Let me ask you a question. Why do you watch a movie? Obviously, many of you will answer ‘to spend my free time, or ‘to forget all of my problems and to relax my mind’. But what a lot of people don’t understand is that Some directors make movies not just for entertainment but also to leave something to think about for their audiences.
Those movies can change the way you look at the world, your perspective on life, and countless other factors. Well, not every movie could do that, but the movies that we are going to talk about in this article definitely can. We won’t be getting deeper into their stories as it will spoil the plots and ruin your experience. So anyway, here are “25 Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time“
25 Best Psychological Thrillers of all Time
25. Joker
2019 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham
IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
Joker is a thriller movie based on the Joker’s character in DC comics and it’s directed by Todd Phillips. It tells a story about a mentally troubled comedian named Arthur Fleck played by Joaquin Phoenix, and how he turns into a crazy guy who commits many crimes because of the way society mistreats him. The movie perfectly shows the depressing life of Arthur and his transformation into a chaotic person. And it also leaves the audience something to think about with a deep message. Joaquin Phoenix delivers a magnificent performance that won him an Oscar as the best actor at the 92nd Academy Awards.
24. Following
1998 ‧ Thriller/Crime
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Jeremy Theobald, John Nolan, Lucy Russell, Alex Haw, Dick Bradsell and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Following is directed by Christopher Nolan and it’s also his first feature film. An unnamed young writer played by Jeremy Theobald follows people on street to take inspiration for his stories from them, and he meets a thief whom he later teams up with. The story is interesting but also very confusing at the same time. It’s really hard to follow what’s really happening, but the big reveal hit the audience at the end then everything makes sense. Even though the movie has a small runtime like 1 hour and 10 minutes it gives the audience a truly amazing experience.
23. Seven
1995 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
Se7en is an incredible Mystery/Thriller directed by David Fincher. It tells a story about a serial killer named John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, who murders people according to seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play the roles of detective Mills and detective Somerset who try to bring down the killer. It has a really interesting and unpredictable story, which keeps the audience engaged. The movie is considered very dark and violent by many audiences but with amazing performances and an outstanding screenplay, Se7en has become a masterpiece in the thriller genre.
22. The Shining
1980 ‧ Horror/Mystery
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Joe Turkel, Philip Stone
IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
The shining is a Horror/Thriller Directed by the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Jack Torrance played by Jack Nicholson and his family move into a hotel in an isolated area to look after it during the winter. And Jack starts losing his sanity and doing crazy things affected by isolation. Despite being a horror, The Shining is not a very scary movie when compared with other horror movies, it is more like a disturbing movie. Stanley Kubrick’s directing in this movie is amazing, it captures the creepy isolated feeling very well in almost every scene. Jack Nicholson delivers an incredible performance as well.
21. Oldboy
2003 ‧ Mystery/Thriller
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kang Hye-jung, Yoo Ji-tae, Yoon Jin-seo, Ji Dae-han, Oh Dal-su and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
Oldboy is an amazing South Korean thriller directed by Park Chan-wook. Dae-Su Oh played by the actor Choi Min-Sik, gets released after being captivated and imprisoned for 15 years without giving any reasons, and now he has to find his captor in five days. The movie does a great job of captivating the attention of the audience the whole time. It keeps the audience in dark until the end to keep them guessing why it is all happening, and it makes the story interesting. Oldboy also got an English remake in 2013 by the same name by the Hollywood director Spike Lee.
20. Predestination
2014 | Sci-fi/Action
Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Cast: Sarah Snook, Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor, Michael Spierig, Christopher Kirby and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Predestination is a sci-fi/thriller directed by the Spierig brothers and stars Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor, and many other great actors. A temporal agent (played by Ethan Hawke) is sent back in time to New York in 1975 to prevent a bomb attack, but it turns out to be an impossible task for him to do.
The movie has a unique and interesting concept and the execution is also very well done. It never feels boring because of its great writing and performances. It also has a very confusing story that could give you a headache at the end but once you understand it you’ll realize how amazing the story is.
19. The Lighthouse
2019 | Horror/Drama
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Max Eggers, Jarin Blaschke and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
The lighthouse is the second feature film by Robert Eggers (the director who directed ‘The Witch’) and It stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe in the main roles. The story is set during the 1890s and tells how the two lighthouse keepers Thomas Howard and Thomas Wake try to maintain their sanity while living on a mysterious New England island.
The story is really different from what you see in everyday movies, but it’s definitely worth watching. This movie is also a little slow-paced but still keeps you entertained until the end and with its beautiful cinematography and amazing performances by the lead actors, you will never want to take your eyes off the screen.
18. Donnie Darko
2001 | Sci-fi/Fantasy
Director: Richard Kelly
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone and more
IMDb Ratings: 8/10
Donnie Darko is the directional debut of the writer and director Richard Kelly. Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, and many other talented actors. The story is about how Donnie Darko the main character (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) befriends an imaginary friend in a bunny costume named Frank, and how Frank manipulates Donnie to commit a series of crimes.
The story is kind of confusing and quite ominous but holds the attention until the very end, with a great cast and performances. This movie could take you a couple of rewatches to understand, just like many other movies on this list but I think it’s definitely worth it.
