70 Psychological Thriller Movies: Unraveling Minds with Mesmerizing Suspense and Intrigue

Sparsh Mudgal

Entertainment

Life is full of surprises and thrills. Sometimes the expectations we keep in our daily lives can decide our roller-coaster swing of emotions from one moment to the other. Talking about psychological thrillers – is a thrill in itself. The sheer level of suspense that the best psychological thriller movie provide can be quite stirring from the inside, where you can either be freaked, shocked, or at best both. With a penchant for tension, suspense, and mind-bending twists, psychological thrillers have the remarkable ability to captivate and disturb in equal measure. Psychological thriller movies delve deep into the darkest corners of the human mind, crafting narratives that leave us questioning our own perceptions, sanity, and morality.

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70 Best Psychological Thriller Movies List:

Sr No.Movie Name & YearIMDb Rating
1. The Machinist (2004)7.7
2.Shutter Island (2010)8.2
3. Psycho (1960)8.5
4. Donny Darko (2001)8.0
5.The Butterfly Effect (2004)7.6
6.Rear Window (1954)8.4
7.The Sixth Sense (1999)8.1
8.Memento (2000)8.4
9.Mulholland Drive (2001)8.0
10.The Prestige (2006)8.5
11.Get Out (2011)7.7
12.What Lies Beneath (2000)6.6
13.Requiem For A Dream (2000)8.3
14. Hannibal (2001)6.8
15.Searching (2018)7.6
16.Gerald’s Game (2017)6.6
17.SE7EN (1995)8.6
18.Black Swan (2010)8.0
19.Oldboy (2003)8.4
20. The Skin I Live In (2011)7.6
21.Das Experiment (2001)7.7
22.Moon (2009)7.9
23. Fight Club (1999)8.8
24.The Imposter (2012)7.5
25. Taxi Driver (1976)8.3
26.The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)8.6
27.The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)7.4
28.Gone Girl (2014)8.1
29.Triangle (2009)6.9
30.Vertigo (1958)8.3
31.The Handmaiden (2016)8.1
32.American Psycho (2000)7.6
33.Prisoners (2013)8.1
34.Zodiac (2007)7.7
35.Don’t Breathe (2016)7.1
36.Mystic River (2003)7.9
37.Identity (2003)7.3
38.Exam (2009)6.8
39.Gone Baby Gone (2007)7.6
40. Mother! (2017)6.6
41. The Others (2001)7.6
42.The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)7.8
43.A Beautiful Mind (2001)8.2
44.The Game (1997)7.8
45.Cape Fear (1991)7.3
46.The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)6.7
47.The Invitation (2015)6.6
48.The Prestige (2006)8.5
49.The Village (2004)6.5
50.Side Effects (2013)7.1
51.The Gift (2015)7.0
52.Insomnia (2002)7.2
53.Crimson Peak (2015)6.5
54.Incendies (2010)8.3
55.Cache (2005)7.9
56.The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)8.2
57.Memories of Murder (2003)8.1
58.The Wailing (2016)7.4
59.The Orphanage (2007)7.4
60.Primal Fear (1996)7.7
61.The Invisible Guest (2016)8.1
62.Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)8.2
63.I Saw The Devil (2010)7.7
64.The Silenced (2015)5.7
65.Bedevilled (2010)7.3
66.The Man from Nowhere (2010)7.8
67.The Chaser (2008)7.9
68.The Terror Live (2013)6.7
69.Montage (2013)7.1
70.The Priests (2015)6.3

Also Read: Best Hollywood Suspense Thriller Movies

1. The Machinist (2004)

IMDb

An industrial worker Trevor, who has not slept for months, experiences unusual things both at home and work. This forces him to question his own sanity towards the end. 

2. Shutter Island (2010) 

letterboxd

Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US Marshals are sent to a remote island to look for a missing patient from an asylum on that island. But soon, Chuck discovers something strange about the place and his partner Chuck. This Psychological Thriller Movie you can not miss to watch.

3. Psycho (1960)

Intofilm

Alfred Hitchcock’s direction, Psycho – is about Marion who has disappeared after stealing money but is being chased by her lover and sister. Things turn awkward when this leads them to the infamous Bates Motel, where they meet Norman Bates. 

