Sign in to your Collider account
Custom Image by Federico Napoli
The best psychological thrillers are born from a marriage of danger and cerebral uncertainty. The inability to discern what is real from what isn’t makes any situation more intense. Generally, these films tend to stray away from the comforts of familiar plotlines and reliable narrators, opting for a more abstract approach to storytelling while challenging the viewer to take a closer look. In a good psychological thriller, nothing is ever obvious.
The 21st century has provided some of the greatest psychological thrillers that cinema has to offer. The advancement of image-generating technology and the rise to stardom of some of Hollywood's most revered new-age talents has allowed the genre to prosper. This is a selection of the 10 best psychological thrillers of the last 25 years, ranked.
10 'Uncut Gems' (2019)
Directed by Benny and Josh Safdie
Image via A24 Eccentric gemstone dealer Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), operating out of the bustling chaos of New York City, secures what he believes to be his biggest sale yet: an incredibly rare uncut opal from Ethiopia. Looking to clear his gambling debts and make a deal with a high-profile buyer, Howard soon finds himself in over his head as he tries to juggle obligations with associates, family, and relentless mobsters.
Simply put, Uncut Gems is one of the most impressive feats of filmmaking and screenwriting of the 21st century. The Safdie brothers captured lighting in a bottle; no other movies have forward momentum and energy quite like Uncut Gems. This is in no small part thanks to various fantastic performances, particularly Sandler—his turn as the neurotic diamond dealer is full-bodied and unlike anything the seasoned performer has accomplished before. It's perhaps the fastest 135 minutes one could experience, a cinematic, near-perfect adrenaline shot sure to leave viewers breathless by the end and will make real-life feel in slow motion.
Release Date August 30, 2019
Director Ben Safdie , Joshua Safdie
Runtime 130 minutes
9 'Memento' (2000)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Image via Summit Entertainment The last thing that Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) can remember is the murder of his wife. As a result of brain trauma, Shelby is left unable to form new memories and must leave notes for himself on Polaroid pictures. The most important things that he must remember are tattooed onto his body. With only the killer's name to go off, Shelby's circle of those he can trust is ever shrinking.
Director Christopher Nolan's second feature film, and his first with a proper budget, Memento is also one of his best and most intimate. Pearce is superb as the lead; Shelby's condition makes for a compelling narrative hook and Pearce is as convincing as ever. Suitably twisty and elegantly designed from a narrative standpoint, Memento established Nolan's propensity for stories revolving around the manipulation of time.
Release Date May 25, 2001
Runtime 113 minutes
8 'Parasite' (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Image via Neon The Kim family has known nothing but poverty their entire lives; their primary source of income is folding pizza boxes in their cramped basement apartment. When the son Ki-woo is presented with the opportunity to tutor the daughter of the wealthy Park family, it appears that their luck is turning around. Soon enough, every member of the Kim family schemes their way into the Park's daily routine with prosperous (and eventually deadly) results.
Parasite is a meticulously crafted masterpiece that stands as one of the best movies of the 21st century. The suspense and tension is palpable, bolstered by a clever and inventive screenplay that is bound to keep any viewer on their toes. Delightfully peculiar and bold, Parasite is a rousing watch, fully deserving of its monumental Best Picture win. Few movies feel as fresh and exciting as this—it's enough to reinforce anyone's love for movies.
Release Date November 8, 2019
Director Bong Joon Ho
Cast Yeo-Jeong Jo , Myeong-hoon Park , Jeong-eun Lee , Sun-kyun Lee , Ji-so Jung , So-dam Park , Keun-rok Park , Kang-ho Song , Ji-hye Lee , Woo-sik Choi , Seo-joon Park , Hye-jin Jang
Runtime 132 minutes
7 'Shutter Island' (2010)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Image via Paramount Pictures US marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Ule (Mark Ruffalo) are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a remote psychiatric hospital located on Boston's Shutter Island. When the hospital begins to deny him resources and shut out his investigatory efforts, Teddy starts to doubt the staff's innocence regarding the disappearance. Teddy follows a trail of breadcrumbs that will challenge his perception of the past.
The central mystery of Shutter Island is a compelling one, bolstered by stellar performances from an all-star cast and an excellently established atmosphere. While it could be considered a diversion from the type of material that legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese usually produces, Shutter Island is nonetheless a rousing and exceptionally entertaining mind-bender that rewards close attention to the screenplay's finer details.
Release Date February 19, 2010
Runtime 138 minutes
6 'The Machinist' (2004)
Directed by Brad Anderson
Image via Paramount Classics The Machinist follows Trevor (Christian Bale), an insomniac industrial worker terrorized by his obsessive compulsions and paranoia. As mysterious post-it notes appear on his fridge and a new co-worker begins to stalk him, Trevor finds himself falling deep into a rabbit hole that might hold answers on the other side.
