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.
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17,6473,310The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
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15,9123,019Seven
Brad Pitt, Gwyneth PaltrowReleased: 1995
Directed by: David Fincher
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11,1642,770The Shining
Jack Nicholson, Shelley DuvallReleased: 1980
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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7,9862,075Misery
Lauren Bacall, Kathy BatesReleased: 1990
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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14,3603,862Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle WilliamsReleased: 2010
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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13,0833,476The Sixth Sense
Bruce Willis, Mischa BartonReleased: 1999
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
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8,5762,644Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock, Janet LeighReleased: 1960
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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11,6253,722Fight Club
Brad Pitt, Jared LetoReleased: 1999
Directed by: David Fincher
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7,5792,549The Usual Suspects
Kevin Spacey, Benicio del ToroReleased: 1994
Directed by: Bryan Singer
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4,7011,256The Exorcist
Max von Sydow, Ellen BurstynReleased: 1973
Directed by: William Friedkin
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9,7043,329Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom HardyReleased: 2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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7,1772,372Gone Girl
Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick HarrisReleased: 2014
Directed by: David Fincher
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4,9431,875No Country for Old Men
Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee JonesReleased: 2007
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
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5,2922,023Zodiac
Robert Downey Jr., Jake GyllenhaalReleased: 2007
Directed by: David Fincher
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4,1421,584Primal Fear
Edward Norton, Richard GereReleased: 1996
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
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1,175379Fargo
Steve Buscemi, William H. MacyReleased: 1996
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
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2,870882The Bone Collector
Angelina Jolie, Denzel WashingtonReleased: 1999
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
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1,081322The Conjuring
Vera Farmiga, Patrick WilsonReleased: 2013
Directed by: James Wan
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1,967578Split
James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-JoyReleased: 2016
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
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6,4902,592American Psycho
Christian Bale, Willem DafoeReleased: 2000
Directed by: Mary Harron
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3,5811,117Hannibal
Julianne Moore, Gary OldmanReleased: 2001
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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1,153277The Devil's Advocate
Charlize Theron, Al PacinoReleased: 1997
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
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3,3691,284Cape Fear
Robert De Niro, Nick NolteReleased: 1991
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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8,0723,548Memento
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne MossReleased: 2000
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
25
3,2091,148Red Dragon
Anthony Hopkins, Ralph FiennesReleased: 2002
Directed by: Brett Ratner
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