A Glean movie guide
Mind Games: The Best Psychological Thrillers
Don't trust what you see.
Masterpieces of tension and the dark corners of the human mind.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Silence of the Lambs
A chilling study of psychological profiling and the intense dynamic between a trainee and a killer.
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
- 02
Se7en
A grim, high-tension hunt for a killer that tests the mental limits of its protagonists.
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
- 03
Parasite
A razor-sharp exploration of class dynamics that shifts into a high-stakes psychological game.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 04
Memento
A brilliant, non-linear puzzle that forces you to experience the protagonist's fractured memory.
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
- 05
Psycho
The definitive psychological thriller exploring the dark intersection of identity and obsession.
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.
- 06
Shutter Island
An atmospheric descent into madness set within the walls of a remote asylum.
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
- 07
Gone Girl
A twist-heavy deconstruction of a marriage fueled by media manipulation and unreliable narratives.
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
- 08
Vertigo
A haunting study of obsession and identity told through pioneering visual techniques.
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
- 09
Black Swan
A visceral and claustrophobic look at the psychological toll of artistic perfection.
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".
- 10
Get Out
A tense and cerebral thriller that uses paranoia to explore deep-seated social anxieties.
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
- 11
Oldboy
A visceral tale of revenge defined by extreme psychological manipulation and shocking revelations.
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
- 12
The Prestige
A complex narrative of professional rivalry where the line between magic and obsession blurs.
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.