Verity Review: Dakota Johnson And Anne Hathaway Shine In a Delightfully Terrifying, Risqué Romantic Thriller

Verity Review: Dakota Johnson & Anne Hathaway Shine In Best Colleen Hoover Adaptation Yet

The latest Colleen Hoover adaptation is about to hit theaters, and its action, racy scenes, and genuine jump scares will take audiences by surprise.

Published Sep 30, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering movies. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions and interviewing actors. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera

Book adaptations are notoriously difficult, for many reasons. From audience expectations typically being high (particularly when it comes to how certain characters are portrayed on the big screen), to literary prose not always translating to a compelling screenplay, so many things can go wrong with an on-screen adaptation of a beloved book. Arguably, that is especially true of romance novels, which have the potential to become a bit clunky and awkward, as recent forays into the genre, such as The Love Hypothesis, have unfortunately proven.

That is, in part, what makes Verity such a standout. This brand-new addition to the now busy canon of Colleen Hoover book adaptations, following on the heels of previous (and very complicated) projects like It Ends With Us, brings a star-studded cast to a story that is at once sexy, disturbing, and actually terrifying. (It's rare to get a jump scare out of me, and Verity managed to get not just me, but my entire theater, prompting a bout of sincere laughter.)

Leading the film are Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, who play established writer Verity Crawford and budding author Lowen Ashleigh, respectively. Along with Josh Hartnett as Jeremy Crawford, they become entangled in a love triangle of sorts that involves a lot more blood than one might be expecting – although, more than likely, the exact amount of deception and tension. It's Hathaway and Johnson that truly steal the show and make Verity a can't-miss for audiences looking for a steamy, creepy romantic thriller that doesn't fall victim to some of the pitfalls of the genre.

The Shining Meets Fatal Attraction In This Dark Romance That Actually Works

As someone who was highly critical of Madame Web, takes considerable umbrage with the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise for various reasons, and was let down by Materialists after trailers for the movie and its stellar cast seemed more than promising, I was delighted to discover that Johnson unequivocally shines in Verity. Her slightly aloof acting style completely works in this context, and she fits the bill for a young, up-and-coming writer who gets in way over her head and can't find her way out.

Unsurprisingly, decorated actress Hathaway, coming off the massive success of The Odyssey and the release of the charming if a little underwhelming dinosaur movie The End of Oak Street, gives the other standout performance. It was particularly interesting to see Hathaway in a role such as this one, which at some points demanded her oh-so-familiar beauty and elegance, and at other points saw her in a disarmingly disturbing vegetative state.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to claim this is the best Colleen Hoover adaptation to date...

At times, Hathaway's performance does seem a bit too grandiose or overdone, particularly in voiceover scenes. But, by the movie's conclusion, which features more than one jaw-dropping twist, viewers realize this approach to narration was not only intentional the entire time, but also further proof of Hathaway's on-screen brilliance. Even so, there are moments in which Verity shows its hand a bit, in terms of originating from a dark romance novel that at times has borderline cheesy lines and under-explained plot details.

Verity nevertheless impresses beyond what viewers might expect – especially those who may be a little skeptical of romance novels translating on the big screen. It wouldn't be unreasonable to claim this is the best Colleen Hoover adaptation to date, or that Dakota Johnson has never seemed more comfortable and confident in front of the camera. Both things alone suggest the film is worth a watch, and, perhaps even more surprisingly, worth seeking out in theaters.

Half of the joy of watching Verity was experiencing the reactions of the other audience members. Rarely have I attended a screening that so consistently featured major responses, whether that's laughter, gasps, or audible 'oh no's, which occurred from start to finish and speak to just how compelling and action-packed this flick really is.

Ultimately, Verity is just plain fun. It's bloody, but not so bloody that it would be too much for those wary of horror movies; it has some very spicy scenes, but they never feel gratuitous. It's unlikely to be the best thing anyone's seen this year, but it nevertheless proves that an on-screen adaptation of a dark romance novel one might pick up in an airport (an actual joke in the movie) doesn't have to be a cringe-filled, smutty nightmare.

Verity releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, October 2.