Summary
The 2010s were a great decade for movies filled with plenty of incrediblyunderappreciated psychological thrillers. While heavy hitters likeGone Girl,Prisoners, andShutter Islandhave dominated the conversation around this genre during that time, this completely ignored some amazing lesser-known triumphs from the 2010s. As a period that encouraged diverse storytelling and was just at the beginning of the streaming revolution, plenty of amazing psychological thrillers flew under the radar during this time and deserved to be rediscovered by new viewers.
Thegreatest psychological thrillerswere categorized by intrigue, suspense, and clever writing, and the most underappreciated releases in this genre were no different. Through a combination of crime, comedy, and horror, these psychological thrillers shone a light on the complexities of human existence and delved into deeply heavy themes relating to ethics, romance, and societal expectations. While the intensity of some of these movies meant they wouldn’t appeal to all viewers,those who love psychological thrillers should discover something new.
The Invitation
Cast
The Invitation is a Horror film starring Logan Marshall-Green and Tammy Blanchard. The premise follows a man that visits his ex-wife with his new girlfriend for a dinner party, and unveils the plot of a sinister cult.
The Invitationwas a slow-building and suspenseful psychological thrillerbuilt around a man (Logan Marshall-Green) accepting an invitation to his ex-wife’s (Tammy Blanchard) dinner party. Like the best psychological thrillers, the power ofThe Invitationwas in the quietly simmering unease as old wounds were reopened and new tensions began to emerge. With a tension-rich premise and a clever script,The Invitationwas beloved by critics but has remained an often underrated hidden gem.
As audiences were invited to experience one of the most anxiety-inducing dinner parties ever committed to the screen,The Invitationexploited its heart-racing concept for maximum impact. As each character’s sorrows revealed themselves in different ways, it was unnerving to watch the methods by which they imparted suffering upon themselves.The Invitationwas a psychological thriller dealing with themes of difficult emotions, the impact of strong personalities, and how social expectations around politeness often allow creepy behavior to fester without being called out.
Nocturnal Animals
Nocturnal Animals is a 2016 thriller centering on Susan Morrow, an art dealer who believes her ex-husband’s novel is a metaphor for a violent revenge plot. Nocturnal Animals is directed by Tom Ford and features a star-studded cast including Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, and Armie Hammer.
While the fashion designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford rightfully gained acclaim for his directionaldebut,A Single Man, his sophomore feature,Nocturnal Animals,has remained relatively underrated. Boasting Ford’s distinctive visual style and idiosyncratic narrative skill,Nocturnal Animalswas a fascinating neo-noir psychological thriller that told a dual story as an art gallery owner fearful of the revenge implications within her ex-husband’s novel, which she interpreted as being about their relationship. This unique storytelling style showcased both the wife’s experiences in the real world while also depicting the novel’s events.
This overlapping style allowed for the thematic resonance of both stories to influence one another asNocturnal Animalsbeautifully combined romance with fearful bleakness. While a story like this could very easily lose itself in its own pretension,Nocturnal Animalsstruck the right balance between poetic filmmaking and gripping thriller. With strong performances from stars like Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Nocturnal Animalsdeserves to be spoken about among the most effective psychological thrillers of the 2010s.
Swallow
Swallow is a psychological thriller directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis. The film follows Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, played by Haley Bennett, who develops a dangerous habit of swallowing inedible objects. This condition, known as pica, reveals deeper issues within her seemingly perfect marriage and life, leading her to confront disturbing secrets and personal struggles.
For viewers looking for a movie that delves into even stranger territory than the average psychological thriller, then look no further thanSwallow. This highly unusual tale from writer and director Carlo Mirabella-Davis told the story of a dissatisfied housewife who developed an impulse to consume inedible objects. What started as an impulsive decision to eat a small marble soon became worrying as audiences witnessed her eating thumbtacks, metal figures, and batteries.
