Here is a list of the best psychological thrillers of all time, ranked by fans who may or may not be trying to mess with your head! Though a variety of definitions for the "psychological thriller" genre have been offered, there is no universally accepted set of guidelines. In general, good psychological thrillers integrate personal character elements into mystery and suspense films, essentially toeing the line between a dramatic character study and the sort of plot structure you'd expect from a detective movie. With that in mind, what do you think are the best psychological thriller movies Hollywood has to offer? Could some even be considered the best thriller movies ever?
Many of the top psychological thrillers resemble traditional thrillers or suspense films, only with a personal, internal antagonist rather than a traditional movie villain. (For example, Repulsion or The Conversation, in which the plot is moved forward by the main character's growing paranoia and madness.) In many thrilling films of this type, the solution to the main character's conflict comes in the form of altering their perspective or discovering some buried truth about themselves and their past, rather than winning a fight or battling an opponent.
Many psychological thrillers play around with the main character's back story, or make use of an unreliable narrator. Films like Christopher Nolan's Memento present the audience with one perspective on the story, and then generate suspense by showing the ways in which "reality" contrasts to this perspective. (This sometimes, but not always, results in a "twist" or surprise ending based on the difference between the main character's perception and that of outside observers). Several Alfred Hitchcock movies utilize this technique, particularly movies like Spellbound and Marnie, in which the story concerns a character becoming mentally well after years of madness and confusion. Several of these films are critically acclaimed psychological thrillers.
This list contains the best thriller movies of all time. It is open and vote ranked, so be sure to vote for your favorites and add any other movies that may be missing at the bottom of the page. Got an opinion on great thriller movies? Vote for your favorite psychological suspense movies ever! And, if you love scary material, check out this list of the best current crime shows as well.
1
17,2443,256The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
2
15,5832,955Seven
Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow- 310,8952,725
The Shining
Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall - 412,8053,398
The Sixth Sense
Bruce Willis, Mischa Barton - 514,0423,784
Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Williams - 67,8142,043
Misery
Lauren Bacall, Kathy Bates - 78,3792,592
Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh - 811,3733,644
Fight Club
Brad Pitt, Jared Leto - 97,4242,493
The Usual Suspects
Kevin Spacey, Benicio del Toro - 104,6301,241
The Exorcist
Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn - 119,4833,258
Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy - 126,9922,331
Gone Girl
Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris - 135,1751,990
Zodiac
Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal - 144,8471,850
No Country for Old Men
Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones - 154,0601,549
Primal Fear
Edward Norton, Richard Gere - 161,214392
Fargo
Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy - 172,831873
The Bone Collector
Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington - 181,985594
Split
James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy - 196,3492,526
American Psycho
Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe - 203,5191,108
Hannibal
Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman - 211,129357
The Conjuring
Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson - 221,186288
The Devil's Advocate
Charlize Theron, Al Pacino - 231,149395
What Lies Beneath
Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford - 243,3141,260
Cape Fear
Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte - 253,1371,124
Red Dragon
Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes
