Psychological Thrillers: The Good, Not So Bad, And Ugly

[DizzyDesii]

THIS IS STRICTLY BASED ON MY OPINION, SO KEEP CALM AND READ ON 🤘🤘🤘

#FeelFreeToList #PsychologicalThrillers

I love some of every movie genre, but psychological thrillers are not a fave I must admit. I’ve expect that many of you have seen most but I’m just going to go over the ones I hated to love and loved to hate.

————THE GOOD————

These are movies that I really enjoyed watching although I don’t expect everyone to agree. If you liked em too, let me know.

SUMMARY—

12 Rounds—Belko Experiment—Countdown Better Watch Out—The Call—Dark Water—Disturbing Behavior—Don’t Let Go—Gothika The Faculty—The Cell—Flightplan— TheGlass House—Invisible Man—Wish Upon Last House on Left—Law Abiding Citizen— Lonely Place to Die—No Good Deed—Orphan—Panic Room—Perfect Getaway—The Possession—Red Eye—Swimfan— TheVanishing—When a Stranger Calls— Ticking Clock—Wolves at the Door— American Psycho—American Psycho II

American Psycho is that one movie that I shouldn’t even have to describe because you should’ve totally seen it by now lol. Believe it or not, I enjoyed the sequel American Psycho II just as much with Mila Kunis.

Belko Experiment and Panic Room had those hide, kill and be killed vibes!

The Cell, Dont Let Go, and Ticking Clock literally gave us some weird sort of time travel as it allows us to see through the eyes of serial killers.

Meanwhile, The Vanishing and Gothika were more so think like with the mindset of a killer if you want to find me.

Disturbing Behavior was like the less popular version of The Faculty but oddly enough I’d say both were well done. They are the literal ‘High School from Hell’ films.

Flightplan had a kid go missing as if there's really many places to hide on a plane. And the film ticks you off because it makes you question if the mom is nuts. Meanwhile Red Eye too was in a plane but it didn't feel like it since she was trying to save people who werent even on the flight.

A Lonely Place to Die and The Call just showed how far an adult/stranger will go and possibly die to save a child.

The Possession and Wish Upon were brilliant with the pandora’s box schemes. However, I can't stand Joey King lol and She was just as annoying in this as in White House Down.

The Glass House was all “adopt a kid and get killer parents” while Orphan was more “adopt a kid and get reverse pedo-ism” and Dark Water went mostly ghostly with an “adopt me or your daughter dies” vibe.

Last House on the Left really gave the killers a taste of their own medicine.

Law Abiding Citizen, No Good Deed and 12 Rounds were all about revenge at its finest and being able to bring down the psycho in training.

Perfect Getaway I admit does start a bit meh, but the ending is unforgettable. I’ll never stop quoting this film. I mean, you have Three couples but which ones are the killers?

Swimfan, Misery, and The Invisible Man gave us the usual suspects aka obsessed stalkers.

Truth or Dare and Countdown were the “games you never want to play because you’ll surely die.”

When a Stranger Calls and Better Watch Out revived “babysitting from hell” themes.

Wolves at the Door is the not so funny ending to Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.

————THE NOT SO BAD————

I wouldn’t call these must-sees but I think they were worth watching more than once.

SUMMARY—

Disturbia—The Stepfather—Shutter Island Godsend—Whisper—Brightburn—The Forest Greta—The Roommate—Lady in the Water Premonition—I Know Who Killed Me—Twisted—Triangle—Ghost Ship—Uninvited Kiss the Girls—Fantasy Island

Disturbia and The Stepfather went all “prove me wrong” about the old man being a killer. Meanwhile, Shutter island actually proved me wrong about who the killer was.

Godsend was what wouldve happened if Orphan would’ve cloned the kid instead of adopting. Whisper was what would’ve happened had we kidnapped the kid instead of cloning/adopting. And well Brightburn was simply the kid Omen on red kryptonite. By the way anyone seen The Killing of a Sacred Deer? I’m curious to see it.

Greta showed us that Orphan wasn't the only old lady who can stalk like crazy. The Roommate was a stalker too but like a failed Swimfan or Single White Female.

Lady in the Water was some mythical shit is all i can say lol.

Premonition was one of those you get a do-over, everybody gets a do-over movies.

The Forest and I Know Who Killed Me both had sisters in search of their supposedly dead twins.

The Triangle, Fantasy Island, and Ghost ship just show that the ocean isn’t always pretty and vacation isn’t always fun.

