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When it comes to scary movies, many love to go to the cinema for the chance to experience a jump scare and being at the edge of their seats. While that's common with horror films, a psychological thriller movie is a bit different. These films get inside your head, giving you a scare that stays long after the lights come back on. They also take some time for the true horror to build, sometimes with an unexpected twist the viewer never saw coming.
If you're looking for the best psychological thriller movies, we curated a list perfect for anyone who wants to take their time getting frightened. Some are from directors that have mastered the art of suspense — like Jordan Peele, Martin Scorsese and David Fincher. Others are famous book-to-movie adaptations, like The Shining, A Simple Favor or The Invisible Man. Whichever movie you decide to watch, just be prepared to not necessarily sleep at night. After all, what point is watching a psychological thriller if you're not thinking about it long after you go to bed?
Whether you're an avid psychological thriller fan or you're looking for a mind-bending movie to watch ahead of Halloween and spooky season, we've rounded up the all-time best psychological thrillers you can watch and stream now.
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
When Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) has an inkling something is going on with husband Jack (Harry Styles) and the community they live in, things start to get a bit weird for her. It's kind of like a darker version of The Truman Show, only there's something a lot more ominous here ...
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Fight Club (1999)
When an unnamed man (Edward Norton) is miserable and disoriented with life, he becomes entangled with the life of a soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). The two decide to start an underground fight club, but it comes with devastating consequences no one sees coming.
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Inception (2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a professional thief who prefers to steal information by getting into the subconscious parts of people's minds. When he finds himself able to erase his criminal history, there's just one catch: he must implant another person's plan into someone unconscious, which causes a thrilling string of events.
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Midsommar (2019)
When a college student (Florence Pugh) decides to embark on a nine-day Midsummer festival with her friends in Sweden, no one expects something more sinister to occur. As the attendees start dying, will anyone make it through the entire experience alive?
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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is a con artist who goes to Italy to convince a wealthy man to go home and join his family's business. But along the way, Tom's penchant for evil leads him to commit two murders and take on the identity of one victim. This leads to an interesting plot for the rest of the film, one that will definitely have you wondering the true nature of Tom's plan ...
Nope (2022)
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play siblings who are on an adventure to find evidence of the existence of an unidentified flying object on a California horse ranch. With Jordan Peele (famous for Get Out and Us) writing and directing the film, it's sure to be one that comes with thrilling twists and turns.
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The Machinist (2004)
When a machinist (Christian Bale) finds himself not being able to sleep for a whole year, he suffers from a number of health issues, including insomnia and being emaciated. This leads him to start doubting his own sanity, including the life he led before this moment.
The Matrix (1999)
Keanu Reeves stars as Tom Anderson, a computer programmer who lives in a simulated reality called the Matrix. In order to find out the truth of the world he occupies, he must make a choice whether to accept the horrors or go on living life the way he has been. If you've ever heard of the red pill versus blue pill debate, you may want to see where it comes from.
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Saltburn (2023)
Barry Keoghan portrays a scholarship student at Oxford who is a social climber, but doesn't know how to make it in that world. This leads him to befriend a rich classmate (Jacob Elordi), causing a string of events that may make some people a bit uncomfortable at the end result.
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Donnie Darko (2001)
Donnie Darko is a teenager with emotional troubles. He inadvertently finds himself escaping an accident while sleepwalking, but as a result, he starts to see a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume. If that wasn't enough, said creature is now telling him the world will end in 28 days, leading to a string of instances no one will forget.
Memento (2000)
A man who suffers from short-term memory loss tries to figure out who killed his wife in a tragic attack. It's a game of cat-and-mouse that really racks your brain, and the surprise bombshells dropped throughout will have folks thinking differently about each character.
The Prestige (2006)
After witnessing a tragic accident in 1890s London, two men who work as assistants for a magician decide to battle and create the ultimate illusion no one has ever seen before. But what starts out friendly comes with dire results, ones that even those engaged in the competition don't expect.
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Leave the World Behind (2023)
A family decides to take a vacation in a beautiful and luxurious rental home, but their getaway takes a devilish turn when a cyber attack causes all their electronics to go offline. As two strangers appear at their door, it spawns a story that'll definitely leave you shaking.
Fair Play (2023)
A young woman gets a promotion at an intense hedge fund, leaving her relationship with her co-worker/fiancé on the edge of potential ruin. Phoebe Dynevor from Bridgerton plays one of the main leads, giving folks a new look at her acting range.
The Marsh King's Daughter (2023)
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name, Daisy Ridley plays a woman who grew up in captivity after her mother was abducted before she was born. Now, she wants to escape the man who raised her, leaving her to fend herself in the wilderness.
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The Invisible Man (2020)
A reboot of the 1993 film and based on the 1897 novel of the same name, Elisabeth Moss plays a woman who thinks her ex-boyfriend is stalking and gaslighting her. The scariest part? He may have the ability to become invisible after his death, making her fears totally plausible.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
A young couple and their daughter go on a family getaway to a remote cabin, and the trio get taken hostage by four strangers. The group is then given a choice to sacrifice one of their own or start an apocalypse affecting the entire world.
Uncut Gems (2019)
Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler and gambling addict working in New York City's Diamond District. In order to pay off his debts, he must risk everything in order to get back a gem he purchased that's worth a lot of money.
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The Dark Knight (2008)
The second film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, the movie is famous for being one of actor Heath Ledger's last performances before his untimely death. His portrayal of the Joker is not only memorable, it's one that left a mark on how the character is portrayed in future films.
A Simple Favor (2018)
When two women from two different spectrums of financial wealth meet, they seem like unlikely friends. But when one suddenly disappears without a trace, the other (who happens to be a vlogger) decides to solve the case and find her missing comrade.
Lizz Schumer
Senior Editor
Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping, where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. A journalist for almost two decades, she is the author of Biography of a Body and Buffalo Steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction at the Muse Writing Center, and coaches with the New York Writing Room.
Adrianna Freedman
Editorial Assistant
As the entertainment and news editorial assistant for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
