5 Psychological Thrillers You Must See Before You Die

Kill List

Something a little closer to home, Kill List ranks as one of the best British films of the last decade, and one of its best psychological thrillers, period. Heavily indebted to The Wicker Man, the film is basically one of two parts: the first 3/4, which deals with two hit men (Neil Maskell and Michael Smiley) going about their business, and the last stretch, which turns into a surreal, pagan nightmare. Much has been made of the film's shift, but the ending marks one of the most baffling, dazzling denouements on this list, and the tunnel sequence in particular is stunning. Directed by Ben Wheatley, Kill List, despite wearing a few of its influences on its sleeve, is ultimately a unique film, touching on horror and even family-drama in its short run time to announce its director as a major force in a few different styles. It's that aforementioned ending that truly earns Kill List a place on this one, though, which surely serves as one of the most disconcerting finales ever put on film, especially in Britain.

The Silence Of The Lambs

A classic of the genre, Jonathan Demme's multi Oscar winning The Silence Of The Lambs has seen its status slightly reduced over the years. Despite this, it's still one of the purest psychological thrillers ever made, helmed by an iconic Anthony Hopkins performance and a dogged Jodie Foster one (both won Academy Awards). Based on Thomas Harris' sophomore Dr. Hannibal Lecter novel of the same name, the films sees Foster's Clarice Starling seek out the cannibalistic, genius doctor to ask for his help in catching another serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). As is his want, Lecter gets inside the young agent's head, and Lambs ultimately becomes more about their twisted relationship than it does the actual hunt for Bill. Hopkins has roughly only 16 minutes of screen time, but he makes full use of it, turning in a macabre, lip smacking performance full of great lines, many of which are now classics of film lexicon. And, though some would have it that Mads Mikkelsen is better in the TV version of Hannibal (myself included), there's no reason why they can't coexist, and Hopkins' incarnation remains one of the eeriest of any on show here.

Prisoners

Another morally dubious film, and one in which a number of characters suffer altered states of mental well being, Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners is one of the best psychological thrillers of recent years, full of great performances (including a career best from Hugh Jackman) and, like many of the films on this list, complete with a finale that heaves one final level of psychological strife upon its protagonist. (It's also one of the best looking films of late, but with Roger Deakins in charge of the cinematography that really shouldn't come as a surprise). Jackman stars as Keller Dover, whose young daughter, along with a friend, go missing on Thanksgiving. Frustrated by the police's supposed incompetence, Dover takes matters into his own hands, granting the film its title. Keller, a 'good man', descends into increasingly violent, desperate behaviour, and Prisoners begins to pose questions of how far is it acceptable to go for your family? and, at what point to you stop being good, despite the goodness of your intentions? There's no easy answer, and the film, despite its visual splendour, is a tough watch which pangs with moral ambiguity.

The Shining

One of the most influential horror films of all time, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is also an exhausting psychological thriller, both in the dramatic drop in Jack Torrance's (Jack Nicholson) sanity, and in the audiences understanding of it. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Kubrick's adaptation is regularly cited as as one of the most iconic films ever made, and it's true that the picture is chock-full of famous film moments: "Here's Johnny"; "Red Rum"; the flood of blood pouring out of the elevator; "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy"; the closing shot (see above), which confounds our comprehension of the ending. Notable also for its troubling shoot, in which Kubrick well and truly put his stars (Shelley Duvall, who plays Wendy Torrance, in particular) through the proverbial wringer, The Shining is a true classic of the genre, and the emotions it conjures - excitement, confusion, fear, even hate - are the byproduct of a film essential to a list like this.

Caché (Hidden)

I've wrote about the genius of Michael Haneke's Caché - and specifically it's ending - on here before (again don't click if you haven't seen it), so I'll keep this more general: it's one of the greatest psychological thrillers of all time, a truly disturbing, disquieting film, made more so by what it implies rather than what it shows. It is a masterwork in every regard. The setup is deceptively simple: a family are tormented and baffled by the mysterious videos and drawings that begin showing up at their house. As Georges (Daniel Auteil), obsessed, delves deeper into the mystery, he begins to suspect someone from his childhood. This results in the film's masterful final frame, which amounts to one of the most chilling moments in all of cinema. One of the great films of the last decade - perhaps the greatest - Caché ('Hidden' in English) is a monumental achievement, using a family's worst fears to reflect our own. See it.

Source : http://whatculture.com/film/20-psychological-thrillers-you-must-see-before-you-die?page=20