17. Hereditary
2018 | Horror/Drama
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Alex Wolff, Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne, Ann Dowd, Mallory Bechtel and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
Hereditary is the directional debut of the writer and director Ari Aster. The movie stars Alex Wolff, Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne and many other actors. After Annie’s (Toni Collett’s character’s) mother passes away their family starts experiencing some strange and frightening things in their house. Without giving out any clues the movie keeps the audience in the dark until the end, and hits them with the big reveal. The story is kind of slow-paced, but it constantly keeps raising suspense inside the audience with the strange things that happen on screen.
16. Psycho
1960 | Horror/Thriller
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Pat Hitchcock, Simon Oakland and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
Psycho is a thriller movie directed by the critically acclaimed late director Alfred Hitchcock. The movie stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and many other great actors. Janet Leigh’s character Marion Crane steals some money from her employer and goes on the run. When she checks into a motel to hide she meets Anthony Perkins’ character Norman Bates and the story develops from that moment. The movie is extremely good at making suspense, it never makes you lose interest. And it never fails to surprise the audience too.
15. The Silence of the lambs
1991 | Horror, Thriller
Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Jodie Foster, Masha Skorobogatov, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn , Ted Levine
IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
This movie is another book adaptation based on a book with the same name. Directed by the talented Jonathan Demme, it tells a story about an FBI student named Clarice Sterling who goes to interview Dr.Hannibal Lecter who is a psychiatrist and psychopath serving time for murder and cannibalism, so she could get his thoughts on a high-profile case that she’s working on.
Jodie Foster plays the role of Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins plays the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The powerful story and performances keep the movie extremely interesting and give a truly thrilling experience for the audience. The movie won 5 academy awards in the top 5 categories (BEst actor, actress, director, picture, and screenplay)
14. Midsommar
2019 | Horror, Drama
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter
IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
First of all, this is a very disturbing movie, so clearly it isn’t a movie for everyone. Midsommar is directed by Ari Aster and it tells a story about Dani and Jack, a couple who travels to a Swedish mid-summer festival with their friends and faces some strange things there. Florence Pugh plays the main role of Dani and Jack Reynor plays her boyfriend, Christian. The supporting cast includes Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson, and Vilhelm Blomgren. Florence Pugh delivers a magnificent performance as Dani but unfortunately, she didn’t even get a nomination at the Oscars for that role.
Rather than an entertaining movie, this is a movie that is very disturbing from start to finish, it literally plays with your emotions. That’s why this isn’t a movie for everyone and it has received many negative reviews. But if you’re a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s work this might be something that you are going to enjoy.
13. Gone girl
2014 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Gone Girl is also another amazing book adaptation directed by the masterful David Fincher. It tells a story about a psychotic wife who tries to get her husband in trouble. Ben Affleck plays the role of Nick Dunne, the husband and Rosamund Pike plays the role of Amy Dunne, the psychotic wife. Rosamund Pike gives a magnificent performance and she was nominated for the best leading actress that year. The movie is a great mix of thriller, mystery, and romance; Fincher does a perfect job by balancing all those 3 elements. With an engaging and unpredictable story, it constantly surprises you and keeps you engaged throughout the whole runtime.
12. American Psycho
2000 | Horror, Mystery
Director: Mary Harron
Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
American Psycho is also a book adaptation that goes by the same name. It is directed by Mary Harron and tells a story about a wealthy businessman in New York city that tries to hide his psychopathic, violent side from his co-workers. Christian Bale plays the role of Patrick Bateman, the psychotic businessman. And the supporting cast includes Jared Leto, Chloë Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Willem Dafoe, and many other great actors.
The character development in this movie is amazing, it almost leaves your head spinning at the end. Christian Bale’s amazing performance and Mary Harron’s flawless directing create a great combination, it keeps you engaged until the end of it. This is definitely something you shouldn’t miss. This movie is definitely deserves to be in this “Best Psychological Thriller Movies of all Time” list.
11. Arrival
2013 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien
IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
Arrival is a movie that is a combination of Sci-Fi and Psychological thriller genres. It is adapted from the book named ‘Story of Your Life’ and is Directed by Denis Villeneuve. The movie tells a story about Louise Banks, a Language Expert who gets to be involved in translating an alien language when a group of aliens comes to earth. It stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, Jeremy Renner as Ian Donnelly, and Forest Whitaker as Colonel Weber.
What makes this movie special is that the style the story is told, Denis Villeneuve chose to tell the story in an extremely complex way. But once you understand it you realize how amazing that storytelling style is. Amy Adams delivers an incredible performance as Louise Banks. The movie received 7 Oscar nominations, including 1 for Best Directing.
10. Enemy
2013 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Enemy is directed by Denis Villeneuve, the well critically acclaimed director who has now directed the movie Dune (2021). This movie is adapted from the novel named ‘The Double’. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the main character alongside Mélanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon. It tells a strange story about a history teacher in a very complicated style; the ending will leave your head spinning. And for that very reason Enemy received a lot of mixed reviews, but once you crack the code and understand the story you will realize how good of a story it is.