4. Donny Darko (2001)

YouTube

Donny, an awkward teenager befriends a figure in a bunny costume called Frank. Only Donny can see Frank and is told by the bunny figure about the world ending in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. You can not miss to watch this psychological thriller movie.

5. The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Microsoft

Evan gets severe headaches that cause him to suffer blackouts. When unconscious, he travels to his own past and realizes the alterations made by him in the past start causing drastic changes in the present.  

6. Rear Window (1954)

Egypt Today

Professional photographer Jeff is bedridden and in his apartment due to a broken leg. He decides to spy on his neighbours using his camera but only to come across a shocking revelation. 

Also Read: Romantic Hollywood Movies

7. The Sixth Sense (1999)

National Post

Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist starts treating a young boy who becomes the medium of communication between Crowe and a slew of unhappy spirits around. A thriller movie that’s genuinely haunting – this one leaves a person thinking about the same, even hours after watching the movie. 

8. Memento (2000)

The Artifice

An insurance investigator suffering from anterograde amnesia uses tattoos and notes to hunt the man who probably killed his wife. The revenge for his wife is the last thing he remembers. 

9. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Roger Ebert

Rita and Betty start finding clues about the former’s accident and true identity. Things don’t really pan out like they expected. 

10. The Prestige (2006)

UNT

A story of two friends who are also fellow magicians but with ill-fated futures ahead. After a tragic incident makes them bitter enemies, they make great sacrifices to bring fame but with terrible consequences. 

11. Get Out (2011)

Vox

Chris, an African-American man decides to visit his Caucasian girlfriend and her parents. Things look pretty normal at first, but what follows is sheer horror for Chris. 

12. What Lies Beneath (2000)

Slash Film

Clair and Norman move to the latter’s old house. Soon, Clair discovers something strange about the place, her husband, and one of her students who is now dead. This Psychological Thriller Movie is full of joy

13. Requiem For A Dream (2000)

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The story of a different set of individuals longing to be loved, but falling into a downward spiral of drugs and abuse. This Psychological Thriller Movie is one movie for the ages.

14. Hannibal (2001)

fthismovie

Mason Verger, a victim of cannibalism, makes an extensive plan to avenge himself from Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who was arrested for cannibalism but now lives discreetly in an unknown place. 

15. Searching (2018)

Variety

David Kim’s 16-year-old daughter, Margot, disappears without leaving behind any clue and even a police investigation cannot find her whereabouts. The only thing left for David is to check his daughter’s laptop, call her friends, and look at the photos & videos for a possible clue. 

Also Read: Bollywood Thriller Movies

16. Gerald’s Game (2017) 

Bustle

A girlfriend handcuffed without any hope of getting out accidentally kills her boyfriend during a kinky game. Soon after, she starts to see strange visions and hears terrible voices. 

17. SE7EN (1995)

Narrative First

Two detectives, one who is new to the city and the other about to retire, are assigned to capture a serial killer who has been murdering people for committing seven deadly sins. This dark gripping thriller leaves the most shocking scenes for the end, making nerve-wracking revelations! 

18. Black Swan (2010)

NY Times

Nina, a ballerina, gets the chance to play the White Swan, Princess Odette. But she slips into a dark zone and gets mad when the artistic director decides that Lily will do more justice to the role. 

19. Oldboy (2003)

letterboxd

A man held captive for no apparent reason for years is given a cell phone, money and expensive clothes and is released. He has to find his captor or else something uglier awaits him. 

20. The Skin I Live In (2011)

YouTube

Dr. Robert Ledgard, to prevent others from suffering the same fate as his wife (who was horribly burned in an auto accident), invents a skin that completely guards the body but is still sensitive when touched. Ledgard with the help of his trusted housekeeper tests his creation on a girl, Vera, who was captured and kept prisoner in his apartment. 

21. Das Experiment (2001)

Filmbore

As part of psychological research, two sets (prisoners and guards) are monitored in a controlled environment. The prisoners are incarcerated to obey the guards and the guards on the contrary are strictly told to keep the place in order and decorum. This looks like a simple simulation but doesn’t quite end that way.  You Should watch this psychological thriller movie once in a life.

