The great thing about the horror genre is its many variety of subgenres. There really is something for everyone. And if you're someone who prefers a tense atmosphere and suspense over buckets of gore, then this list is for you.
Psychological horror movies and thrillers are among some of the most frightening and compelling stories in the film world. These are films that excel at rattling your nerves, getting in your head, and sticking with your for a long time after the credits roll.
There are obviously far more than just the following 10 psychological horror movies out there, but these are 10 of our all-time favorites that everyone should watch at least once!
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- Director: Jonathan Demme
- Writer: Ted Tally
- Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, & Ted Levine
Considered one of the best psychological thrillers of all time for good reason, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most classic examples of a thriller revolving around a "cat and mouse" game between FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins). Although Hannibal is a psychopath, he's also a brilliant doctor, making him the perfect asset to assist Clarice with hunting an active killer.
Misery (1990)
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Writer: William Goldman
- Cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, & Lauren Bacall
Novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) gets into a terrible car crash, only to be rescued by a woman named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a former nurse who also happens to be one of Paul's biggest fans. Who better to rescue him and nurse him back to health? But not long after arriving at Annie's secluded cabin, Paul begins to realize that something about Annie is very wrong. Based on the Stephen King book of the same name.
Possessor (2020)
- Writer/Director: Brandon Cronenberg
- Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, & Jennifer Jason Leigh
An underrated psychological film from David Cronenberg's son, Brandon Cronenberg, Possessor is a deeply disturbing film about an elite assassin with the ability to infiltrate other people's minds and bodies to kill her targets. Would make a good double feature with Under the Skin.
They Look Like People (2015)
- Writer/Director: Perry Blackshear
- Cast: MacLeod Andrews, Evan Dumouchel, & Margaret Ying Drake
Another suitably freaky and pretty underrated movie, They Look Like People is an indie movie released in 2015 and the feature directorial debut of Perry Blackshear. The story revolves around a man who thinks that the human race is no more and has actually been taken over by demonic beings. Feels like a fitting film to watch for the times.
The Wailing (2016)
- Writer/Director: Na Hong-jin
- Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, & Jun Kunimura
An epic and suspenseful Korean horror film, The Wailing starts with a fairly standard setup: a policeman investigating strange killings in an isolated village, but soon spirals into something far more terrifying and complex. An infection breaks out in the village that causes the infected to kill their families, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
- Director: John Carpenter
- Writer: Michael De Luca
- Cast: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, & Charlton Heston
John Carpenter is considered one of the masters of horror for very good reason and his supernatural film In the Mouth of Madness is just further proof that he can do virtually anything. Considered part of his "Apocalypse" trilogy, In the Mouth of Madness is a cosmic horror story inspired by various works of H.P. Lovecraft.
The Shining (1980)
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Writer: Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, & Danny Lloyd
Another adaptation of a Stephen King novel, The Shining is one of the most famous and well-loved horror movies of all time, featuring incredible performances from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Nicholson plays a writer who picks up a caretaking job at the mysterious Overlook Hotel for a winter. Jack, his wife Wendy (Duvall) and their son, Danny, head to their new residence for the coldest months of the year, but Jack begins unraveling and suffers a mental breakdown leading to violent impulses.
Onibaba (1964)
- Writer/Director: Kaneto Shindō
- Cast: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satō, & Taiji Tonoyama
A timeless horror film that leans heavily into its drama elements, Onibaba is considered a classic Japanese movie that expertly blends historical drama and horror. A woman struggles to get by with her son, Kichi, at war. She and her daughter-in-law murder and steal from passing samurai to sell their valuables and put food on the table. But when Kichi dies and his wife quickly moves onto a new man, tension arises between the two women, resulting in a terrifying final act.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou
- Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, & Bill Camp
For some reason, this excellent and extremely tense horror film starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan often goes overlooked. But it's one of Yorgos Lanthimos' best films to date and it also had me digging my nails into the armrests from start to finish. I don't think I've ever felt so uneasy watching a movie before this one.
Speak No Evil (2022)
- Director: Christian Tafdrup
- Writers: Christian & Mads Tafdrup
- Cast: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, & Marius Damslev
I reside firmly in the camp that believes this sharp and smartly written Danish film did not need an American remake, which failed to resonate or include any of the brutality of the original. So even if you have watched the 2024 version with James McAvoy, I still recommend going back and watching the original. It's a much better film with an absolutely chilling ending.