With a strong lead performance from Haley Bennett as the stifled housewife Hunter Conrad,Swallowcleverly addressed themes of domestic depression through a unique lens. With elements of body horror and deeply psychological themes,Swallowwas a feminist triumph that was, at times, difficult to endure. WhileSwallowcertainly won’t be for everybody, for those able to stomach its indigestible intensity, it will be a satisfying delight.
Side Effects
Side Effects is a psychological thriller centering on Emily Taylor, a woman who is prescribed experimental drugs after her husband finishes his prison sentence. With a cast consisting of Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Steven Soderbergh as director, Side Effects received mostly positive reviews upon release in 2013.
Side Effectswas a clever film full of twists by director Steven Soderbergh, but it felt like it was left behind and forgotten amid a horde of other far more well-known psychological thrillers. However, viewers would be wrong to sleep on this movie, asSide Effectsstood among the most fascinating releases of the early 2010s. With an overlapping story about psychiatrists prescribing experimental drugs and a husband released from prison, this was an assured film reminiscent of the best Alfred Hitchcock thrillers.
With a gripping story and an effective visual style,Side Effectsfeatured strong performances from Jude Law and Rooney Mara. As the kind of film that stayed with viewers long after the credits rolled,Side Effectshad a haunting quality and was initially marketed as Soderbergh’s final film. However, Soderbergh’s self-imposed retirement did not last long, and he returned in 2017 withLogan Luckyand has continued releasing movies since.
Mother
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as Mother and Him, a couple whose life at their country estate is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger. Acting as a biblical allegory, Aronofsky uses ambiguous imagery and dreamlike storytelling. Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris star alongside Lawrence and Bardem.
WhileJennifer Lawrence admitted she didn’t fully understand her most divisive movie,Mother!was a truly unique psychological thriller of real thematic depth. Described by Lawrence (viaTelegraph) as a biblical allegory depicting the torment and sexual assault of Mother Earth, this was among director Darren Aronofsky’s most cryptic and esoteric movies. as it told the story of a husband and wife’s life being disrupted by a mysterious couple. WhileMother!won’t be for everyone, for those who connect with its unique style, it will be a cinematic treat.
With intense violence and biblical resonance,Mother!was a thought-provoking piece of experimental filmmaking that’s almosttoo weird to recommend to the average viewer. Because of this lack of mainstream appeal,Mother!has been woefully underrated in the years since its release. While it hasn’t dominated the conversation around effective psychological thrillers, those who love the genre and want to try something a bit different should check outMother!
The House That Jack Built
The House That Jack Built, directed by Lars von Trier, follows Jack (Matt Dillon), an intelligent yet psychopathic man who recounts his elaborate and meticulously planned murders over a span of 12 years. Set in Washington during the 1970s and 1980s, the film delves into Jack’s depravity and the dark complexities of his mind. The narrative is structured around five incidents, illustrating his evolution as a serial killer.
TheDanish director Lars von Trierhas been probing into the deepest realms of psychological anxieties for the past 40 years, and his 2018 release,The House that Jack Built, stood as one of his most depraved films. As almost avant-garde psychological horror, this serial killer story took place over 12 years as Jack (Matt Dillon) committed various murders across the state of Washington. As perhaps the most extreme and controversial film in von Trier’s extreme and controversial career,The House that Jack Builtfailed to connect with mainstream audiences.
However, despite its divisive reputation,The House that Jack Builtwon over critics as its intense probing into the psychology of a killer made it a film like no other. Dillon gave a convincing performance as Jack, who tried to make an argument for his crimes as viewers witnessed them through flashbacks. As an unwavering portrait of a true sociopath,The House that Jack Builtattempted to unpack the psychology behind the anatomy of those who commit heinous acts.
4The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
The shocking appeal of the underrated psychological thrillerThe Stanford Prison Experimentwas that it was based on fact. As viewers watched the extraordinary developments as students truly embodied their roles as officers and prison guards in an intense psychological experiment, the results were as chilling as they were thought-provoking. With strong performances and timeless relevance,The Stanford Prison Experimentexcelled due to the combination of its cast, script, and direction.