22. Moon (2009)

Empire

An astronaut Sam, working alone at a lunar station with his computer GERTY, is going home after the end of his three-year work contract. But just before he can leave, he meets with a fatal accident. 

23. Fight Club (1999) 

Indiewire

Not happy his his capitalist lifestyle, an insomniac along with Tyler (a careless soap salesman) open an underground fight club. However, Tyler is not all he claims. 

24. The Imposter (2012)

Now Magazine

Frederic Bourdin, a con artist, tricks a Texas family into believing he was a relative who disappeared years ago. Impersonating Nicholas Barclay (a boy who disappeared at the age of 13 from Texas), he wins over the family by planting a false story, claiming, he was abducted by Mexican thugs and subjected to sexual abuse. And yes, it’s based on a true story.

25. Taxi Driver (1976)

Hollywood Reporter

Travis, an ex-marine and Vietnam veteran who works as a taxi driver in New York City, is driven to save a pre-adolescence-age prostitute from her pimp in an effort to clean the city of its corruption. This Scorsese neo-noir psychological thriller brings out the angst of a socially dysfunctional citizen now transformed into a rage machine.

26. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Variety

Clarice Starling, an FBI agent, seeks help from Hannibal Lecter, a psychopathic serial killer and former psychiatrist, in order to apprehend another serial killer who has been claiming female victims only. With insights from Lecter, Starling starts her pursuit of the serial killer, nicknamed “Buffalo Bill”. 

27. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Grailed

Tom travels to Venice to convince Dickie, a rich man’s son, to return to the US. When he gets obsessed with Dickie’s lavish lifestyle, he resorts to extreme measures to impersonate him, causing a furore. 

28. Gone Girl (2014)

Indiewire

Nick Dunne discovers that the entire media focus has shifted on him when his wife Amy Dunne disappears on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. When a forensic test reveals blood-stains belonging to Amy, the world turns its suspicions on Nick.

29. Triangle (2009)

Prabhat Rayal

When a storm upturns their yacht, a group of passengers jump on board a ship close by. Strange things start happening as soon as they board the vessel. 

Also Read: South Indian Thrillers Movies

30. Vertigo (1958)

Letterboxd

Detective Scottie who suffers from acrophobia is hired to investigate the strange activities of an old friend’s wife. The detective becomes dangerously obsessed with his friend’s wife after she passes away. 

31. The Handmaiden (2016)

Roger Ebert

With help from an orphaned pickpocket, a Korean con man devises an elaborate plot to seduce a Japanese woman out of her inheritance.

32. American Psycho (2000)

IMDb

The film follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy and narcissistic investment banker in Manhattan. However, beneath his polished exterior lies a psychopathic killer with increasingly violent and sadistic tendencies.

33. Prisoners (2013)

IMDb

The film follows the harrowing story of Keller Dover, portrayed by Hugh Jackman, whose daughter and her friend go missing on Thanksgiving Day. As the investigation led by Detective Loki struggles to find leads, Keller takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a desperate and morally complex journey to uncover the truth.

34. Zodiac (2007)

IMDb

The film explores the true story of the hunt for the elusive and unidentified serial killer known as the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The movie is known for its meticulous attention to detail, compelling storytelling, and its portrayal of the toll that the investigation takes on those involved.

35. Don’t Breathe (2016)

IMDb

The film centres on a group of friends who break into the home of a blind man, hoping to steal a substantial sum of money rumoured to be hidden inside. However, they soon find themselves trapped inside the house with the blind man, who possesses heightened senses and is far more dangerous than they initially thought. This is best psychological thriller movie.

36. Mystic River (2003)

IMDb

The film explores the lives of three childhood friends—Jimmy Markum, Dave Boyle, and Sean Devine—whose paths diverge after a traumatic childhood experience. When tragedy strikes their neighbourhood as adults, their lives become intertwined once again, leading to a complex and suspenseful tale of secrets, guilt, and the impact of the past on the present.

37. Identity (2003)

IMDb

The film revolves around a group of strangers who find themselves stranded at a remote motel during a rainstorm. As they seek refuge from the storm, they begin to realize that they share more in common than they initially thought.

