I firmly believe that psychological thrillers are an essential genre in the movie industry. They combine my favorite genre (horror) and stories revolving around the dark side of one’s mind. I think that these movies tend to stick more in the audience’s mind because the source of the horror hits close to home. Our minds are a complex part of the brain, which can lead to extraordinary things, or perhaps take us to a dark place that we don’t want to imagine.
Psychological thrillers are creative in putting a dark twist on the reality that minds are complicated and sensitive. A lot of these movies provide messages on how external factors can strongly influence one’s mind. I wrote about 5 psychological thrillers that I feel successfully portrayed the true motive of the genre, to give a scare to its audience while implementing a spooky storyline portraying the dark side of our brains.
Marrowbone
Shortly after moving to Maine for a fresh start, four siblings must stay hidden, so they do not get separated after their mother’s death. The eldest brother Jack (George Mackay) remains under pressure to keep his mother’s death a secret. The four siblings come across obstacles, physically and seemingly sinister, making their attempt to remain hidden a difficult task. Within the third act, there is a shocking twist in the movie, doubtfully expected from the audience. This is a slow-burn style movie with a heartfelt story, which is sorrowful, and bone-chilling.
This movie is considered a psychological thriller as it explores the dark side of grief, and how it can completely twist the general state of one’s mind. The most notable aspect of this movie is its balance of a heart-felt story while implementing a creepy and unsettling vibe throughout the whole film. This movie has a strong storyline with a gut-wrenching ending that ignites the audience’s sense of empathy for the characters.
Smile 1, Smile 2
Smile Movies is one of the newest franchises in the horror genre. They are about a sinister presence that haunts individuals with a traumatic past, specifically those who have trauma relating to the tragic death of a loved one. While successfully holding its title as a paranormal thriller/horror, the plot contains significant aspects of psychological trauma which makes this storyline more unique. The visual trauma shown in the main characters of each movie gives them more depth, allowing the audience to develop a deeper connection with them. I would consider both movies to be captivating thrillers with no dull moments. These two movies have a compelling storyline that is bound to keep the audience on their toes.
Hide and Seek
This movie is about a young girl who moves with her father upstate after her mother’s death. After moving, she makes a new imaginary friend to cope with her mother’s death, Charlie. Throughout the movie, the tension between the father and daughter grows, as he wonders whether this figure is just a harmless phase, or if “Charlie” is a symbol for a further, more concerning issue. The foundation of this movie’s storyline revolves around the complicated grief process of when the death of a loved one occurs, and how it can affect relations between the rest of the family. The movie has a suspenseful plot with a shocking twist, making it a movie to remember. This movie’s ending is sure to stick in the audience’s mind.
Babadook
Similar to “Hide and Seek”, the storyline of this movie revolves around the complicated relationship between mother and son after the seemingly traumatic death of the father. Throughout the movie, you can feel the tension between them when the son starts acting out in school and at home. Samuel (Noah Wiseman), the son, claims that he is being haunted by a sinister presence. This further weakens the relationship between him and his mother, who is visibly stressed by grief and her son’s behavior. Sooner rather than later, the sinister presence seems to have an effect on everybody in the household. This movie has an unsettling storyline with inhabits the dark side of the grief process in one’s mind while adding a paranormal presence to the mix.
Black Swan
Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina who goes for the lead in Swan Lake. To seem worthy of the role, she must portray both the white swan and the black swan in her performance. The director pushes her to bring out her “dark side” to be able to fully inhabit the role of the black swan. Throughout the movie, you can see how her time-consuming role as the black swan interferes with her mental health, to the point where she starts losing her grasp of reality. This storyline is an amazing portrayal of the stress dancers face during their careers, with a dark vision of what pressure to be “perfect” can do to an individual in this profession.
While there are many amazing psychological thrillers with unique storylines, I consider these five to exceed expectations on what I believe a psychological thriller should be. The best psychological thrillers are entertaining, while containing a unique storyline about the dark side of psychological obstacles in one’s mind. I consider all these movies to have a balance of an enjoyable storyline and a scary, yet memorable, message along with it.