Spooky season is here and the streaming platforms will be coming up with all kinds of Horror-Esque titles, to make us jump out of our seats. But among all the types of horrors, psychological horror films leave a very unsettling feeling with a deep impact. If you are a fan of such films that leave you completely shocked and questioning your own reality, then just scroll down below.
6 Psychological Horror Films
The Shining (1980)
When talking about psychological horror, this is the first film that comes to everyone’s mind. Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall star in director Stanley Kubrick’s disturbing adaptation of Stephen King’s blockbuster horror novel.
When writer Jack Torrance (Nicholson) who has a history of alcoholism and child abuse, takes a job as a winter caretaker for a hotel high in the Rocky Mountains, he, his wife (Duvall) and their psychic young son will be isolated until spring.
But once the first blizzard closes the road out, the accumulated power of evil deeds committed at the hotel begins to drive Jack mad. Now there may be no escape for his wife and son from this haunting madness, memory and family violence. You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Also Read: Anikulapo Review: Not Everyone is Grateful for a Second Chance in Life
The Sixth Sense (1999)
In this M. Night Shyamalan film, a distinguished child psychologist meets a frightened, confused 8-year-old boy, and he is completely unprepared to face the truth of what haunts the boy. Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a distinguished child psychologist haunted by the painful memory of a disturbed young patient he was unable to help. So when he meets Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) a frightened, confused eight-year-old with a similar condition.
Dr Crowe seeks to redeem himself by doing everything he can. Nonetheless, Malcolm is unprepared to learn the truth of what haunts Cole – terrifying, unwanted visits from the restless inhabitants of the spirit world or is it just his mind playing games? Is this a ghost story? A tale of mental illness? It leaves the audience on the edge of their seats wondering until the very end. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Identity (2003)
In this film, stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rainstorm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they’re being killed off one by one. Not until the end do we realize that the killer is only killing off his (spoiler alert) own multiple personalities in order to avoid the death sentence and get sent to a mental hospital instead.
Directed by James Mangold from a screenplay by Michael Cooney. The film stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall and Rebecca De Mornay. You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Hide and Seek (2005)
Starring Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning; for young Emily Callaway, who is traumatised by her mother’s suicide, her games of Hide-and-Seek with an imaginary friend named Charlie have become anything but simple and innocent. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a series of increasingly nightmarish acts that even her father David cannot stop.
In a mind-bending twist, it ends on the note of a personality disorder and murder. To give you a spoiler, keep an eye on the father. You can watch this film on Disney+.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Directed by Charlie Kaufman, in this film, despite having second thoughts about their relationship, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip with her new boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm with Jake’s mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis), the young woman begins to question the nature of everything she knew or understood about her boyfriend, herself, and the world.
With a surreal ending, the film leaves you thinking about a lot of things. It is unsettling psychological horror, saturated with a squirming dream logic that tips over into the domain of nightmares. You can watch it on Netflix.
Nightmare Alley
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, in this film an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a travelling carnival, he crafts what seems to be a golden ticket to success.
The more he uses his newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society, the more his ambition grows. Soon, with the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Blanchett), who might turn out to be his most formidable opponent yet. You can watch the film on Apple TV and Disney+.
Which of the above-mentioned film intrigues you the most? Let us know in the comment section below.
Also Read: Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities New Trailer: Challenges Traditional Notions of Horror