Twisted was a lesson for hoes to stop hoeing and Kiss the Girls showed that some people will snatch you up for no good reason

The Uninvited wasn’t as bad as Sucker Punch and actually made you wish you were in Sucker Punch just so you didn't have to deal with one person having multiple personalities.

————THE UGLY————

One Hits I No Longer Care to Wonder About

I’m about to name a few films that were popular and a few you probably never even heard of. But these totally ticked me off for either being really sucky, really creepy, really weird or really harsh with dark endings..

SUMMARY—

Abandon—The Box—Black Swan—Brake— Buried—The Captive—Donnie Darko—Frozen Get Out—Gone Girl—Hide & Seek—Inception Lakeview Terrace—Joker—The Others—Open Water—Prisoners—Perfect Guy—Phone Booth—Pulse—Split—The Tall Man— Shining—The Tortured—When Bough Break

Abandon had Katie Holmes horrible acting, a very predictable ending, and well Benjamin Bratt and Charlie Hunnam deserved better.

The Box was confusing and pissed me off with its horrible cliffhanger ending like Prisoners which along with The Tall Man really made the amber alert system look really jacked up. Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Jessica Biel should just stick to romcoms while Terrence Howard and Hugh Jackman aren't as interesting when playing “good guys”.

The Captive and The Tortured had potential but turned into some weird pedo crap with twisted endings.

Black Swan, Hide & Seek, and the Joker were the annoyingly weird with the bipolar split personality mess, but thankfully not as boring as Split.

Buried was one of those too little too late shits and Brake was its failed copycat with an even more jacked up ending.

Donnie Darko and The Shining were on another level of weird shit that I dont even want to understand.

Frozen and Open Water literally made me want to off them before the wolves and sharks did because it was just that boring.

Get Out and Lakeview Terrace showed us the potential horrors of interracial relationships and were overrated af.

Gone Girl and the Others had good twists but were longer than they should’ve been and the endings made me want to crawl up in a ball after wasting my time. Plus I can’t stand seeing someone be falsely accused.

Inception was the Doctor Strange I never needed.

The Perfect Guy and When the Bough Breaks were horrible attempts at combining Obsessed with The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Im just sorry Morris Chestnut stooped so low to take part in both.

Pulse was just bad. Really, really bad...

[JDavid25]

This is a good take that must have took a lot of time, although I do notice you "psychological thriller" is very broad in here as you included many films in different genres with psychological elements to them.. But I think you have watched so many movies that you can actually explain what movies that seem confusin are about.. Like I didn't realize until you said it that the protagonist of Suckerpunch basically had multiple personalities and was tryna cope with bein in a mental institution.. And bein mental... 😂.. But I've watched a lot of these movies.. I like Prisoners even though the endin was... Not the best.. Love Night Crawler (cause of Jake Gyllenhaals underrated performance) and Inception.. Also the Joker was one of my favorite films of 2019. I also really liked Donnie Darko even though that was more of a weird time travel story with a bit of a sad endin.. I liked Lakeview Terrance and I guess I kina agree that Get Out is a bit overrated even though I think overall it's still a pretty good film.. But yeah..

[JDavid25]

Thanks for MHO Des Des!..

[Fromdusktilldawn]

I've seen them all. Tou should watch the original Pulse its better than the remake. Frozen made me think of Final Destination haha. The Trisngle was weird. Brightburn was a bit disappointing (despite the kills). The Tall Man was a letdown. The Forest was nice and scary. Premonition was also like Final Destination. Ghost Ship was ok, its opening scene was dope haha with the wire cutting everyone in half. The Call, Misery and Law abiding citizen were awesome, love them.
Also The Orphan, A lonely place to die, Glasshouse are hidden nice films.
Last house on the left is a horror classic, remake is not bad. Although the Faculty was a bit cheesy/comedic
You should watch the german The Experiment, thats a nice one

[DizzyDesii]

Frozen was like Final Destination HOW? Lmao maybe i should rewatch. I only saw it once when younger and didn't like. However i loved the FD series. Brightburn was very disappointing because he was trippin for no reason lmao. Tall Man was definitely horrible. The Forest was much better than i expected. Its another film similar to it with a japanese girl but i forgot the name. Basically at the end she thinks she's escaped but the crooked cop takes her right back into the woods. Premonition was kinda like Final Destination but i didn't pity the husband much. The opening scene and the end villain reveal is what made Ghoet ship amazing! The magots in the food still freak me out tho. Desmond Harrington is such an amazing actor iin Wrong Turn as well. I can def watch Law Abiding Citizen multiple times. Glasshouse 1 was sooo much better than part 2. The Faculty and Good Son are my fave Elijah Wood movies honestly.

