Top 10 Psychological Thrillers Of All Time

Psychological thrillers are the most exciting genre of all times. A psychological thriller can be equally traumatic, but it depends on the person who tries to view it. Psychological thrillers basically deal with a character’s psyche. The most important thing in any sort of psychological thriller is the Plot. It is the plot of a thriller that keeps the audiences at the edge of their seats. Psychological thrillers are intense action oriented and are based on the themes consisting of perception, reality, identity etc. A good psychological thriller will blow up your mind. Over the time a lot of psychological thrillers were produced by the movie industry. Some were brilliant and some were not so good. So here we come with a list of the top ten psychological thrillers of all times:

1. The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) is one of the most taut, suspenseful, psychological thrillers ever produced. Director Jonathan Demme’s superbly-crafted, harrowing film is dark, moody, sombre, and truly frightening. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, his second to feature Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. This movie is arguably the best psychological thrillers of all time

2. The Black Swan

The Black Swan is an award winning movie which is one of the best psychological thrillers of all time. Natalie Portman begged the 2010 Oscar award for best actress for her commendable performance in the Black Swan as Nina. It is a psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet where a featured dancer finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival. A must watch movie for all thriller lovers.

3. The Prestige

The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest’s 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results. This movie is yet another masterpiece of Christopher Nolan and is indeed one of the best psychological thrillers of all time.

4. Rear Window

The Rear Window is a murder mystery movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954. The movie was one of the oldest thrillers which still stand in the top 10 thriller movies of all time. In this movie, a wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

5. The 6th Sense

The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear, a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him. The film established Shyamalan as a writer and director. This is one of the best movie on psychological disorder and one of the classic movies of all time. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is a movie worth watching and one of the most brilliant performances by any child artist in all movies.

6. Seven

Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements. It was directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman who are police detectives working in a crime-filled city, who become deeply involved in a case involving a series of sadistic murders. Each murder corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. This is a classic movie and the plot is amazingly interesting. It will hold you to the edge of your seats and is indeed one of the best movies of all times.

7. Memento

Memento is a 2000 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan which was adapted from his younger brother Jonathan’s short story “Memento Mori”. The film’s events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives — one in colour, and the other in black-and-white. The black-and-white sections are told in chronological order. As each sequence begins, the audience is unaware of the preceding events, just like Leonard, thereby giving the viewer a sense of his confusion. By the film’s end when the two narratives converge we understand the investigation and the events.

8. The Game

The Game is a 1997 Neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life. As the lines between the banker’s real life and the game become more uncertain, there are hints of a large conspiracy. One of the best movie of Fincher and is still a classic.

9. Fatal Attraction

Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is about a married man, who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end and who becomes obsessed with him. The film was adapted by James Dearden and Nicholas Meyer from an earlier short film by Dearden for British television, Diversion (1980). It is a classic thriller which is counted as one of the best psychological thrillers of all times.

10. Identity

Identity is a 2003 American thriller film, directed by James Mangold and written by Michael Cooney. Strangers from all different walks of life: a limo driver escorting a movie star, parents with a young son, a cop transporting a convict, a prostitute, a young couple, and a motel manager are caught up in a nasty rainstorm, stuck at a motel in desolate Nevada. Soon they realize they may be at the motel for another reason when one by one, people start getting killed off. As tensions flare and fingers are pointed, they have to get to the bottom of why they’re there. Identity is one of the best of all times.