My Top 5 Favorite Psychological Thriller Films (so far) in 2022
It’s been almost a year, and what I’ve mostly done is watch and discover films. The genre I choose mainly depends on my mood, but what I have noticed is that I always end up watching psychological thriller films! They fascinate me, and what I like best about them is that they aren’t the type of thriller that will give you nightmares about monsters that will come to haunt you. It is not another Pennywise that you see whenever you close your eyes in the shower. It is an entirely different, unsettling sensation that you feel within. These are the kinds of films that would not let you sleep for days, analyzing the characters deeply. Who is the true antagonist? Is the main character genuinely good? Who is at fault? Is it our society? the government? the capitalists? Most of the time, the foreshadowing and metaphors are overlooked in these films; they require an in-depth analysis in order to comprehend what is truly happening, and once discovered, you will never see it the same way you saw it for the first time.
In this article, I will share to you my top favorite psycho thriller films in no particular order. I hope you’d be interested with them based on my reviews. Don’t worry, I won’t give you any spoilers so you can watch them on your own.
Note: I am not an expert in film analysis. I just do movie reviews for fun ♡
- Mother!
A young woman called “Mother” spends her days in the mansion with her husband. She seemingly had the power to feel the house, making her so attached. That is why she devotedly keeps on renovating it. When a stranger knocked on their door one night, her husband willingly welcomed him to stay with them. Later on, his wife and two children visited as well. While the husband is so glad to accept people into their house, Mother became skeptical and scared at the same time.
It is my first time watching a highly symbolic and metaphorical film. It is a bizarre bag of horror and, to be honest, I didn’t quite understand what it meant, so I had to rewatch specific scenes and read others’ opinions in order to pick up the puzzle pieces and complete it on my own. I highly recommend this movie because it is thought-provoking; its message is something that you have to think about on your own. It is horrifying, disturbing, and beautiful all at once. It’s truly worth the watch.
2. Fight Club
TW: violence, suic*de
An insomniac man meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden, and after his perfect apartment is destroyed, he ends up living in Tyler’s dirty house. These two men eventually got bored with their lives and started a violent underground secret club with strict rules where they fight other men with the same interest.
For real, this could be my all-time favorite! The dialogue, characters, and theme are perfect. I have this thing for narrations; they are really entertaining to me. Plot-wise, it was successfully executed because there were no dead airs; all of the scenes were amusing and exciting. The plot-twist, oh my god. Everything became clearer after the perfect narrative surprise, including those sequences that initially baffled me. Overall, it is phenomenal and a pretty light watch that makes you go “damn!”.
“This Is Your Life, And It’s Ending One Minute At A Time.”
3. Gone Girl
TW: violence
Amy and Nick portray a blissful marriage to the general public. However, Nick is the main suspect in Amy’s abduction when she goes missing. Due to the media frenzy and police pressure, the Dunnes’ portrayal of a happy marriage was shattered, raising intriguing doubts about Nick and Amy’s true identities.
This movie was also by David Fincher (director of Fight Club). I’ve been wanting to watch this because I heard so many positive comments about it. I already knew that it was about an insane woman, but it still surprised me. The twists and turns of this film are outrageous because you would not see their next move coming. Amy Dunne is so unpredictable and unimaginably unhinged. I love it when women are the crazy ones, lol. How she acted was not reasonable at all. But honestly, if someone treated me that way, I would want to do the same thing.
“And she floated down amongst all the other abused, unwanted, inconvenient Women”
4. Shutter Island
U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck went to Ashecliffe asylum, located on a remote island, in order to investigate the disappearance of one of their patients, who appeared to suddenly vanish, leaving no traces except for a single piece of paper as evidence. As the investigation goes on, Teddy’s surreal nightmares and visions from his past trauma get worse. His suspicions on this isolated island have also begun to unfold.
I literally questioned my sanity after watching this. This is the kind of movie that needs to be rewatched to be fully grasped. Everything is compressed into a distressing foreshadow of dark secrets that will be revealed later on. I have seen way too many spoilers about this on social media, yet I still did not see the twist coming. It was insane! I cannot put into words how good this movie was. You are missing out on life if you haven’t seen this, so I highly recommend that you give it a try.
“Which Would Be Worse: To Live As A Monster, Or To Die As A Good Man?”
5. Bliss
TW: r4pe, violence
An actress named Jane Ciego had an accident while shooting a movie. She stayed in a house while she was getting better. Every morning, she wakes up to the same routine, encountering her husband and a cruel nurse. Their actions are questionable and are getting worse every time, making her go crazy. Is it real or just a really horrible dream?
This movie is the best local film I’ve ever seen so far! It is the kind of movie that is so unsettling from start to finish. At first, the series of events will get you confused, but it will all be explained later in the end. I got so traumatized after watching this and got so scared of the antagonist (kudos to Adrienne Vergara!). All I can say is that this is so gut-wrenching to watch. It’s giving me the same vibe as “The Strange Thing About the Johnsons,” where abusers change roles. It is rare, but sadly, it happens in real life. This is about the horrors of desire in wealth, popularity, and lust. It was really good, but I don’t think everyone could handle this level of insanity, so watch at your own risk.
Before I end this, I would like to remind you that these are psychological thriller films, and I am telling you, most of them are heavy to watch. The depth and psychology of these films are intense, and there are so many trigger warnings, so prepare yourself and make sure that you are mentally stable before you hit the play button. Anyway, these are my opinions, so if you watched and did not like them, maybe these films are not for you.
Have you seen these movies? Which one is the most intriguing? Do you have any thoughts? Comment down below ♡
