Psychological thrillers are mind-bending and fascinating rides that will have you questioning everything, from your own reasons to your next-door neighbor’s. They’re also genre-bending, with anything from twisted ballet dancers to misleading train trips.
Girl On The Train (2016)
Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) takes the train to work every day, catching glimpses of Megan and Scott, a seemingly ideal couple on the street she used to live on. She observes a horrific scenario occurring in their home one day and soon finds herself caught up in a convoluted inquiry to discover the truth.
The Situation (1997)
Would you like to play a game? At first, Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is apprehensive. A prosperous banker meets with his estranged brother, Conrad (Sean Penn), for lunch and gives him an unusual gift: a real-life, customized game. He hesitantly accepts and quickly becomes concerned for his own survival.
The Black Swan (2010)
Look no further than Black Swan if you enjoy psychological thrillers and good old-fashioned competition. Nina (Natalie Portman) is cast as the company’s new prima ballerina in Black Swan, playing both the Black Swan and the White Swan.
The film Gone Girl (2014)
Former New York writer Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) appear to be the ideal married couple. When Amy goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick finds himself caught in a whirlwind as the prime suspect.
Soon, the façade of the couple disintegrates, and we see Nick and Amy for who they truly are. Secrets are exposed, old faces resurface, and we quickly learn that nothing is as it appears for Amy Dunne and her convoluted story.
Inception (2010)
Inception is a Christopher Nolan masterpiece starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, a man with the ability to enter people’s dreams and take secrets from their subconscious. He is soon faced with the seemingly impossible task of implanting a concept in the mind of another person. What follows is a story about achieving the impossible, destroying relationships, killing adversaries, and everything in between – with a conclusion that will keep you up for days.
Memento(2000)
Leonard (Guy Pearce) is on the hunt for the man who raped and killed his wife. However, the challenge of discovering his wife’s killer is exacerbated by the fact that he suffers from a rare, incurable kind of memory loss. Leonard can recollect memories from his life before the tragedy, but he can’t recall what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he’s going, or why.
Memento is another Christopher Nolan picture, with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 94%. The picture makes you believe you understand what’s going on, and then you don’t – a tribute to its twisted character.
The Machinist is a fictional work (2004)
The Machinist, directed by Brad Anderson, stars Christian Bale and Michael Ironside. Trevor Reznik (Bale), a manufacturing worker, descends deeper and deeper into psychosis after causing a workplace accident that injures a coworker.
The Machinist is a fantastic, albeit twisted, story about the impact of insomnia on a person. This film will make you question everything you believe about yourself and the people around you.
The Secret Window (2004)
Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) relocates to upstate New York for some peace in his secluded cottage while divorcing his wife. Soon after, farmer John Shooter accuses him of plagiarism (John Turturro). These accusations quickly escalate into violence.
David Koepp directed Secret Window, and Johnny Depp’s performance transforms an old premise into a mind-bending, unique viewpoint on the twisted nature of writing and credit.
Changeling (2008)
This Clint Eastwood-directed film, set in 1928, follows single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie). She returns home to Los Angeles to discover that her kid has gone missing, only to magically reappear five months later. The only problem is that this isn’t her son.
Changeling is ideal for those who find themselves questioning their superiority in the presence of others. The film takes you on a trip to expose the LAPD’s corruption, where nothing is ever as it appears.
Identity (2003)
Identity follows ten people who seek sanctuary in a lonely motel in Nevada after a violent storm, only to find themselves the target of a savage serial killer.
Ed Dakota (John Cusack), a limo driver, is determined to find the serial killer’s identity and is willing to go to any length to do so. Of course, he faces peril and uncertainty at every turn, not knowing what to anticipate or who is following them all.
