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The 100 best Psychological Thriller Movies

by pwheeler90 • Created 12 years ago • Modified 10 years ago
This list comprises my top 100 psychological thriller movies.
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  • 100 titles
  • Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en (1995)

    1. Se7en

    19952h 7mR65Metascore
    8.6 (1.9M)
    Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
    DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin Spacey
  • Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004)

    2. The Machinist

    20041h 41mR61Metascore
    7.6 (429K)
    An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.
    DirectorBrad AndersonStarsChristian BaleJennifer Jason LeighAitana Sánchez-Gijón
  • Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

    3. The Silence of the Lambs

    19911h 58mR86Metascore
    8.6 (1.6M)
    A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
    DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott Glenn
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990)

    4. Jacob's Ladder

    19901h 53mR62Metascore
    7.4 (124K)
    Mourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.
    DirectorAdrian LyneStarsTim RobbinsElizabeth PeñaDanny Aiello
  • Pi (1998)

    5. Pi

    19981h 24mR72Metascore
    7.3 (190K)
    A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
    DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsSean GulletteMark MargolisBen Shenkman
  • Michael Douglas in The Game (1997)

    6. The Game

    19972h 9mR63Metascore
    7.7 (452K)
    After a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.
    DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean Penn
  • Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976)

    7. Taxi Driver

    19761h 54mR94Metascore
    8.2 (978K)
    A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.
    DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill Shepherd
  • The Shining (1980)

    8. The Shining

    19802h 26mR68Metascore
    8.4 (1.2M)
    A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future.
    DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny Lloyd
  • Dennis Weaver in Duel (1971)

    9. Duel

    19711h 30mPGTV Movie81Metascore
    7.6 (82K)
    A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
    DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDennis WeaverJacqueline ScottEddie Firestone
  • Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010)

    10. Black Swan

    20101h 48mR79Metascore
    8.0 (858K)
    Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
    DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent Cassel
  • The Ring (2002)

    11. The Ring

    20021h 55mPG-1357Metascore
    7.1 (389K)
    A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
    DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian Cox
  • Jennifer Lopez in The Cell (2000)

    12. The Cell

    20001h 47mR40Metascore
    6.4 (113K)
    An F.B.I. Agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim.
    DirectorTarsem SinghStarsJennifer LopezVince VaughnVincent D'Onofrio
  • Saw (2004)

    13. Saw

    20041h 43mR46Metascore
    7.6 (489K)
    Two men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other or face consequences. These two are the latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer.
    DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny Glover
  • Julian Richings in Cube (1997)

    14. Cube

    19971h 30mR61Metascore
    7.1 (255K)
    A group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
    DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid Hewlett
  • Sound of My Voice (2011)

    15. Sound of My Voice

    20111h 25mR67Metascore
    6.5 (23K)
    Two documentary filmmakers attempt to penetrate a cult who worships a woman who claims to be from the future.
    DirectorZal BatmanglijStarsChristopher DenhamNicole ViciusBrit Marling
  • Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)

    16. Paranormal Activity

    20071h 26mR68Metascore
    6.3 (265K)
    After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
    DirectorOren PeliStarsKatie FeatherstonMicah SloatMark Fredrichs
  • Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Insomnia (2002)

    17. Insomnia

    20021h 58mR78Metascore
    7.2 (330K)
    A Los Angeles detective chases a murder suspect in a remote Alaskan town.
    DirectorChristopher NolanStarsAl PacinoRobin WilliamsHilary Swank
  • Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, and Harry Connick Jr. in Copycat (1995)

    18. Copycat

    19952h 3mR54Metascore
    6.6 (70K)
    A criminal psychologist who turned agoraphobic after a murder attempt agrees to help two San Francisco detectives hunt for a copycat serial killer who intends on making her his next victim.
    DirectorJon AmielStarsSigourney WeaverHolly HunterDermot Mulroney
  • Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss in Memento (2000)

    19. Memento

    20001h 53mR83Metascore
    8.4 (1.4M)
    A former insurance investigator who now suffers from anterograde amnesia uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife's murderer.
    DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe Pantoliano
  • Cecilie A. Mosli, Kristoffer Joner, and Julia Schacht in Next Door (2005)

    20. Next Door

    20051h 15mUnrated
    6.4 (11K)
    John has just been left by his girlfriend Ingrid. That day he allows himself to be seduced into a mystical and scary world, where it is impossible to separate truth from the lies
    DirectorsPål SletauneTony SpataroStarsKristoffer JonerCecilie A. MosliJulia Schacht
  • Courteney Cox in November (2004)

    21. November

    20041h 13mR47Metascore
    5.4 (3.2K)
    Sophie Jacobs is going through the most difficult time of her life. Now, she just has to find out if it's real.
    DirectorGreg HarrisonStarsCourteney CoxJames Le GrosMichael Ealy
  • Al Pacino in 88 Minutes (2007)

    22. 88 Minutes

    20071h 48mR17Metascore
    5.9 (79K)
    On the day that a serial killer that he helped put away is supposed to be executed, a noted forensic psychologist and college professor receives a call informing him that he has 88 minutes left to live.
    DirectorJon AvnetStarsAl PacinoAlicia WittBen McKenzie
  • Richard Gere in The Flock (2007)

    23. The Flock

    20071h 36mR
    5.7 (13K)
    A hyper-vigilant employee of the department of public safety, while training his young female replacement, has to track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating.
    DirectorWai Keung LauStarsRichard GereClaire DanesKaDee Strickland
  • Jodie Foster in Panic Room (2002)

    24. Panic Room

    20021h 52mR65Metascore
    6.8 (307K)
    A divorced woman and her diabetic daughter take refuge in their newly-purchased house's safe room when three men break-in, searching for a missing fortune.
    DirectorDavid FincherStarsJodie FosterKristen StewartForest Whitaker
  • Jennifer Connelly in Requiem for a Dream (2000)

    25. Requiem for a Dream

    20001h 42mNC-1771Metascore
    8.3 (938K)
    The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.
    DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer Connelly

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