Horror movies full of gore are tons of fun, but sometimes you want to watch something more psychological, a film that will push you to think differently or reconsider your position on a particular topic.
Last year gave us several excellent new psychological thrillers, including A Different Man, Strange Darling, and more. The following list highlights some of the most underrated movies released in 2024 that you might have overlooked.
A Different Man
- Writer/Director: Aaron Schimberg
- Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson
- Streaming: Max
It's funny how many movies released in 2024 focused on experimental medical procedures and characters grappling with the aftermath as they realize their desired "look" isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when those experiments come with drastic side effects.
That description could apply to a few movies, like The Substance, the upcoming film The Ugly Stepsister, and last year's underrated psychological dark comedy film A Different Man starring Sebastian Stan. When an aspiring actor (Adam Pearson) with neurofibromatosis chooses to undergo surgery to change his appearance, he discovers that his newfound looks aren't exactly what he expected, forcing him to confront what he's lost.
Hold Your Breath
- Directors: Karrie Crouse and Will Joines
- Writer: Karrie Crouse
- Cast: Sarah Paulson, Amiah Miller, Annaleigh Ashford, Alona Jane Robbins, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Streaming: Hulu
You can't go wrong with a movie starring Sarah Paulson. Even if the plot or writing is poor, you can rest assured that Paulson will deliver an exceptional performance. Luckily, Hold Your Breath is a pretty good thriller, and I'm willing to bet many people totally bypassed it when Hulu released it last October.
Margaret Bellum (Paulson) is doing her best to get by in 1930s Oklahoma, a location plagued by frequent dust storms, and Margaret knows firsthand, seeing as she lives on a farm previously destroyed by one. Complicating matters is a recent superstition spreading through the region that a mysterious "Gray Man" can possess people during a storm. So when the next one rolls through town, Margaret becomes convinced that something sinister and unnatural has come for her family.
Caddo Lake
- Writers/Directors: Celine Held and Logan George
- Cast: Eliza Scanlen, Lauren Ambrose, Dylan O'Brien, Diana Hopper, Caroline Falk, Sam Hennings, and Eric Lange
- Streaming: Max
M. Night Shyamalan produced this twisty thriller set in the sprawling bayou of Caddo Lake, nestled between Texas and Louisiana. Caddo Lake is a real place, home to one of the country's largest flooded cypress forests.
The story revolves around a girl named Ellie (Eliza Scanlen) and her family, who reside on the lake. One day, Eliza's sister disappears into the night, leading to residential panic and a mysterious connection to previous deaths and disappearances.
Blink Twice
- Director: Zoë Kravitz
- Writers: Zoë Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum
- Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, and Alia Shawkat
- Streaming: Prime Video
Cocktail waitress Friday hits it off with a handsome and wealthy CEO (Channing Tatum) with plans to visit his private island soon with some friends to relax and have the ultimate vacation. With their flirty repertoire, he boldly invites the waitress along with him, and Frida thinks she and her friends are about to have the trip of a lifetime.
And in many ways, they are, just not in the way she thinks. Blink Twice is one of the most disturbing thrillers of 2024 because everything that happens could occur in real life. It gets very dark, with Tatum playing his most terrifying role to date.
It's What's Inside
- Streaming: Netflix
Netflix acquired this smart and funny psychological thriller out of Sundance last year, and it's a shame that it sort of got lost in the October/Halloween movie shuffle.
A group of friends reunite for a wedding party when a former pal crashes with a mysterious suitcase in tow. What follows is a night of body-swapping mayhem that later takes a bloody turn. Because of its premise, It's What's Inside can sometimes be hard to follow along, so make sure you're fully tuned in while watching this movie. Phones away!