[Fromdusktilldawn]

For me Elija Wood will always be Frodo haha. Yea in Frozen some actors are same as in FD5. The Ghost Ship scene could also be a good FD opening

[DizzyDesii]

Yes ghost ship had a good beginning and ending. It deserved a sequel. Desmond Harrington was so convincing

[Literalbillionaire17]

I have to say that I regret watching the forrest. I wished about an hour and 45 minutes of my life when I could’ve been watching the better movie. I realize about 45 minutes into the movie that there really was no plot but I kept watching anyways my fault😂

[DizzyDesii]

Exactly! Only the ending was decent. But i saw a movie similar to it that was a little better. “Grave Halloween”

[Darcia]

MyTake films and shows is the best of what you and @Jjpayne has to offer. It gives new perspectives of what movies to watch and what to expect.


I’ve only read Godsend, never had a chance to watch it. The book was eye opening, as I read it, it made me feel like I was watching one of those “body snatcher” films. As humans this can often reveal a sense.


As I scrolled through Lenox, I went by Joker a couple of times. Not even stopping, but now finding out what it is all about. Many movies are made with the same result. We would hope it will be different, but nope they’re all the same.


I like the edgy, the hold on to your seat kinds of movies. The ones that tap into the volatile subjects. Many of what others are often dare not to speak of. As film professors often say, ‘until you experience the feeling of psychological thrillers you, yourself aren’t indirect or directly connected’.


Great Takeaway!

[Jjpayne]

I'm honored for the mention

[monkeynutts]

Some really good flicks, I loved Ghost Ship, American Psycho was a master piece, Misery, was incredible. Probably one of the most terrifying psychologically thrilling films I have ever seen was an Argentinian film called the hidden face, the Spanish title is called something else, not sure. But it's subject matter was very original, and it's odd because it has to be watched in subtitles. I was very sc
arey for me.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i can't handle subtitles lol

[sensible27]

I haven't seen these (except for the belko experiment, I think) but I've seen videos by a channel which tries to figure out how to solve each scenario and I'd think the platform, the belko experiment and the circle would be good movies

[DizzyDesii]

I haven't seen The Circle yet. Was it similar to belko?

[sensible27]

No, if this doesn't spoil it too much. I think it's about aliens capturing and deciding upon letting the humans play a voting game, people are placed in a circle and the one with majority votes (you vote by pointing fingers) gets killed, I think the last one survives. It's about psychology.

I might watch it if I find time

[tjbyrd39]

I like most of those you mentioned that I've seen.
have you ever watched Arlington Road I think it's the name of it. It's got Tim Robbins and the guy I cannot think of his name who played the dude in the bowling movie Jeff Bridges I think. That's kind of crazy ending for sure.

[DizzyDesii]

haven't seen it but I loved tim in Nothin to Lose so i need to check that.

[tjbyrd39]

I looked it up yesterday after I read your reply. That movie is all the way back from 1999. The actors were right and there's a couple of good ones in there.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Nice take.. I don't watch too many scary movies.. Think out of all those, the only 2 I've seen read the shining and Panic room

[DizzyDesii]

Well paychological thrillers are more mystery, suspense rather than horror :) but yea the shining freaked me out

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Yeah I saw that as a kid and same here 😱😱redrum redrum

[Jjpayne]

I love this list! It's pretty awesome!!! Thanks for posting it!!!

It's pretty fun and very detailed! Nice work!

[Jjpayne]

So many movies I like I here

[Jjpayne]

*on here

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you :) name 3 movies from the list you enjou

[Jjpayne]

Don't let go, disturbing behavior, the faculty and the glass house among others

But I am sorry, I own pulse and love pulse, you can hate me

And inception was fun to watch and could be considered one of Nolan's greatest movies he ever made

But apart from that I agree with all your bad picks as bad

[DizzyDesii]

Oh wow youve seen Dont Let Go! It surprised me with the way it took a turn! I still haven't seen the new Wrinkle in Time with that little girl yet

[Jjpayne]

The wrinkle in time movie I did not like so much. The actors did not feel great in that movie but I would be curious to hear your take on it

And I loved don't let go the moment I saw the trailer for it. I knew I just had to watch it.

