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Saltburn writer and director Emerald Fennell is no stranger to controversy. Her first feature film, Promising Young Woman, was widely interpreted by critics as a response to the #MeToo social movement, which brought attention to the prevalence of sexual violence against women. The movie, which won acclaim for its bold storytelling and a razor-sharp performance by Carrey Mulligan as the vengeance-bent protagonist, sparked fierce debate regarding its treatment of sensitive topics. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Fennell followed up Promising Young Woman with Saltburn, which polarized critics and audiences and cemented Fennell’s status as a provocative young filmmaker. Saltburn premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in August of 2023, and was shown at several major film festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival, before it was released in theaters. Though Saltburn made only a minor splash at the box office in its first week, it held the attention of audiences for several weeks and found a much wider audience in the streaming market. The movie’s popularity even vaulted its soundtrack to the top of the UK music charts. “Murder on the Dancefloor,” a 2002 hit by English singer Sophie Ellis Bextor, reached no.8 on the pop charts and was streamed 1.5 million times on Dec 31, 2023, according to The Guardian.  

Though the movie received a mixed reception from critics and no nominations at the Academy Awards, its popularity with audiences was driven by word-of-mouth and wide coverage on social media. It’s no overstatement to say that Saltburn went viral online, spawning a themed cocktail, reaction memes, a vinyl album styled like a bath drain, a spate of fan-produced merchandise, and a popular TikTok dance trend inspired by the final scene of the movie. Particular attention was drawn to some of the more shocking and provocative scenes in the movie. The New York Times reported that videos related to Saltburn reached over 4 billion views on the video app TikTok alone. Indeed, the marketing of the movie was very social-media friendly, emphasizing the movie's lush and decadent aesthetics, its “indie-sleaze” soundtrack, and its popular young leads, Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi.  

While Promising Young Woman was met with broad acclaim by critics, Saltburn polarized critics and moviegoers alike. Both movies, however, generated a good deal of conversation and debate. The Guardian went as far as to label Saltburn the most “divisive” film of the year. While most critics agreed that Saltburn was stylish and visually impressive, with its distinctly gothic setting and pop-music sensibility, some felt that the movie prioritized style over substance, failing to make a coherent statement about class and privilege. Some targeted the film’s script, which they felt relied on shock-value. Others, however, celebrated the movie as a witty and decadent, if macabre, satire of the English upper class, comparing it to earlier films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley and Brideshead Revisited.  

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