Darkness and the cult-favored In the Mouth of Madness.

Luca Guadagnino’s Desire trilogy culminates in the acclaimed Call Me by Your Name, with A Bigger Splash and the lesser-known I Am Love completing the set. Lars von Trier’s Depression trilogy — Antichrist, Melancholia and the two-volume Nymphomaniac — lives up to its name with varied, often bleak approaches to loss and ruin.

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