There is no shortage of great, memorable psychological thrillers on HBO Max. The streaming service has 75 and 61-year-old black-and-white classics, as well as contemporary gems that have the power to make your heart race. Whether you want a legal thriller that asks complex larger questions or a family drama that deals with some supernatural elements, you probably do not need to look any further than HBO Max for something to watch this month.
Here are the seven best psychological thrillers on the platform in October.
“Rashomon” (1950)
Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece “Rashomon” is one of the greatest and most psychologically compelling films ever made. Based on a short story, the film explores the murder of a samurai and, specifically, the different accounts told by each person involved in the event.
Both a legal thriller and a thought-provoking drama, “Rashomon” has been imitated and ripped off countless times over the past 75 years. And yet, somehow, the film — and its repetitive, multi-POV structure — still feels radical and new. Its final scene will lift your heart up and take your breath away.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
“The Silence of the Lambs” is a psychological thriller so piercing that it frequently feels like a horror film. Based on a 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, it follows a young FBI trainee (Jodie Foster) who is assigned to help find an elusive serial killer (Ted Levine) by interviewing an imprisoned murderer, cannibal and former psychiatrist (Anthony Hopkins) who may know the killer’s true identity. Featuring masterful direction by Jonathan Demme, “The Silence of the Lambs” is at once a serial killer thriller, investigative drama and a haunting portrait of a woman’s experiences in male-dominated spaces.
The film’s climax will have you gripping the edge of your seat in pure terror and dread, and yet it is a testament to the movie’s psychological power that its most memorable images are ultimately a pair of close-ups: one of Foster’s still face as she recounts a traumatizing life event, and the other of Hopkins’ unblinking eyes as he listens to her story.
“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
“The Sixth Sense” is the film that launched writer-director M. Night Shyamalan into the Hollywood stratosphere, and for good reason. A chilling psychological thriller, the film follows a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who must grapple with the fact that his latest patient, an ostracized young boy (Haley Joel Osment), claims he can see and talk to dead people.
What unfurls from that premise is a nightmarish, tragic and, at times, profoundly moving story about grief, love, family and connection. It’s a quiet, soft-spoken film that commands your attention at every turn — and yes, its iconic twist is somehow even better than its reputation suggests.
“Uncut Gems” (2019)
Here’s a psychological crime thriller so stressful it’ll shred your nerves and make your heart rate skyrocket. Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Uncut Gems” is a hustler thriller about a New York City jeweler and gambling addict (Adam Sandler) whose constant, risky sports bets put both his business and his life in jeopardy. Featuring one of Adam Sandler’s best performances, “Uncut Gems” is an anxiety attack in film form.
Across its chaotic, relentless 135 minutes, it forces you to root for its unlikable, underdog lead, even as he continuously backs himself into tighter and more dangerous corners. It leaves a lasting mark, to say the least.
“Gone Girl” (2014)
David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” is not only a pitch-perfect adaptation of author Gillian Flynn’s original, hit novel, but it is also an engrossing procedural thriller and a striking, blackly comic exploration of marriage and narcissism. The film follows a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man (Ben Affleck) who becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when his wife (Rosamund Pike) mysteriously disappears.
Twisty, playful and downright deranged, “Gone Girl” is an immensely watchable, surprisingly entertaining thriller. Anchored by an all-time great performance from Pike, it’s a psychological thriller that has glorious, bloody fun showing all the ways that, sometimes purposefully and sometimes not, people tend to hurt the ones they love.
“Enemy” (2014)
“Dune” director Denis Villeneuve may be one of the most formidable and well-known filmmakers working today, but his 2014 psychological thriller “Enemy” remains shockingly underrated. Based loosely on a 2002 novel by José Saramago, the film follows a history professor (Jake Gyllenhaal) who discovers and meets his doppelganger. As the two men’s lives and dreams begin to blur together, questions of identity, consciousness and free will emerge.
The result is a hazy, hypnotic film, full of surreal imagery and unexpected moments of violence and horror, about the traps we set for ourselves. It is certainly not for everyone, but those who are able to get on the same wavelength as it will likely find rich meaning in the film’s questions, as well as the ways in which it asks them.
“Séance on a Wet Afternoon” (1964)
Rounding out the list is this 1964 gem from “The Stepford Wives” director Bryan Forbes. Based on a 1961 novel by Mark McShane, “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” follows a mentally unstable, grieving female medium (Kim Stanley) who convinces her husband (Richard Atttenborough) to kidnap a young girl so that she can achieve fame and recognition by using her “powers” to help the investigating police solve the crime.
A bold, prickly psychological thriller about marriage and grief, “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” features a pair of jaw-dropping lead performances from Stanley and Atttenborough. It tells its story with impressive control and an unflinching awareness of the immense, desperate pain at the center of it all.