[DizzyDesii]

I really loved the old Wrinkle in time from 2003 and was hoping it wouldve been similar

[Jjpayne]

I do honestly hope that you enjoy it

[Hans222]

Happy that Flightplan was among the good! Found it a really good movie about the disappeared child.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i loved that one

[scarlett774]

Phycological thrillers are so much more better than horror movies I love em.

[DizzyDesii]

Im not super crazy about either but i prefer horror comedys over both. Whats 3 of the aboveyou enjoyed watching?

[scarlett774]

I’ve seen almost all of them but the shining and midsommar have been my fav lately

[DizzyDesii]

I haven't seen midsonmar

[scarlett774]

It’s really good

[ezbot]

Joker is one of the best films I've ever seen easily - the main protagonist is supposed to be a split personality individual how could you think it was the film loosing it's identity, that's the idea behind who Joker is as a person.

Also, you have zero taste.

[ALewis30]

I haven't seen much Psychological thriller films. I do enjoy the Shining.

[DizzyDesii]

Lol the one movie i didn't like haha.

[OlderAndWiser]

I avoid suspense/thriller/slasher/blood and guts movies like the bubonic plague.

[DizzyDesii]

Oh dang 🙈

[Yaaten]

Me too. They're just horrible. I don't understand why so many are so attracted to films like that, they give unhinged people bad ideas.

[Yaaten]

'Pulse' and 'Donnie Darko' were the only good films listed here. 'Inception' might have been good as well, but I just didn't understand it, I couldn't follow the plot, it was just too confusing.

[DizzyDesii]

I didtn like any of those 😂

[ahmadali01]

Psychological thriller is a genre commonly used to describe movies and books that deal with psychological narratives in a thrilling setting.

[DizzyDesii]

Which is what most of the films above are

[MountAverage]

The Shining, Gone Girl, Joker, Inception, and Black Swan were all exceptionally brilliant movies. Brilliant screenplays, brilliant direction, brilliant acting.

[DizzyDesii]

I agree the actung for the first four you mentioned were great. But the storylines is why i said i wouldn't rewatch. I found The shining boring and too creepy as well. Gone Girl was good but the end pissed me off. Joker was a bit boring and the end just wow. I dont see how people still wanna be him for Halloween. Black swan just wasn't good honestly 🤷‍♀️

[MountAverage]

Well, if you find a horror movie too creepy, I don't know what to tell you haha. And the ending of Gone Girl was supposed to piss you off. I'm surprised you found Joker boring, I thought it was extremely thrilling. The ending was great! And why are you surprised people want to dress up as him at Halloween? People dress up as all kinds of serial killers and monsters at Halloween, that's the whole point lol. And I mean, I understand if Black Swan isn't for everyone, but it's definitely brilliantly written, directed, and acted.

[DizzyDesii]

Not just Halloween but people literally want to be joker and harley. They dont see the toxicity

[MountAverage]

You mean for like comic cons?

[DizzyDesii]

In general. I question their mentality and morality sometimes

[MountAverage]

You mean they walk around in clown make up like the Joker in everyday life? Well yeah, that does sound mental. Never seen that before, also don't wish to.

[DizzyDesii]

No they dont 😂 like for example if you said “what superhero/villain do you wanna be?” Or “who was couples goals to you?” Or “who do you look up to?”... and stuff like that. Its always joker. Ion get it

[MountAverage]

Oh really? Yeah, if they're serious then that's messed up.

[Dargil]

I gotta admit. I'm not down with Psycho Dramas.

[DizzyDesii]

Awww okay. But i understand why. They make you question your sanity and can be quite confusing

[Dargil]

A very close friend was schizophrenic. I tried to understand him. It was disturbing. I tolerated Silence Of The Lambs and Mystic River but I discarded my DVD's of them.

[DizzyDesii]

Awww i can see how thats disheartening

[Chikky]

Nice piece babe, keep it up

[DizzyDesii]

Thanks. What were 3 films above you enjoyed :)

[Chikky]

@DizzyDesii none babe, I'm not a film person😃😃

[lanadelrey25]

My favorite is Misery. Great take!

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you :) man she toe his ass up with that sledgehammer 😂😭

[lanadelrey25]

Yes she does, and enjoys doing so... so creepy I love it!

[pervertedjester]

Nice to meet someone else who thinks that Joker was a bad movie.

[DizzyDesii]

Like the movie was a bit boring but the acting was good. I just dont support the joker in general. he's nuts

[JosyJosy]

fmklqsjklqjf juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust commenting so I can go on a movie marathon laterrrrrrrrrrrr