A Glean movie guide
Mind Games: The Ultimate Thriller Guide
Don't trust your eyes.
From classic suspense to modern mind-benders, these films will keep you guessing.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Silence of the Lambs
A masterclass in psychological manipulation and high-stakes tension.
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
Parasite
A razor-sharp exploration of class dynamics that shifts into a gripping, dark thriller.
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.
- 03
Memento
A brilliant, non-linear puzzle that forces you to experience the protagonist's memory loss.
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.
- 04
Se7en
A grim, atmospheric descent into a serial killer's twisted moral game.
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.
- 05
Vertigo
Hitchcock’s haunting masterpiece about obsession, identity, and the ghosts of the past.
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.
- 06
Shutter Island
A moody, atmospheric mystery where the line between reality and delusion constantly blurs.
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 sharp, cynical deconstruction of a marriage built on secrets and manipulation.
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
Fight Club
A visceral exploration of identity and societal rebellion with a legendary psychological twist.
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
- 09
Get Out
A groundbreaking blend of social commentary and psychological horror that builds to a fever pitch.
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.
- 10
Perfect Blue
A surreal and unsettling look at the dark side of fame and the fracturing of reality.
Rising pop star Mima quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.
- 11
Oldboy
A brutal, operatic tale of revenge that culminates in one of cinema's most 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
Mulholland Drive
A dreamlike, surrealist puzzle that challenges your perception of identity and Hollywood.
Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.