What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedSalò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Film · 1976
If you loved Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, start with The Divine Comedy (Charles Eliot Norton, Dante Alighieri, 2018) — a book from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom across media.
What hooked you in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom was the visceral examination of how absolute power enables the systematic dehumanization of others.
Start with the source
The source
The Divine Comedy
Charles Eliot Norton, Dante Alighieri · Book · 2018
Books on the same thread
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez · Book · 1967
Explores: generational trauma, incest, fate vs free will.
Like Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, this epic explores the cyclical nature of power and the devastating impact of political corruption on the vulnerable human spirit.
Animal Farm
George Orwell · Book · 1945
Explores: Totalitarianism, Revolution, Power Corruption.
This satire mirrors the grim political allegory of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom by documenting the brutal transformation of societal structures into instruments of total control.
The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas
Ursula K. Le Guin · Book · 1993
Explores: Utilitarianism, Moral compromise, Social responsibility.
This story forces you to confront the same moral compromise and collective guilt that underpin the horrific power dynamics witnessed in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Salvador
Joan Didion · Book · 2011
Explores: Political Violence, Cold War Geopolitics, Imperialism and Foreign Policy.
This work dissects the anatomy of state terrorism with the same unflinching gaze found in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, exposing how political violence destroys civil society.
Series on the same thread
Sybil
Series · 1976
Explores: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Childhood Trauma, Mental Illness.
The harrowing psychological disintegration depicted here echoes the profound trauma and loss of self that the victims suffer under the sadistic regime of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
The World at War
Series · 1973
Explores: World War II, Historical Account, The Holocaust.
This documentary captures the historical reality of the fascism and mass dehumanization that serve as the grim, real-world context for the nightmares staged in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Holocaust
Gerald Green · Series · 1978
Explores: The Holocaust, Nazi persecution, Jewish persecution.
This drama illustrates the systematic persecution of individuals under a fascist regime, reflecting the same cruel erosion of human rights portrayed in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Salad Fingers
David Firth · Series · 2004
Explores: Isolation, Decay, The Grotesque.
The grotesque and surreal isolation found here mirrors the nightmarish, claustrophobic atmosphere of sensory deprivation and decay that defines the experience of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Podcasts on the same thread
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human depravity, systemic failure, macabre.
This podcast explores the depths of human depravity and systemic failure with the same relentless, uncomfortable focus on the macabre that characterizes Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Chapo Trap House
Podcast
Explores: social criticism, anti-capitalism, current events analysis.
This commentary provides a modern, satirical lens on the same structures of political power and social inequality that are violently critiqued in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.