A psychological thriller is a subgenre in horror movies where emphasis lies in the characters unstable psyche. Here is a list of some of the best, in my opinion, psychological thrillers.
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The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Starring: Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins
Clarice Starling is the top student in the FBI’s training academy. She must interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist turned violent psychopath, who is serving life behind bars on counts of murder and cannibalism. Lecter is believed to have insight on a case and Starling must be the bait to draw out the information.
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Funny Games (1997)
Starring:Susanne Lothar and Arno Frisch
Two psychotic young men, armed with deceptive smiles and golf clubs, terrorize and torture a family at their holiday home. They have until the next day to survive.
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Saw (2004)
Starring: Tobin Bell and Leigh Whannell
When two men regain consciousness and wake up chained to pipes in a filthy bathroom, they realize that they have been trapped my serial killer, Jigsaw. They must complete perverse puzzles in order to live, while one of the men’s families is forced to watch.
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Hush (2016)
Starring: Kate Siegel and John Gallagher Jr.
A deaf writer who now leads a solitary life in the woods must fight for her life, when a masked killer enters her home.
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The Shining (1980)
Starring: Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall
At the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, Jack Torrance becomes the winter caretaker along with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, to try and cure his writer’s block. When his writing is not improving and Danny begins having disturbing visions, Jack discovers that there is some dark secrets lingering in the hotel.
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Black Swan (2010)
Starring: Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis
Nina’s passion for ballet rules every aspect of her life. When the dance company’s director decided to replace his prima ballerina, in “Swan Lake,” Nina is his first choice; however, she has competition from a newcomer, Lily who personifies the perfect Black Swan. As tensions rise between the two ballerina’s, Nina’s dark side begins to arise.