38. Exam (2009)

IMDb

The film centres on a group of candidates who are competing for a highly coveted job at a mysterious corporation. They are placed in a windowless examination room and given a single sheet of paper with one question and no clear instructions.

39. Gone Baby Gone (2007)

IMDb

The film follows private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, as they are hired to search for a missing girl in a gritty Boston neighbourhood. As they delve deeper into the case, they uncover dark secrets, questionable morals, and a community divided by crime and corruption.

40. Mother! (2017)

IMDb

The film follows the story of a couple living in a secluded and idyllic house in the countryside. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when unexpected guests arrive, leading to a series of increasingly bizarre and unsettling events.

Also Read: Bollywood Suspense Thrillers

41. The Others (2001)

IMDb

The film is set in post-World War II England and centres around Grace Stewart who lives in a remote and darkly atmospheric mansion with her two photosensitive children. As strange and unsettling events unfold within the house, Grace becomes convinced that the property is haunted.

42. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

IMDb

The film follows the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the enigmatic computer hacker Lisbeth Salander as they delve into the decades-old disappearance of a wealthy industrialist’s niece. As they uncover dark family secrets and disturbing crimes, they find themselves entangled in a complex and suspenseful mystery.

43. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

IMDb

The film tells the real-life story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who struggles with schizophrenia. As Nash’s mental illness takes its toll on his personal and professional life, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and recovery with the unwavering support of his wife, Alicia.

44. The Game (1997)

IMDb

The film centres on Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy and emotionally distant banker who receives a mysterious gift from his estranged brother, Conrad. This gift is an unusual and immersive live-action game, designed to change Nicholas’s life. However, as the game becomes increasingly surreal and dangerous, Nicholas struggles to distinguish between reality and fiction.

45. Cape Fear (1991)

IMDb

The film follows the story of Max Cady, a convicted rapist who is released from prison and seeks revenge on his former attorney, Sam Bowden, whom he blames for his incarceration. As Cady terrorizes Bowden and his family, tension and psychological mind games escalate, leading to a suspenseful and chilling battle between the two men.

46. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)

IMDb

The film revolves around a seemingly perfect nanny, Peyton Flanders, who is hired by a family to care for their children after the mother, Claire Bartel, becomes pregnant. However, Peyton has a hidden agenda, as she seeks revenge against Claire for a past incident that ruined her life.

47. The Invitation (2015)

IMDb

The film follows the story of Will, who accepts an invitation to a dinner party at his former home, hosted by his ex-wife and her new husband. As the evening progresses, Will becomes increasingly suspicious of the hosts’ intentions and begins to believe that something sinister is afoot.

Also Read- Plot Twists Thriller Movies

48. The Prestige (2006)

Movies Anywhere

The film is set in the world of 19th-century stage magicians and revolves around the intense rivalry between two magicians. Their competition escalates to a dangerous and obsessive level as they attempt to outperform each other’s tricks, leading to dark secrets, betrayals, and the ultimate pursuit of the perfect illusion.

49. The Village (2004)

Poster Spy

The film is set in a secluded 19th-century village where the residents live in fear of the mysterious creatures that inhabit the surrounding woods. The villagers adhere to strict rules and have an agreement with the creatures to avoid conflict. However, when a young woman becomes critically ill, a blind man named must venture into the woods to obtain medicine from the outside world, revealing secrets about the village and the creatures that lurk nearby.

50. Side Effects (2013)

IMDb

The film follows the story of a young woman who begins to struggle with severe depression following her husband’s release from prison. After a failed suicide attempt, she begins seeing a psychiatrist who prescribes a new experimental drug to treat her condition, but the medication leads to unexpected and dangerous side effects, leading to a complex and suspenseful narrative that delves into the pharmaceutical industry, ethics, and the blurred line between reality and manipulation.

Psychological thriller movies keep us on the edge of our seats, challenge our perceptions, and take us on rollercoaster rides through the human psyche. Whether it’s uncovering dark secrets, navigating twisted narratives, or confronting our deepest fears, these films continue to captivate audiences with their mind-bending plots and unforgettable characters.

Also Read- Twisted Psychological Thrillers

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