HBO Max has enough great movies of just about every genre on its platform to satisfy any kind of mood. The streamer boasts a particularly impressive lineup of psychological thrillers, though, including one of the most acclaimed horror movies of the last five years, an immensely influential late ’90s anime classic and a Stephen King adaptation that commands your attention across all of its 107 minutes. The platform’s film library also contains three very different masterpieces made by three very different filmmakers: Akira Kurosawa, Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese.
Here are the seven best psychological thrillers streaming on HBO Max right now.
“The Substance” (2024)
A gory, stomach-churning feast of body horror cinema, director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” is a high-pitched genre exercise that refuses to pull a single punch. Decadent and yet filthy, ridiculous and yet keenly observant, the film follows an aging female celebrity (Demi Moore) who, after overhearing her misogynistic boss’ (Dennis Quaid) demands for a younger, hotter ingénue to replace her, takes a black market drug that creates a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley).
Unexpected consequences arise as the two grow bitter and jealous of the other’s time in the spotlight, paving the way for a blackly comic battle of wills that is as absurd as it is deeply, unshakably sad. Few movies capture the horrifying insecurity of getting older, especially in a vain town like Hollywood, with as much gross-out style and blunt honesty as “The Substance.”
“Perfect Blue” (1997)
Japanese filmmaker Satoshi Kon made four masterpieces over the course of his impressive, if tragically short, career. His first feature effort, 1997’s “Perfect Blue,” has emerged as a reference point for filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky, and it is not hard to see why. A surreal psychological thriller that discreetly worms its way under your skin, “Perfect Blue” follows a young Japanese idol who retires from music to pursue a new acting career only to be stalked and terrorized by an obsessive fan upset about her new endeavors.
Across the film’s 81 minutes, Kon brilliantly and subtly blurs the lines between reality and fantasy in a film that works as much as an exploration of the toxicity of celebrity and fandom as it does a disorienting drama about the slippery nature of identity. It is a film that will haunt you and leave you thinking about its story and images for days on end.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” (2022)
A satirical, jagged-edged takedown of Gen Z social media culture and performative activism, director Halina Reijn’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is a ridiculous, tension-filled cross between an Agatha Christie murder mystery and a psychological thriller. The film follows a group of privileged, self-obsessed twenty-something friends as their gathering at a countryside mansion takes a grisly turn when a seemingly innocent party game results in one of them turning up dead.
Paranoia quickly takes hold of the group, leading to a mess of unfounded suspicions and finger-pointing that only grows more hysteric and comically desperate as the bodies continue to pile up. It is hilarious, scathing and nerve-wracking, and it all leads to the kind of perfectly-pitched climactic punchline that is guaranteed to leave your jaw on the floor.
“Misery” (1990)
Across the first 11 years of his directorial career, Rob Reiner proved himself capable of making not only multiple masterpieces but also of handling wildly different kinds of stories. That was first made evident when he directed “Stand by Me” and “The Princess Bride” back-to-back, and then again when he followed his rom-com classic “When Harry Met Sally…” with the chilling, claustrophobic “Misery.” The latter film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, stars James Caan as a successful novelist who is taken hostage and tortured after a car accident by an obsessed, deranged fan (Kathy Bates).
A horror movie that grabs you by the throat and refuses to ever let go, “Misery” masterfully unnerves and disorients you. Behind the camera, Reiner gradually tightens the screws, taking the tension, paranoia and desperation driving “Misery” to almost unbearable heights by the time everything is said and done. It is a film that, like so many of Reiner’s other ’80s and ’90s efforts, has firmly held onto its classic status over the past 36 years. It does not seem likely to ever relinquish that title, either.
“Throne of Blood” (1957)
Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa delivered one of his most striking and unforgettable films when he released “Throne of Blood” in 1957. An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the film follows an accomplished samurai and military leader (Toshiro Mifune) who, after hearing a prophecy from an evil forest spirit, plots with his wife (Isuzu Yamada) to murder his commander and take his place. Grisly violence and sinful betrayal follow, as Kurosawa transposes Shakespeare’s timeless tale of unchecked greed and ambition onto the landscape of feudal, medieval Japan.
In a testament to Kurosawa’s near-unparalleled level of control as a filmmaker, there are moments throughout “Throne of Blood” when the director chooses to show viewers only the aftermath of his characters’ violent actions, and those sequences leave just as much of a mark as all the rest. (Unlike some “Macbeth” adaptations, “Throne of Blood” is, at points, genuinely creepy, too.)
“The Player” (1992)
One of the many unlikely masterpieces made by director Robert Altman, 1992’s “The Player” is a paranoid Hollywood mystery thriller that both pokes fun at the entertainment industry and takes a torch to the mercilessness — both on a creative and executive level — that drives so much of it. Based on a 1988 novel by Michael Tolkin, the film follows an arrogant Hollywood studio executive (Tim Robbins) who kills a disgruntled, aspiring screenwriter (Vincent D’Onofrio) he suspects of sending him death threats.
Things only spiral further out of control from there as Robbins’ Griffin Mill not only tries to cover up his crime but also balance his studio responsibilities with his growing, illicit relationship with the woman (Greta Scacchi) who used to date the man he killed. A scorched-earth treatise on the immorality of corporate Hollywood, “The Player” is a hazy psychological thriller made with equal parts scalding rage and tongue-in-cheek bitterness. Two thumbs way up.
“Taxi Driver” (1976)
Director Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” is both a seedy, grainy psychological thriller and one of the best character studies ever put to film. Written by “First Reformed” filmmaker Paul Schrader and co-edited by Marcia Lucas, “Taxi Driver” follows an insomniac Vietnam War veteran (a career-best Robert De Niro) as his night shifts as a New York City cab driver just push him further into an increasingly disillusioned, alienated and dangerous mental place.
Made with the same mix of empathy and artistic control that has defined so many of Scorsese’s masterpieces, “Taxi Driver” is an exploration of violence and modern male dissatisfaction that was so ahead of its time in 1976 that it feels almost prophetic now. You could make a case for a number of Scorsese’s movies being the filmmaker’s best, but perhaps few more persuasively than “Taxi Driver.”
