By their very nature, thrillers are suspenseful, intense, and designed to keep viewers on edge through danger and uncertainty. Throw an additional psychological element into the mix – turning the characters’ own minds into battlefields – and you have the recipe for some of the most nerve-wracking and shocking stories ever committed to film.
With its roots in early Gothic writers like Edgar Allan Poe, who explored paranoia, guilt, and unreliable narration, Alfred Hitchcock later perfected the genre on screen through films like Psycho and Vertigo. The inclusion of psychological tension and terror in movies has become a staple in some of cinema’s biggest and most revered movies, including The Sixth Sense, The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, and Fight Club. Here, though, we’re focusing on psychological thrillers made after 2000, with an emphasis on those that are particularly shocking. Whether down to unexpected twists that no one saw coming, the extreme subject matter, or the horror of self-recognition, these movies will linger uncomfortably in your mind long after the final credits have rolled.
‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal delivers, arguably, the finest performance of his career as Lou Bloom, an unhinged freelance journalist who seeks out violent and morbid events late at night in downtown L.A. to capture on film and sell the exclusive footage to a local television news station. Centering on the psychological intensity of his obsession, ambition, and amorality, Nightcrawler is not just shocking due to its morbid subject matter and the lengths Bloom is willing to go to secure the “perfect” footage, with no regard to human life – it’s shocking because it holds a mirror up to society forcing us to confront our own fascination with tragedy and the darker side of human behavior.
Critics showered Nightcrawler with praise. Many hailed Bloom as one of modern cinema’s most compelling sociopaths, with Gyllenhaal’s performance being favorably compared to Robert De Niro’s iconic outing as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver.
‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Director David Fincher has long established himself as a master of the psychological thriller, with some of the genre’s most acclaimed titles under his belt, including Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Panic Room, The Game, and Fight Club. The most shocking of his output, though, is Gone Girl, which says a lot when considering his catalog.
Based on Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel of the same name, it follows the story of Nick Dunne after he becomes the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife. Full of jaw-dropping twists, shifting perspectives, and moral provocation, it’s a dark and twisted journey into the psychological intricacies of a marriage gone terribly awry.
‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)
From start to finish, Uncut Gems keeps viewers on edge with its relentless tension, never once letting up or offering a moment of respite. Adam Sandler is a revelation, playing against type as Howard Ratner, a motor-mouthed, high-end jeweler and gambling addict who must retrieve an expensive gem he purchased in order to pay off his debt. Viewers are drawn deep into Ratner’s manic psyche and almost viscerally experience his anxiety, obsession, and moral recklessness as he careens from one chaotic encounter to the next.
Anchored by Sandler’s most electrifying performance to date, the Safdie Brothers’ anxiety-inducing direction leaves viewers feeling exhausted, reeling in shock and awe at the sheer intensity of what they’ve just witnessed.
‘Parasite’ (2019)
Parasite, a darkly comic South Korean social satire, directed by Bong Joon-ho, follows an impoverished family as they cunningly infiltrate a wealthy family from the inside. Tense, exciting, and highly provocative, it cleverly exposes social inequality, greed, and the fragility of class boundaries. By initially focusing on manipulation, deception, and moral ambiguity over traditional action or violence, it generates a relentless sense of apprehension. The shocking and brutal final act, which sees the tone shift dramatically, culminates in a hard-hitting, thought-provoking piece of art that transcends cultures and languages and forces its viewers to confront some uncomfortable truths about human nature and society.
‘Saltburn’ (2023)
One of Prime Video’s all-time most talked about movies, Saltburn follows a student at Oxford University who becomes unhealthily obsessed with a popular, aristocratic fellow student, who later invites him to spend the summer at his eccentric family’s estate. While at the residence, his obsession manifests itself in increasingly dark and disturbing ways, making for some of television’s most controversial, thrilling, and memorable moments in recent history.
Full of twists and turns, Saltburn is a clever, modern Gothic thriller carried by an undercurrent of pitch-black comedy. Its charismatic ensemble cast and beautiful cinematography landed it high praise among critics. While certain taboo-breaking scenes might not be to everyone’s taste, the film’s boldness is what makes it one of the century’s best, masterfully blending beauty and darkness, exposing the rot beneath privilege and desire.
‘Get Out’ (2017)
Previously known for his comedy work on Key and Peele and MAD TV, Jordan Peele’s directorial debut and first major foray outside the comedy genre was a revelation. One of the most talked about movies of the 21st Century, Get Out blends horror and psychological thrills with a sense of mystery and injects it with a healthy dose of satire and social commentary. It follows Chris Washington, a young Black man who uncovers a web of disturbing secrets about his white girlfriend’s family while visiting their grand estate.
Nothing is quite as it seems in the manor, and as the lines between reality and illusion blur, plunging audiences into a terrifying world of manipulation, paranoia, and existential dread. It was showered with accolades and praised for its exploration of real-world issues, including racism, identity, and social facades, and in the process, helped establish Peele as one of the most exciting directors working today.
‘Black Swan’ (2010)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan is a mind-bending and deeply unsettling descent into the psychological unraveling of a young and dedicated ballerina named Nina, who grows increasingly overwhelmed by feelings of immense pressure as she competes for the coveted ‘White Swan’ role in a production of Swan Lake. Viewers are plunged into her world of hyper-anxiety and hallucinations as she gradually loses her grip on reality, immersing them in the darkness in a way only Aronofsky can.
Uncompromising and deeply disturbing, Black Swan divided audiences with its intense depiction of extreme mental deterioration and psychosexual imagery. Nevertheless, it went on to become a huge commercial success, grossing $330 million on a modest $13 million budget, and was nominated for five Oscars, including a ‘Best Actress’ win for Natalie Portman for her haunting and committed lead performance.
‘Oldboy’ (2003)
Known for delivering one of cinema’s most shocking twists, Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy follows a man who is imprisoned for 15 years without knowing the identity of his captor or his motives. When he is suddenly released, he finds himself embroiled in a deadly web of conspiracy and violence as he seeks revenge against his captor.
Park pulls no punches. Oldboy is both visceral and cerebral, as dark as a thriller can be, fusing brutal combat sequences and scenes of torture with a relentless undercurrent of psychological terror. A sadistic masterpiece, it helped cement South Korea’s reputation as a powerhouse of some of the world’s most daring and shocking cinema. It was later remade in America by Spike Lee, but the remake lacked the devastating impact of the original, largely due to the noticeable dilution of the original’s darker themes.