The Best Psychological Thrillers Ranked

The Best Psychological Thriller

There is something to be said about films that are not shy about exploring those dark corners of the human mind. A great psychological thriller is going to take what is going on in a character’s head and present it cinematically, sometimes with your knowing consent and sometimes without. The following are great examples of what makes a psychological thriller tick as they deal with deception, delusions, abuse, and even murder.

Here are 10 of the best psychological thrillers.

10. Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher (you’ll read his name again) directed this psychological thriller that is based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name. She also penned the script. The film stars Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne, a man who becomes the prime suspect when his wife Amy (brilliantly played by Rosamund Pike) goes missing. There is a lot going on in Gone Girl, a film that offers plenty of twists and plenty of brutality. You will have to keep your eyes peeled on the screen to catch it all.

9. Inception (2010)

Probably the most Christopher Nolan of the Christopher Nolan films, this psychological thriller Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief. But he doesn’t steal normal things such as jewelry or money, instead DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb steals information by infiltrating the dreams/subconscious of his unsuspecting targets. That is just the beginning of the craziness that follows. Nolan’s impressive cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine.

8. The Usual Suspects (1995)

On the surface, The Usual Suspects appears to be an impressive crime drama, but once you hit that massive twist of an ending, you will realize the psychological thriller aspects of what you just witnessed. Kevin Spacey is wonderful as Verbal Kint, a disabled man who is one of two survivors of a massacre on a boat in a drug deal gone wrong. Through flashbacks. Kint tells his story of a group of criminals who, after committing a number of crimes, find out they are working for the mysterious crime lord Keyser Soze.

7. Se7en (1995)

David Fincher strikes again. Actually, Se7en came well before Gone Girl, but that’s not taking anything away from this often-horrific psychological thriller. Morgan Freeman stars as an aging detective who is mere days from retirement when he picks up a case and a new partner. Their investigation leads them to the seven deadly sins serial killer who is methodical in his approach. One piece of advice when watching this film, try to prepare yourself for that ending. Yikes.

6. Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan made a name for himself with this 2000 film that was immediately unique and compelling. His psychological thriller, which follows a man searching for his wife’s killer, is told in reverse. The reason for this is that the husband, played by Guy Pearce, suffers from anterograde amnesia, which results in short-term memory loss and the inability to create new memories. In an attempt to overcome this, the man has riddled himself with tattoos while also using Polaroid pictures and handwritten notes. It is a brilliant concept of a movie.

5. Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele hit the ground running with Get Out, his directorial debut that stars Daniel Kaluuya in a mind-twisty of a psychological thriller. Peele’s film immediately speaks to the racial prejudice continuing to take place in our world as Kaluuya’s Chris Washington is a young Black man who tags along with his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) to her rich parents’ estate. Unease turns to unimaginable as the weekend progresses, forcing Chris to fight for his mind’s well-being.

4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Absolutely one of the best psychological thrillers on the planet. The Silence of the Lambs not only shines because of the material, but the performances of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, and even more so, Ted Levine in a masterful performance as Buffalo Bill. The story follows Agent Starling, who still is in training, as she delves into the complicated, yet brilliant, mind of serial killer Hannibal Lecter, to see if he can help the FBI track down another brutal serial killer, Buffalo Bill.

3. Vertigo (1958)

And so it begins. Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. Vertigo is the first of three brilliant films by the legendary filmmaker, and it rightfully belongs on this list. The film stars James Stewart, who is cast against type in Hitch’s film, as an ex-cop who has an unbelievable fear of heights and a massive romantic obsession with Kim Novak (who wouldn’t). But this is a Hitchcock film, so be prepared, not everything is as it seems.

2. Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock strikes again with this 1960 dandy of a psychological thriller, Psycho. Often considered to be Hitch’s masterpiece, the film tells the story of a young woman (Janet Leigh) who sees a chance to make her life better by stealing a large amount of cash from her boss.

On the run now, she stops at the Bates Motel to rest for the night. Oh, she is going to rest all night, but not before that chilling and fatal shower attack. The mind games played in Psycho are perfectly nuanced with Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates one of the most memorable characters ever put on film.

1. Rear Window (1954)

Before taking on Vertigo, James Stewart was wheelchair-bound in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, another near-perfect psychological thriller from the Master of Suspense. This one had Hitch explore the themes of voyeurism, but never so on the money as he does with this film.

In it, Stewart is Jeff, a professional photographer who finds himself apartment bound from a broken leg. One night as he scans his neighbors’ windows with his camera, he witnesses what he believes is a murder. Grace Kelly stars as his girlfriend Lisa.