So, let’s get real here: there is just something about the psychological thriller or mystery that completely blows your mind, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and makes you question everything you believe you know. If you are looking for mind-boggling plot twists, some good cat-and-mouse chases, or just something that tests your own detective work, these movies are guaranteed to have you hooked from start to finish. So, here is the countdown of the 10 best psychological thrillers or mystery films that you can stream right now, and it is backwards, adding the ultimate payoff to the end.
10. The Woman in Cabin 10
Consider the situation where you board a luxurious cruise with the expectation of enjoying your dream vacation, but what you end up seeing is one of your fellow travelers going missing, and everyone in the end refuses to accept that this is what happened. This is the premise of this thriller movie, which features Keira Knightley as a journalist who travels for a living and gets caught up in a life-and-death situation that challenges everything she thinks she knows about herself.
9. Triangle
If you enjoy plot loops that bend your mind or psychological turns that turn it inside out, then you’ll need to add Triangle to your viewing list. Melissa George stars as a mother who, after a boating accident, gets on board a strange freighter that is seemingly caught in a time warp. When the storyline starts to loop, and the mind starts to spin, the tension builds until the point that not only does the heroine suspect what is real, but you do too. With a premise that bears a strong resemblance to both Memento and Jacob’s Ladder, this is a gem of a thriller that thriller fans should be aware of.
8. The Guilty
“The Guilty” is a thriller that is purely dialogue-based, and it is proof that sometimes less is more. The movie takes place in an emergency call center, where a cop is trying to rescue a kidnapped woman using only a phone. This is suspenseful stuff, but it is also far more subtle, with some of the smallest moments of the movie being the difference between life and death.
7. Donnie Dark
One of the biggest cult classics of all time, “Donnie Darko” is an epic movie that is actually difficult to even describe. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the film focuses on a young boy who is struggling with his own demons, including receiving cryptic instructions from a strange, time-traveling rabbit named Frank about an imminent doomsday. If you enjoy movies that often make you question the very fabric of reality, “Donnie Darko” is a must-watch.
6. Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Leonardo DiCaprio is propelled into a tempest-torn psychiatric institute to solve the mystery of a patient who has gone missing. While the tempest brews furiously outside, panic mounts within, with everything no more than it seems. This is one wild ride that will cause you to question each and every frame, including your own presuppositions.
5. Parasite
Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning movie is a brilliant amalgamation of social satire, thriller, and psychological drama. When the poor Kim family sneaks into the wealthy Park’s residence, things start getting out of hand in unexpectedly shocking manners. Intelligent, black-humorous, and unsettlingly tense, “Parasite” is the type of movie that tends to stay with you even after the movie is over.
4. The Thing
It’s more than a horror movie; it’s a paranoid thriller where trust dissipates as quickly as the frigid air. Kurt Russell heads a research station faced with a shape-shifting alien that can change into any person. While the suspense brews with an air of suspicion, the chilling ending makes it one of the creepiest in horror movies.
3. Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs is one of the rare movies that strikes the perfect blend of suspense, terror, and smarts. This is one battle of wits between Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, who takes on Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, a genius with a penchant for terror. This movie swept the Academy Awards for a reason, and it is still unmatched in psychological thrillers.
2. The Sixth Sense
A classic example of a totally unexpected plot twist is found in the directorial debut of M. Night Shyamalan. This movie provided one of the most memorable plot twists in cinematic history. This film features Bruce Willis playing the role of a child psychologist who is helping a young boy who claims that he is seeing ghosts.
1. Fight Club
David Fincher’s Fight Club is number one because it’s more than a film; it’s a journey. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are sublime in their portrayal of identity, consumerism, and rebellion, with Fight Club as their catalyst. When the narrator’s grip on reality starts slipping, so does the plot, with the result being one of the most mind-boggling reveals in pop culture history. Fight Club rule number one: you must always view it. Fight Club rule number two: you must never forget the reveal.
And there you have it, folks, a list of ten psychological thrillers that will make you get hooked into their worlds that spin with mysteries like never before. So get some popcorn ready, switch off the lights, and immerse yourselves in their worlds where nothing is as it seems.