Cinema is an art form, that has been a source of entertainment, inspiration, and aesthetic brilliance. Anyone keen on cinemas knows that one can get a wide range of emotions, from happiness to grief, and of course, there are cases where cinema has changed lives. One must not forget that, cinemas can create an adrenaline rush in the audience. Psychological Thriller Movies are one of them, which can make you think and give you the right amount of kick.
In this article, we will look into 13 such Best Psychological Thriller Movies ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes.
13 Best Psychological Thriller Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes
Here is the list of Psychological Thriller movies, take a look and decide your favorite among them:
1. Psycho (1960)
Psycho, a suspenseful psychological thriller movie framed with grace, tact, and art that contributed to the horror genre is immortal. Writers Robert Bloch and Joseph Stefano run the line with a thrilling robbery story twisting by various lanes while she tries to get out of the crime. It is considered one of Hitchcock’s best films, who is the well-known director, and the movie is loosely based on the real-life killings in Wisconsin, filmed in 1960.
- Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Genre: Psychological thriller
TOMATOMETER:97%
2. The Silence of The Lambs (1991)
An English crime and psychological thriller movie, The Silence of The Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by Ronald M. Bozman, Edward Saxon, and Kenneth Utt which was written by Thomas Harris and Ted Tally, released on February 13, 1991 and created a great collection of $130.7M in box office.
- Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
- Director: Jonathan Demme
- Genre: Psychological thriller, crime drama
TOMATOMETER: 95%
3. Memento (2000)
MEMENTO, a thriller directed by Christopher Nolan is known for his complex storytelling which guided skillfully through Memento’s fractured narrative. Writers Nolan and Jonathan Nolan scripted the story of a guy who raped and murdered his wife. The accused suffers from untreatable memory loss, although he can think of details of life before the accident but can’t remember where he is going, or why.
The movie which almost has a run time of 2 hours gained gigantic rating points online and scored $25.5M at the box office.
- Cast: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mark Boone Junior
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Genre: Neo-noir psychological thriller
TOMATOMETER: 94%
4. Don’t Look Now (1974)
Don’t Look Now, is a mystery with the psychological thriller view English movie released on December 25, 1973. The movie is directed by Nicolas Roeg and produced by Peter Katz, which was written by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant.
After the accidental death of their daughter, Christine, John, and Laura Baxter head to Venice, Italy to restore a church. There Laura meets two sisters who claim to be in touch with the spirit of her daughter. But John scoffs until he catches a glimpse looks like Christine running through the streets of Venice. However, the movie creates a very interesting plot keeping audience glued to the screen till end.
- Cast: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Ian Ogilvy
- Director: Nicolas Roeg
- Genre: Psychological thriller, horror
TOMATOMETER: 93%
5. Rare Window (1954)
Professional photographer spies a newlywed couple from a window, which is always open to be cool. In an incident, the woman and dog in the home will be found dead and an investigation will find some clues and lead the picture line.
This is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to Be Murder”. During its run, it has collected $5.3M in the box office.
- Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr, Wendell Corey
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Genre: Suspense, psychological thriller
TOMATOMETER : 92%
6. Vertigo (1958)
It is a romantic story of obsession, fear, and manipulation directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. The movie line assures the theatre with mixed feelings. A detective is forced to retire for being the cause of the death of his co-worker and the women he hired to follow. He sees a double of the girl who was dead and which then leads to a mindful drama.
This movie collected almost $1.8M with a playtime of 2 hours and 8 minutes.
- Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Genre: Psychological thriller, mystery
TOMATO METER: 92%
7. Zodiac (2007)
A complex, gritty, and suspenseful psychological thriller written by James Vanderbilt is Zodiac. The movie was directed by David Fincher and the production co is Warner Bros, Phoenix Pictures, and Paramount. Released on March 2, 2007, and collected $33.0M in box office.
In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators and reporters are keen on learning the killer’s identity and became obsessed with bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victims and taunts authorities with cryptic messages.
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards
- Director: David Fincher
- Genre: Crime drama, mystery, thriller
TOMATOMETER: 90%
8. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
A Korean horror movie, directed by Kim Jee-woon and produced by Oh Ki-min and Kim Yeong, written by Kim Jee-woon which was released on 13 June 2003 and collected 10.5 lakhs USD at the box office is A TALE OF TWO SISTERS.