The plot concernedthe real Stanford Prison experiment that took place in 1971, which saw the participants who were assigned to be “guards” become increasingly brutal as the experiment continued for several days. While this experiment has been criticized as unethical, its results have long been used as an example of the disturbing potential for everyday people to be compelled to inflict pain on one another. While the experiment was not ethical, it did inspire ethical reforms within psychology (viaPsychology Today.)
Creep
Creep is a 2014 Horror film directed by Patrick Brice. The found-footage style release stars Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice and revolves around a videographer who takes a job recording and chronicling the life of a supposedly dying man that will be showcased later to his unborn son.
The Craigslist-inspired psychological thrillerCreepused a found-footage styleto showcase a struggling videographer’s horrific experience in a job gone wrong. Through a found-footage style, co-writer and director Patrick Brice starred as Aaron, a young man who traveled to a remote cabin to meet Josef (Mark Duplass), an eccentric man who claimed to have an inoperable brain tumor. While Josef stated he wanted Aaron to record a video diary for him to gift to his unborn child after he dies, there’s an unnerving sense that all was not as it seemed.
The power ofCreepcame down to Duplass’s incredible performance as the truth of Josef’s intentions slowly revealed itself, and Aaron became increasingly fearful for his life.Creepwalked the fine line between psychological thriller and horror, but its plot felt particularly resonant as the loneliness behind Josef’s character continued to reveal itself.Creepwas a dark and effective story that spawned a franchise with the sequelCreep 2and theupcoming television seriesThe Creep Tapes.
The One I Love
A troubled couple vacate to a beautiful getaway, but bizarre circumstances further complicate their situation.
With a highly intriguing premise,The One I Lovewas among the most unique psychological thrillers of the 2010s. With two fantastic lead performances from Elizabeth Moss and Mark Duplass,The One I Loveexplored a couple who encountered doppelgängers of their partners, which forced them to reckon with the issues in their relationship. This fascinating story felt like it mixed the existential qualities of Charlie Kaufman with the heart-racing psychological thrills of Alfred Hitchcock.
The One I Lovepainted a complex portrait of love, and for maximum effect, viewers should go in knowing as little about the plot as possible. Director Charlie McDowell did a great job of blending humor and drama as this tightly constructed love story dismantled the everyday woes and complaints of modern romance. At times,The One I Lovealmost felt like the characters had enteredThe Twilight Zoneas they were thrust into a psychological reckoning for which they weren’t prepared.
Nightcrawler
Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler follows petty thief Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) after he learns of a potentially lucrative job opportunity selling footage of violent events to local media outlets. Lou becomes a “stringer” - a freelance journalist who captures and records footage for news stations - and finds that the profession sucks him into the most dangerous parts of Los Angeles. Drawn deeper into his dark obsession, Lou becomes increasingly fixated with violence and crime.
Although it was a hit with critics,Nightcrawlerhas remained the most underrated psychological thriller of the 2010s and stood among Jake Gyllenhaal’s greatest performances. With a thriller story about an unhinged freelance photographer seeking out violent events to sell the footage to news stations,Nightcrawlerdelved into a sinister and cutthroat world of seeding professional tactics. With an unnerving atmosphere and a foreboding sense of dread, it’s a shock to think thatGyllenhaal was snubbed for a Best Actor nominationfor his truly exceptional performance.
With a relentless narrative and impressive visual style,Nightcrawlerwas a supremely effective movie that truly delivered on its themes of the ethics of journalism. AsNightcrawlertook viewers on a creepy voyeuristic journey into the depths of depravity, it was impossible not to be drawn in its narrative’s effectiveness. While those in the know have long been voicing appreciation forNightcrawler, it has remained intensely underrated by general viewers.
