31 Best Psychological Thrillers That Will Leave You Wide-Eyed
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Classic horror movies full of gore and terror never fail to send a chill down our spine and get our heart racing. But truth be told, sometimes a mind-bender of a movie is the ultimate form of escapism, making us think while simultaneously driving us to draw the blankets closer to our face. We’re left wide-eyed by the deception and suspense of these films, and thoroughly creeped out by the dark and twisted storylines. And with Halloween 2023 being here before we know it, what better way to spend weekend movie nights with your besties or boo than with a line-up of the best psychological thrillers of all time?
Older flicks like The Shining and The Silence of the Lambs are the blueprint for terrifying thrillers, while newer horror movies such as Parasite and Midsommar have established themselves as some of the most unforgettable films of our generation. Directors like Jordan Peele and production companies such as A24 and Blumhouse continue to deliver hair-raising projects that make us want to sleep with one eye open. Luckily, from Netflix to Hulu to Prime Video, there are tons of unsettling thrillers to stream in an instant. Grab your snacks (and maybe keep a couple lights on) because here is a list of the best psychological thrillers that'll be hard to forget.
Missing (2023)
June (Storm Reid) starts questioning everything she thought knew about her mom and her mom's new boyfriend when they both go missing during their international vacation.
This is a standalone sequel to Searching (more on that movie below) and only uses phone/computer screens to tell the story in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Unsane (2018)
Shot entirely on an iPhone — yes, really! — this movie tells the story of a woman who is committed to a mental institution and begins to see the man who's been stalking her everywhere she looks. Is he real, or a product of her delusion?
Memento (2000)
Before Christopher Nolan directed Oppenheimer and the Christian Bale Batman trilogy, he directed and co-wrote this indie thriller about a man suffering from short-term memory loss who will stop at nothing to find his wife's killer.
The Call (2020)
This amazing Korean movie will truly mess with your head. Two women using a special cordless phone to speak to each other 20 years apart in time. At first, the conversation is nice, each providing the other information that'll improve their lives.
Things go south quickly when it's revealed one of them is actually a serial killer and is now using the intel she received to avoid getting caught by police.
Identity (2003)
At first, this just seems like your basic thriller about a group of strangers trapped at a secluded motel with a serial killer among them. Things are not so obviously what they seem, however, and you'll be screaming at the TV when the credits roll.
Greta (2019)
After Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the subway, she locates the owner's address and delivers it to her. Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a lonely widow, strikes up a friendship with Frances that quickly turns toxic.
Obsessed (2009)
Beyoncé stars in this thriller about a happy and thriving husband and wife who are soon stalked by a temporary worker at the husband's job.
The Prestige (2006)
In 1890s London, two magicians begin competing against each other to create the best illusion the world has ever seen. Unfortunately, this means they'll stop at nothing to one-up the other.
Possessor (2020)
If you enjoying watching a movie that will rip out your brain scramble things around and then put it back into your head, then this is the movie for you. This sci-fi psychological thriller is a total mindf*ck, fair warning now.
Possessor is about a clandestine company that can put someone's consciousness into another person's body and get them to assassinate people for wealthy clients.
The Intruder (2019)
Imagine moving into your dream house with your S.O., only to be stalked by your home's former owner. That's what Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie (Meagan Good) experience when Charlie (Dennis Quaid) refuses to leave them — and their house — alone.
One Hour Photo (2002)
Get ready to see a totally different side of Robin Williams than you've ever seen before.
A photo developer named Seymour (Williams) has an unhealthy obsession with a family who routinely develops photographs at his place of work.
Red Eye (2005)
Lisa (Rachel McAdams) is held hostage by a criminal (Cillian Murphy) on a routine flight and is told she has until the plane touches down to help orchestrate a political assassination. If she doesn't comply, her father's life will be in jeopardy.
Perfect Stranger (2007)
When her childhood friend is murdered, journalist Rowena (Halle Berry) goes undercover to try and expose a businessman as the killer. What she ends up uncovering, however, is much more shocking.
