Thrillers are awesome. I revel in the suspense, the guessing games and the type of plot revelations that make you want to rewind back immediately in an attempt to pick out any subtle clues you may have missed at first glance.
Psychological thrillers are a sub genre of Thrillers that focus heavily on (you might have guessed it) the psychological motives of its characters, as you can imagine then there are some really dark and twisted films under this umbrella and often films of this nature will additionally fall under the title of 'Psychological Horrors'.
Below are a few I would highly recommend you giving a go if you haven't, the first one in particular is considered a classic of its genre. Avid film fans will no doubt have watched these all before but for any newbies to the genre I'd recommend giving any of these a whirl if your looking for something gripping to watch.
Silence of the Lambs
This is my most recently watched psychological thriller and its already made the cut as a favourite. I think that shows how much its impressed me; I watched it just a week ago and I already want to go in for a second viewing There are so many reasons to love this film- the casting, having 2 incredibly warped serial killer minds at the focal point of the story (Hannibal and Buffalo Bill), the dialogue which is sharp and often creepy. However, none of these are the reason why I love this film so much. For me, what makes it work so well is the dynamic between the protagonist Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and Hannibal (Anthony Hopkins); the interaction between the characters and way in which these two sterling actors shape each others performance is brilliant. This is a classic not to be missed.
Plus, this song is awesome and is the accompanying music to the strangest part of the film for me- serial killer Buffalo Bill, dressed as a woman and prancing around in front of a mirror uttering the words "would you fuck me? i'd fuck me".
Memento
I couldn't not mention this film, for a while when I was about 14 I think this was my favourite. If your unfamiliar with the premise- Guy Pearce puts in a superb performance as a man suffering from an acute memory loss, trying to track down the murderer of his wife by developing his own bizarre system of remembering potential clues. The story line follows a non linear narrative , its split into two, one moving forward the other backwards whilst alternating with one another. It's not as complicated to follow as its sounds and this method works beautifully as a parallel to the foggy disjointed mind of the films unreliable protagonist. For me, this is up there with Christopher Nolans best.
The Talented Mr Ripley
This ones worth checking out for the beautiful Italian scenery alone. Ascetics aside it's a film that seems to bring out the best in all its leads- Jude Law and Matt Damon really prove their A lister worth in this complex and elegant adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel. Matt Damon plays the psychotic Tom Ripley and puts in a superbly unsettling performance as a man who lusts after a a better life and a new identity. His wish is granted when hes sent from New York to Italy by a rich shipping tycoon to retrieve his extravagant playboy of a son Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and bring him back to America. Ripley instantly becomes enamoured with the lavish lifestyle and deeply infatuated with Dickie himself. The film is a fascinating character study devilling into themes of identity and lust as we watch Ripley fall deeper and deeper into his web of lies. Some may find this film slightly over long and I may have to agree that it could be cut down a tad towards the end but over all I love the pacing. Superb performances and slick cinematography secure this film firmly on my list of favourite psychological thrillers, check it out if you haven't already.
That's it for now, this is by no means a top 3 for me, just a few of my favourites and I'm sure I'll be revisiting this sub genre to share a few more in the near future. If you've made it this far I'd love any recommendations too, new or old.
Plus, this song is awesome and is the accompanying music to the strangest part of the film for me- serial killer Buffalo Bill, dressed as a woman and prancing around in front of a mirror uttering the words "would you fuck me? i'd fuck me".
Memento
I couldn't not mention this film, for a while when I was about 14 I think this was my favourite. If your unfamiliar with the premise- Guy Pearce puts in a superb performance as a man suffering from an acute memory loss, trying to track down the murderer of his wife by developing his own bizarre system of remembering potential clues. The story line follows a non linear narrative , its split into two, one moving forward the other backwards whilst alternating with one another. It's not as complicated to follow as its sounds and this method works beautifully as a parallel to the foggy disjointed mind of the films unreliable protagonist. For me, this is up there with Christopher Nolans best.
The Talented Mr Ripley
This ones worth checking out for the beautiful Italian scenery alone. Ascetics aside it's a film that seems to bring out the best in all its leads- Jude Law and Matt Damon really prove their A lister worth in this complex and elegant adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel. Matt Damon plays the psychotic Tom Ripley and puts in a superbly unsettling performance as a man who lusts after a a better life and a new identity. His wish is granted when hes sent from New York to Italy by a rich shipping tycoon to retrieve his extravagant playboy of a son Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and bring him back to America. Ripley instantly becomes enamoured with the lavish lifestyle and deeply infatuated with Dickie himself. The film is a fascinating character study devilling into themes of identity and lust as we watch Ripley fall deeper and deeper into his web of lies. Some may find this film slightly over long and I may have to agree that it could be cut down a tad towards the end but over all I love the pacing. Superb performances and slick cinematography secure this film firmly on my list of favourite psychological thrillers, check it out if you haven't already.
That's it for now, this is by no means a top 3 for me, just a few of my favourites and I'm sure I'll be revisiting this sub genre to share a few more in the near future. If you've made it this far I'd love any recommendations too, new or old.
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