9. Get Out
2017 | Thriller, Horror
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Get out is the directional debut of the former actor Jordan Peele. Daniel Kaluuya plays the role of Chris Washington, an African-American man, who visits his white girlfriend Rose Armitage’s (played by Allison Williams) parents. Then he starts experiencing some really strange things. Daniel Kaluuya delivers a magnificent performance earning him a nomination in the Best Actor category at the 90th Academy Awards.
The way the story keeps the audience in suspense until the final moment is truly unbelievable. The movie also addresses some problems black people face, in a crooked way. Anyhow this is a thriller that you definitely shouldn’t miss. If you haven’t been too much in this genre then “Get Out” is a good psychological thriller movie to start with.
8. Black Swan
2010 | Thriller, Drama
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and more
IMDb Ratings: 8/10
Black swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a story about a ballerina named Nina Sayers who is obsessed with being perfect. The movie includes a great supporting cast (Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, and some other great actors). Her company’s artistic director decides to replace his primary ballerina as Nina for their opening production of “Swan Lake”(a famous ballet among ballerinas), and she has kind of a competition with this newcomer. The story shows how she changes herself to beat the competition and get the role. Natalie Portman’s incredible performance won the Best Actress Academy Award that year.
7. The Sixth Sense
1998 | Thriller, Horror
Director: M. Night Shymalan
Cast: Bruce Wills, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
The sixth sense is an amazing thriller movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help a child named Cole Sear played by Haley Joel Osment, who by the way delivers one of the best performances that year, that is having hallucinations. The movie was able to earn Oscar nominations for Best Directing, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best supporting actor for Haley Joel’s performance. The way this story develops is incredible; it makes you almost reject its ending. Definitely, a movie that everyone should check out.
6. Mulholland Drive
2001 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: David Lynch
Cast: Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Ann Miller, Robert Forster and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
Written & Directed by David Lynch, Mullholland Drive is a romance/thriller that will give you a massive headache at the end. The movie stars Naomi Watts and Laura Harring in the main roles. It is a very unique story that has both mystery/thriller and romance in it; 2 genres that don’t usually get along. But David Lynch’s amazing writing and directing perfectly balances both of the genres and gives a truly thrilling experience. It’s really hard to understand so this isn’t a movie for everyone. But it’s worth seeing at least once for its incredible performances.
5. The Prestige
2006 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Huge Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
The Prestige is the adaptation of the book that also goes by the same name. It is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars some A-list actors such as Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, and Michael Caine. It is a story about two fellow magicians that become enemies and start seeking revenge from each other.
With an incredible story and acting, you eventually get lost in the story. Chris Nolan’s storytelling style in this movie is excellent; the story becomes unpredictable every time, and it keeps surprising you until the end. You can say this is the best psychological thriller on Netflix to watch.
4. Primal Fear
1996 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Cast: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton and more.
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Primal Fear is a great thriller/mystery movie directed by Gregory Hoblit. The movie stars Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler, an altar boy who is falsely accused of a murder of a priest. Richard Gere plays the role of his lawyer, Martin Vail, and Laura Linney also plays a role of a lawyer named Janet Venable. This was the acting debut of Edward Norton and he managed to get nominated for an Oscar for the best supporting actor with his spectacular performance. This is a movie that you definitely shouldn’t miss if you love thriller/mystery movies.
3. Fight Club
1999 | Thriller, Drama
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto and more.
IMDb Ratings: 8.8/10
Fight Club is directed by David Fincher, and it stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter as main characters. The movie is based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk that goes by the same name. The story is about a young guy who’s obsessed with perfection, then he meets someone and his life completely changes from that point.
David Fincher’s directing is flawless in this, every single actor does an incredible job. Fight Club is not only a great thriller movie, it is also a movie that shows the harsh reality of today’s world and sets out a deep message. This movie has always been remembered as one of the Top Psychological Thrillers of all time.
2. Memento
2000 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Jr., Stephen Tobolowsky and more.
IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
Memento is directed by Christopher Nolan and it stars Guy Pearce in the main role as Leonard Shelby. He has a very rare condition named anterograde amnesia (Basically, what it does is that it decreases your ability to retain new information), so the story tells how he tries to remember a traumatic event that happened to him by piecing together the information around him. This is a quite simple story but told in an extremely complex way.
Even though Guy Pearce’s performance in this is amazing, he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. But Chris Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan were nominated for the best screenplay that year.
1. Shutter Island
2010 | Thriller, Mystery
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and more
IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
Directed by Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kinsley as the main characters. The movie starts with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character and Mark Ruffalo’s character visiting a mental hospital to investigate a case of a missing patient, and the story develops from that point. The storytelling style in this is amazing; it completely drags you into the story and makes you feel it.
Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his best performances in this and unfortunately, he wasn’t even nominated that year. The reason this movie is number 1 on this list is that this movie doesn’t have an extremely complex plot like many other movies on this list, and the characters in this movie feel so real than in the other movies. It makes the story more relatable for the audience. And this is ‘THE’ thriller movie that you shouldn’t miss out on.
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