Su-mi, a Korean teen after being institutionalized in a mental hospital reunites with her beloved sister, Su-yeon, and returns to live at their country home. The girl’s widower father has remarried and the siblings are immediately resentful of his new wife, Eun-joo. As Su-mi and Su-yeong try to resume their regular lives, strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
- Cast: Im Su-jeong, Moon Geun-young, Kim Kap-su, Jeon Mi-yeon
- Director: Kim Ki-young
- Genre: Psychological horror, mystery
TOMATOMETER: 86%
9. Black Swan (2010)
An English thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz is Black Swan. The movie was released in December 2010 and made $107M at the box office.
Nina was a passionate girl for dance which ruled every moment of her life. It turns into a twisted friendship when the company’s director decides to replace a character for their opening production of “Swan Lake”. The rivalry between the two characters black swan and the white swan (Nina) portrays the dark side of Nina.
- Cast: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
- Genre: Psychological thriller, drama
TOMATOMETER: 85%
10. Mulholland Drive (2001)
The story written and directed by David Lynch moves around solving the mystery of Rita’s identity. Two women Laura and Betty met through an incident in an apartment. The story is set in a dream-like Los Angles, spoilt neither by smog nor traffic jams
The sound effects of the movie are additive with the frame under the banner of Universal Pictures with more than a two-hour run-time.
- Cast: Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Ann Miller
- Director: David Lynch
- Genre: Neo-noir psychological thriller, mystery
TOMATOMETER:84%
11. Seven (1995)
A mixture of crime, drama, and a thrilling story is a movie named, Seven. The story was written by produced by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by David Fincher, and produced by Arnold Kopelson, and Phyllis Carlyle which got 100.1M at the box office.
The retiring police Detective William Somerset tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills. Both discover several elaborate and grisly murders who turns out to be a serial killer.
- Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey
- Director: David Fincher
- Genre: Neo-noir crime thriller, mystery
TOMATOMETER: 83%
12. The Machinist (2004)
THE MACHINIST is a movie based on a sleepless factory worker’s mental health condition and its impact on his life. Director Brand Anderson made the plot by writer Scoot Kosar projected a story where the lead suffers from insomnia that causes a disaster’s mental condition and gain weight. The character descends further into paranoia blaming an enigmatic figure, Ivan
The story collected $1.1M In Box Office, with a wide range of reviews more than 80 percent.
- Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Ironside, Merritt Wever
- Director: Brad Anderson
- Genre: Psychological thriller, drama
TOMATOMETER: 77%
13. Frailty (2001)
An investigative thriller based on “Frailty” centers on the FBI’s search for a “God’s Hands” who is a serial killer. This is a well-crafted movie about family, faith, and the end of innocence written by Brent Hanley and directed by Bill Paxton released on April 2002.
The movie has a flat Aspect Ratio (1:85:1) and admiring sound preambles which took place for cine-enthusiasts and collected $13.1M.
- Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Matt O’Shea, Thora Birch
- Director: Bill Paxton
- Genre: Psychological thriller, horror
TOMATOMETER: 75%
Conclusion
In the above article, we have provided the top Psychological thriller movies, that were ranked and o according to Rotten Tomatoes. Some of them are made by master film makers and some of them are by upcoming directors. Irrespective of their background everyone gave their best.
However, it is important to note that there are many more films, that are cinematically brilliant and have been unnoticed. As a film lover, should keep exploring cinema and appreciate good cinemas.
Best Psychological Thriller Movies – FAQs
Q1: What is the highest-rated psychological thriller movie in Rotten Tomatoes?
As of now, Psycho (1960), directed by Hitchcock is rated highest in the Rotten Tomatoes with nearly 97%. It is considered one of the greatest thrillers, and many consider this as a benchmark in thriller movies.
Q2: Which director makes the best thriller movies?
Many directors gave many classics and benchmark movies in the genre of psychological thriller. A few of them are – Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, David Fincher, etc.
Q3: Which movie in the psychological thriller genre had has highest box office collection?
As of now, Joker (2019) has collected the highest at the box office in the psychological thriller genre, with over $1 Billion gross.
Q4: Which psychological thriller movie has the highest rating on IMDB?
Se7en (1996) by David Fincher has the highest rating on IMDB, with 8.6/10. It is also highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes, with 86%.
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