The Best and Scariest Psychological Thrillers of All Time

Updated February 16, 2021 49.5k votes 7.4k voters 709.4k views145 items

List RulesPsychological 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.

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The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
Released: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
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The Shining
Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
Released: 1980
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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Misery
Lauren Bacall, Kathy Bates
Released: 1990
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh
Released: 1960
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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The Sixth Sense
Bruce Willis, Mischa Barton
Released: 1999
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
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Seven
Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow
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Rosemary's Baby
Mia Farrow, Tony Curtis
Released: 1968
Directed by: Roman Polanski
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The Thing
Kurt Russell, Keith David
Released: 1982
Directed by: John Carpenter
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The Exorcist
Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn
Released: 1973
Directed by: William Friedkin
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Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton
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Sinister
Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio
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The Ring
Naomi Watts, Pauley Perrette
Released: 2002
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
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Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward
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Vertigo
James Stewart, Kim Novak
Released: 1958
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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The Others
Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston
Released: 2001
Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
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What Lies Beneath
Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford
Released: 2000
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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Rear Window
Grace Kelly, James Stewart
Released: 1954
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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Red Dragon
Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2002
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Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack
Released: 2007
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Cape Fear (1991)
Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte
Released: 1991
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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No Country for Old Men
Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones
Released: 2007
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Jacob's Ladder
Macaulay Culkin, Tim Robbins
Released: 1990
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
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Carrie
John Travolta, Sissy Spacek
Released: 1976
Directed by: Brian De Palma
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Zodiac
Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal
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Donnie Darko
Drew Barrymore, Ashley Tisdale
Released: 2001
Directed by: Richard Kelly
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