Are you into movies where fear, anxiety, delusion, and skewed perception infect its characters, sometimes even the film’s protagonist? If so, here’s a list of psychological thriller movies on Shudder that you need to check out. However, be warned, the streaming service from AMC is also known to bring on the horror.
What are the best psychological thriller films on Shudder? Make your voice heard by voting up or down on the list below. Then, be sure to check out the best thrillers on Netflix.
- 1Christmas Evil is a 1980 slasher film, directed by Lewis Jackson and starring Brandon Maggart. It is considered an obscure film but has gained a cult following which includes film director John Waters. It was originally released as You Better Watch Out. Though lesser known, it predates the horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night, in which a deranged man goes on a murderous rampage dressed in Santa Claus clothing.
- Released: 1980
- Directed by: Lewis Jackson
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- 2Like Me is a 2017 American film directed by Robert Mockler. A loner (Addison Timlin) sets out on a crime spree that she broadcasts on social media.
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Robert Mockler
- 3The Cat o' Nine Tails is a 1971 Italian giallo film written and directed by Dario Argento. Although it is the middle entry in Argento's so-called "Animal Trilogy", the titular "cat o' nine tails" does not directly refer to a literal cat, nor to a literal multi-tailed whip; rather, it refers to the number of leads that the protagonists follow in the attempt to solve a murder. Though successful in Europe, it was dismissed in the United States. Argento admitted in the book Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento that he was less than pleased with the film. In fact the director often cites it as his least favorite of his films.
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Dario Argento
- 4A psychic medium (Macha Méril) is brutally murdered, and musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) feels a need to solve the case, since he was the one who discovered the body. Working with him is reporter Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi), who hopes for a big scoop by solving the case. When one of Marcus's own friends ends up murdered at the hands of the same killer, the resourceful pair realize they must work fast to uncover the murderer's identity or they might serve as the maniac's next victims.
- Released: 1975
- Directed by: Dario Argento
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- 5
Excess Flesh
Bethany Orr, Mary Loveless, Wes McGee- Released: 2015
- Directed by: Patrick Kennelly
- 6
Don't Grow Up
Fergus Riordan, Madeleine Kelly, McKell David- Released: 2015
- Directed by: Thierry Poiraud
- 7The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (aka Blade of the Ripper) is a 1971 giallo murder mystery film directed by Sergio Martino. It is his first entry in the giallo subgenre. The letter "h" was added to the name "Ward" when an Italian woman named Mrs. Ward threatened legal action over the original title's potentially damaging her good name, just before the film was released. The film was also known as Next! or The Next Victim.
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Sergio Martino
- 8A Tale of Two Sisters is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror mystery film directed by Kim Jee-woon. After spending time in a mental hospital, a girl is reunited with her sister and returns home to some strange events.
- Released: 2003
- Directed by: Kim Jee-woon
- 9This disturbing Japanese thriller follows Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer friend (Miyuki Matsuda), Aoyama uses auditions for a fake production to function as a dating service. When Aoyama becomes intrigued by the withdrawn, gorgeous Asami (Eihi Shiina), they begin a relationship. However, he begins to realize that Asami isn't as reserved as she appears to be, leading to gradually increased tension and a harrowing climax.
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Takashi Miike
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- 10Beast is a 2017 British psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Pearce. A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Michael Pearce
- 11After finishing up the school term in a remote outback town, teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) looks forward to spending his holiday with his girlfriend in Sydney. But John gets waylaid in a mining town where a gambling spree leaves him completely broke. He quickly falls in with the hard-drinking locals, who constantly ply him with alcohol and force him to participate in a gruesome kangaroo hunt. Disgusted, John tries to hitchhike out of town and, when that fails, begins to contemplate suicide.
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
- 12All the Colors of the Dark is a 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Sergio Martino. The film was also released under the alternate titles Day of the Maniac and They're Coming to Get You!.
- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Sergio Martino