The Machinist is often referenced as the film in which Bale's appearance resembles a living skeleton. The imagery is unsettling, but it’s the atmosphere of the film and Bale's captivating performance that is certain to leave a lasting impression. Superbly crafted, genuinely unsettling and visually inventive, genre fans cannot go wrong with this underrated gem.
Release Date October 22, 2004
Runtime 101 Minutes
5 'Gone Girl' (2014)
Directed by David Fincher
Image via 20th Century Fox Following his wife's (Rosamund Pike) abrupt disappearance, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports the incident to the police. Strange circumstances surrounding her disappearance along with his questionable behavior lead to Nick being caught in a media storm. Nick must do everything he can to prove himself innocent all the while unearthing a twisted plot left behind by his wife.
Perhaps David Fincher at his most playful, Gone Girl is razor-sharp entertainment that's suspenseful, intriguing, and impeccably crafted. The movie's success is largely due to Affleck and Pike's lead performances, who are perhaps the most dysfunctional married couple in movie history. Nothing is as it seems in Gone Girl—even the movie's darkest moments are often punctuated by pangs of pitch-black humor, and it's all the more enjoyable as a result.
Release Date October 1, 2014
Runtime 2h 29m
4 'Prisoners' (2013)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Image via Warner Bros Following the disappearance of his young daughter and her friend, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is fed up with waiting on the police's fruitless investigation. Taking matters into his own hands, Keller searches for answers and is willing to do just about anything to get them, tailed by the detective investigating the case.
At the core of Prisoners is an enthralling moral dilemma. The film deals with a nightmarish and inconceivable situation for many, and director Denis Villeneuve urges the viewer to place themselves in the protagonists' shoes and ask what they would do differently. While Prisoners is dismal and sometimes downright difficult to watch, it's a challenging thriller that provokes both thought and engagement with its central themes.
Release Date September 20, 2013
Director Denis Villeneuve
Runtime 153 minutes
3 'Nightcrawler' (2014)
Directed by Dan Gilroy
Image via Open Road Films Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a desperate, slick-talking young man who's okay with making a dishonest living. When he discovers the L.A. crime journalism scene, Lou purchases a video camera and is quick to earn the attention of major news outlets. Soon, this young would-be upstart proves dangerously ambitious, willing to do just about anything for the perfect shot.
Gyllenhaal is undoubtedly one of the most talented actors working today, and Nightcrawler, if nothing else, is a spectacular showcase of his abilities. An expertly crafted story of obsession that calls into question the moral shortcomings of 24-hour news production, Nightcrawler is inventive, fresh and downright essential viewing for genre fans looking for a visceral rush. It takes viewers down some very dark avenues, but the payoff is wickedly satisfying and sure to leave an impression.
Release Date October 31, 2014
Director Dan Gilroy
Runtime 117 minutes
2 'Black Swan' (2010)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina for a New York City ballet company. She's utterly devoted to perfecting her craft and securing a lead in the company's production of Swan Lake. When her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey), her demanding instructor (Vincent Cassel) and a new dancer (Mila Kunis) push Nina over the edge, horrifying revelations follow.
Black Swan is a ship steered true by a sublime lead performance from Natalie Portman. Portman gives the performance of a lifetime as a ballerina wrought with insecurities and an obsession for perfection. Black Swan is a masterfully woven crochet that tightens and never lets loose. This psychological thriller cuts deep and is bound to find its way under the skin of anybody willing to take the swan dive into a thematically dense and deeply unsettling character study.
Release Date December 3, 2010
Runtime 108 minutes
1 'Zodiac' (2007)
Directed by David Fincher
Image via Warner Bros. 1970s San Francisco. A serial killer operating with extreme precision and ruthlessness taunts Bay Area police with cryptic messages and letters. As the death toll rises, and with many more being threatened, a San Francisco cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) obsesses over the case. His attempts to identify the enigmatic murderer bring him closer to solving the mystery than he could have ever imagined.
Based on real events and a dauntingly complex cold case, Zodiac is a brilliant investigatory epic that makes a strong argument for being David Fincher's most accomplished effort to date. The cerebral code-cracking is interwoven with harrowing recreations of true-to-life homicides. As disturbing as it can be, Zodiac is consistently gripping and immaculately presented.
Zodiac is the type of movie that Fincher was born to create, and genre fans should be nothing but grateful for it.
Release Date March 2, 2007
Runtime 157 minutes
NEXT: 10 Horror Movies That Can Be Called Masterpieces, Ranked
English (US) ·