The Best and Scariest Psychological Thrillers of All Time

Over 8.6K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best and Scariest Psychological Thrillers of All Time
Voting Rules
Psychological thriller movies and psychological horror films only--no slasher flicks

What are the best and scariest psychological thrillers and psychological horror movies of all time? If you consider yourself a fan of psychological thrillers, browse through this list of the scariest psychological thrillers of all time to find a movie that will have you sitting in suspense and on the edge of your seat the entire time. Listed in order of the most popular scariest psychological thrillers to the least popular , you can easily see which scary psychological horror movie was good enough to earn top ranking. If a particular favorite is on the bottom of the list, go ahead and vote for it so that it can be raised higher on the list.

Horror movies with plenty of blood and gore are fairly easy to find, but it can sometimes be difficult to find just the right scary mystery movie that has more of a psychological plot. With this handy list, you will be able to pick some great psychological thrillers and psychological horror movies for a scary movie marathon.

Movies like Sixth Sense and the Secret Window keep the viewer guessing until the end, with plenty of thrills along the way. And, there are many other great psychological thrillers to choose from as well. Go ahead and look through the list. You may just find a new favorite for the best psychological horror or thriller movie that you’ll never tire of watching! And if you're in the mood to watch these ASAP, many of these psychological thrillers are on Netflix.

Photo: Silence of the Lambs / Orion Pictures
Ranked by
  • The Silence of the Lambs
    1
    3,245 votes
    Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
    Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant ...more
  • Seven
    2
    2,580 votes
    Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
    When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly ...more
  • The Shining
    3
    2,807 votes
    Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
    Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and ...more
  • Misery
    4
    1,818 votes
    James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen
    After a serious car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who claims to be his biggest fan. Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, ...more
  • The Sixth Sense
    5
    1,719 votes
    Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
    Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too ...more
  • The Exorcist
    6
    1,550 votes
    Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
    One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- ...more