Watcher (2022)
No connection to Netflix's The Watcher, this movie follows an American woman who moves to Romania with her husband. She soon begins to suspect that a local serial killer is actually her neighbor, who's been watching her in her apartment building from across the street. Unfortunately, no one seems to believe her.
Hide and Seek (2005)
After the death of his daughter, David (Robert De Niro) takes his granddaughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) away from their life in NYC with the hope of starting fresh.
Understandably traumatized by the loss of her mom, Emily doesn't make new friends, instead focusing all her attention on her imaginary friend, Charlie, who begins to "resent" David.
Dream House (2011)
A family learns some of the previous owners of their new home were murdered in it, and the sole survivor is believed by the town to have done the crime. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Will (Daniel Craig) goes on a journey to uncover the truth about his family's new house and the secrets it holds.
Circle (2015)
A group of 50 strangers wakes up in a windowless room. They stand in a circle and quickly learn that in order to get out of the place alive, they will have to pick one person to be the sole survivor. Everyone else will die.
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
You've probably seen, or at least heard of, the When a Stranger Calls remake that came out in 2006, but the original is arguably so much better and more unsettling than the Camilla Belle movie.
Seven years after being terrorized by someone on the phone that ultimately resulted in the death of children, a former babysitter is stalked yet again by the same man.
Parasite (2019)
Parasite depicts the stark class difference between two families living in Seoul, South Korea: the Parks, who are wealthy and reside in a palatial home, and the Kims, who are impoverished and live in a small, cramped apartment. This is a remarkable, thought-provoking film that earned Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards — the first non-English film to win the accolade.
Gone Girl (2014)
It’ll be hard to shake the harrowing chills that run down your spine while watching Gone Girl. Based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, this thriller follows Nick (Ben Affleck), who becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance after she suddenly goes missing.
Get Out (2017)
In his directorial debut, Jordan Peele delivers an unforgettable thriller about Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Allison Williams), a couple who travels to upstate New York to visit Rose’s family. But while there, Chris is subjected to a number of unsettling and terrifying situations, and soon uncovers the family’s chilling disguise.
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, Don’t Worry Darling is set in an isolated, utopian community in the California desert in the 1950s, where Alice (Pugh) grows increasingly disturbed by her husband’s (Styles) involvement in a top-secret project.
The Invisible Man (2020)
When Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) escapes her controlling, abusive relationship, she stays with her childhood friend (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter (Storm Reid). She’s under the assumption that her boyfriend is now dead, until a series of disturbing occurrences has her convinced that he’s still alive.
Midsommar (2019)
After a family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) travels to Sweden to attend a seemingly idyllic midsummer festival with her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) and his friends. But days upon arrival, Dani realizes that the retreat is far from peace and tranquility.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs introduces the cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) — one of the most terrifying villains in horror movie history — who’s interviewed by FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) for insight into the pursuit of another serial killer, “Buffalo Bill.”
Ma (2019)
A group of teenagers befriend a lonely woman (Octavia Spencer), who appears nice and welcoming — until her sinister, diabolical side slowly starts to surface.
Shutter Island (2010)
This Martin Scorsese-directed film follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), who travels to investigate a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island after a patient — its 66th patient — goes missing.
Searching (2018)
After his daughter Margot (Michella La) goes missing, David (John Cho) must use text messages, bank statements, and the entirety of her digital footprint to piece together the reason behind her disappearance.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) travels to the Italian coast to meet his former Princeton classmate Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) — and slowly but surely take over his life.
Mother! (2017)
A husband and wife (Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem) retreat to their country home for peace and tranquility. But their quiet existence is interrupted when a strange couple shows up on their doorstep and threatens their life.
The Shining (1980)
A family of three travels to the isolated, deserted Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies for a stretch of peace as Jack (Jack Nicholson) writes his novel. But he begins to unravel as the weeks stretch on and the hotel’s disturbing secrets begin to reveal themselves.
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