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57 psychological thrillers that’ll have you second-guessing everything
No, I’m not okay, thanks for asking!
If you’ve watched all the best horror movies or powered your way through the most watched movies on Netflix, you might think you’ve seen it all. But you haven’t felt true terror until you’ve watched the very best psychological thrillers. Sure, the scariest horror villains are nightmare-inducing, but the inner workings of the human psyche? Now that's messed up.
All genres overlap, but psychological thrillers are typically defined by their ability to combine the mysteries of the human brain with heart-pounding action, and will often times leave you doubting everything you’ve ever seen, read, or believed. Because psychological thrillers don’t just play with your physical safety, they’re about the safety (or lack thereof) of the reality in your head. Sounds fun, right? Now that you've been warned, check out the 50 of the best psychological thrillers below. It's time to discover what twists and turns await!
The Lost Daughter (2021)
Length: 2h 1m
IMDb rating: 6.7/10
Cast: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Paul Mescal
What's it about? A middle-aged woman finds herself obsessed with a mother-daughter duo on a beach holiday, and is forced to confront her own issues from the past.
The Perfection (2018)
Length: 1h 30m
IMDb rating: 5.8/10
Cast: Alison Williams, Maria Maskell
What's it about? When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte seeks out the new star pupil at her former school, neither of them could predict the sinister path they're led down.
The Woman In The Window (2021)
Length: 1h 40m
IMDb rating: 5.7/10
Cast: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman
What's it about? A woman with a fear of leaving the house witnesses a murder across the street, and must try to face her fears in a bid to work out exactly what's going on.
Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
Length: 2h 19m
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Matt Damon
What's it about? Set in the 1950s, a mysterious underachiever called Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve a wealthy and charming man called Dickie Greenleaf, taking matters to extreme along the way.
Bird Box (2018)
Length: 2h 4m
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
What's it about? A mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety, five years on from the invasion of an ominous unseen pesence that has driven much of society to suicide.
The Wonder (2022)
Length: 1h 48m
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Cast: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke
What's it about? An English nurse is sent to care a 'fasting girl' who claimed to be able to live without food, as she theorised about whether something more sinister was going on.
The Weekend Away (2022)
Length: 1h 29m
IMDb rating: 5.7/10
Cast: Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri
What's it about? When a woman is accused of killing her best friend on a weekend away in Croatia, she must attempt to uncover the truth in a bid to clear her name.
Saltburn (2023)
Length: 2 hours 11 minutes
IMDb rating: 7/10
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant
What's it about? Saltburn will make you question any and every random encounter you’ve ever had — and you'll never think of bathtubs the same way again. The movie stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an awkward, quiet student at Oxford who becomes enamoured with the richest, coolest boy at school, Felix (Jacob Elordi). But after he scores an invite to stay with Felix’s family at their sprawling estate for the summer, those around the friends begin to question Oliver's true nature.
Kimi (2022)
Length: 1 hour 30 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.3/10
Cast: Zoë Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Rita Wilson
What's it about? This one’s a bit more of a mystery movie than a psychological thriller, but IMO, it still counts. The film follows Angela (Zoë Kravitz), an agoraphobic data analyst who hears audio of what she believes to be a murder at work. But, when her company seems unwilling to take it seriously, she faces her fears and goes outside to deliver the suspicious audio to someone who will take it seriously. And that’s just the beginning.
The Gift (2015)
Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
IMDb rating: 7/10
Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton
What's it about? A chance encounter with an old classmate turns into a sick and twisted game in The Gift. The movie from writer-director and star Joel Edgerton follows Simon (Jason Bateman) and his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall), a couple whose married bliss is interrupted when Simon runs into an old high school classmate, Gordo (Edgerton). What starts as a harmless friendship soon turns when Gordo begins giving the couple mysterious gifts that suggest a secret from Simon’s past is coming back to haunt him.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Length: 2 hours 18 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.4/10
What's it about? It’s the end of the world! Or is it? What starts out as a weekend away in a rented mansion soon becomes a matter of life and death for a white, upper-class family when a mysterious Black couple, claiming to be the homeowners, arrives and informs them that a cyberattack has crippled global infrastructure. But will the family believe them? Come for the anxiety-inducing plot, stay to watch Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali dance like nobody’s watching.
Watch on Netflix
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Length: 2 hours 3 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.3/10
What's it about? Alice (Florence Pugh) has an idyllic 1950s housewife life, taking care of her perfect home in a perfect neighbourhood and taking care of her perfect husband, Jack (Harry Styles). But after a series of events causes her to question her own reality, the perfect facade starts to fall, revealing a sinister reality.
Don’t Worry Darling’s theatrical release was overshadowed by the Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles relationship drama, but that shouldn’t stop you from watching it if you’re in the mood for a gorgeous, twisted look at suburbia.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Length: 1 hour 40 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.1/10
What's it about? If an intimidating group of weirdos showed up at your door and told you that one of you had to die to prevent the apocalypse, would you believe them? What if they came wielding weapons and one of them looked like Dave Bautista? This is the terrifying premise of Knock at the Cabin, a movie that puts the fate of the world on the shoulders of two dads and their young daughter, and, yes, I’m emotional thinking about it, thanks.
Enemy (2013)
Length: 1 hour 31 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
What's it about? Enemy is probably one of the most confusing psychological thrillers I’ve ever seen — and I mean that as a compliment. The 2013 film from Denis Villeneuve (now known as the filmmaker behind Dune) stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man with a mundane life who decides to track down an actor after realising that they look exactly alike. And it only gets weirder from there.
Along Came a Spider (2001)
Length: 1 hour 44 minutes
IMDb rating: 6,4/10
What's it about? The kidnapping of a senator’s daughter is just the beginning of the conspiracy at the heart of Along Came a Spider, as it soon becomes clear that the kidnapper isn’t after the innocent girl, but has his eyes set on detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman).
The Lodge (2019)
Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
IMDb rating: 6/10
What's it about? Grace (Riley Keough) is snowed in with her two soon-to-be step-children after her fiancé leaves them in an isolated cabin. As the kids learn more about Grace’s troubled past, her instability threatens to put them all in danger.
Mother! (2017)
Length: 2 hours 1 minute
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
What's it about? An expectant mother's life takes a turn when a strange group of visitors shows up at her house, and her partner welcomes them in with open arms. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Mother! is the kind of movie that you either love or hate, but no matter where you fall, you will be thinking about how effed up it is for days to come.
Psycho (1960)
Length: 1 hour 49 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
What's it about? Obviously you can't curate a list of psychological thrillers without including Psycho. It's right there in the name. Alfred Hitchcock's most famous film is about a woman who stays at the world's creepiest motel run by one Norman Bates, a man who's...um...way too obsessed with his mum.
Parasite (2019)
Length: 2 hours 12 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
What's it about? Bong Joon Ho condemns capitalism in this expertly told thriller focusing on two families — one wealthy, the other impoverished. After lying his way to a prime tutoring gig for an uber rich family, Ki Woo (Choi Woo-sik) begins manipulating his employers into hiring his entire family, only to be sabotaged by a dark family secret.
Watch on Netflix
The Shining (1980)
Length: 2 hours 26 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
What's it about? Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel has basically ruined carpets, tricycles, twins, and hallways for me. It's a truly terrifying journey through one man's descent into insanity, and no, I have not recovered. REDRUM.
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