7 Psychological Horror Films

Psychological horror is a fictional subgenre that takes advantage of emotional vulnerabilities to create discomfort and fear. Psychological horror films challenge their protagonists to question reality through claustrophobic or unnatural settings.

In psychological horror movies, audiences are dragged into the depths of their own fears, which often requires great technical precision. The following psychological horror movies are not necessarily about psychology, although they do make you feel like you are having a “psychological experience.” They are films that express the phobias, anxieties and afflictions of their characters.

The shining of Stanley Kubrick

Possibly the great mother of all psychological horror movies. A small family, a hotel and a tragedy that happened in it are the main elements that Stanley Kubrick relied on to create this iconic film. Just by remembering “The Twin Girls” or the name “Johnny” we can represent at once the entire delusional atmosphere of the film.

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes the winter caretaker at the secluded Overlook Hotel in Colorado in hopes of being able to finish his book and overcome his artistic block as a writer.

He moves into the hotel with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd). While Jack remains completely blocked with his book, his son Danny has increasingly vivid and disturbing visions that revolve around what happened in the past in the same hotel.

His House by Remi Weekes

This movie is one of the hidden gems in the Netflix catalog. A terrifying debut from director Remi Weeks that brings a new voice to the haunted house subgenre.

His House narrates the uprooting of a refugee couple and the paranormal phenomena they have to face in their new home.

Bol (Sope Dirisu) and his wife Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are a refugee couple fleeing a South Sudan devastated by armed conflict. Although they try to integrate into a somewhat depressing English neighborhood, their adaptation process will not be successful.

Social and institutional isolation is coupled with the beginning of strange events at home. The marriage must face these events as a kind of infernal catharsis to continue living.

The Ring by Gore Verbinski

This Gore Verbinski film was a sensation at its premiere, grossing more than $128 million at the box office (versus a budget of $48 million). The passage of time has only improved its status within psychological horror films, showing that the “teenage scare” is not incompatible with quality.

The Ring is about a videotape filled with nightmare images that seems to lead you to death if you see it. Journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers mysteriously die exactly one week after seeing such a tape.

Allowing investigative curiosity to take over, Rachel finally watches the video. The real nightmare begins when your child finds the hidden tape and also visualizes it. The countdown begins, in what stops being a joke from the first moment.

Climax of Gaspar Noé

This movie is perhaps the strangest on the list (and that’s saying a lot), along the lines of everything Gaspar Noé directs. However, Climax can be ridiculous or pretentious to some and wildly disturbing for others.

The psychological terror arises in the viewer when they understand that nothing is so strange if a night of drugs gets out of control between people who already seem to have some psychological problems. The incredible choreographies led by the dancer in real life Sofía Boutella are interspersed with surreal dialogues and extreme situations.

Climax tells the story of a dance group party in which someone mixes the drink of a large amount of drugs. What seems to begin with joy soon turns into a strange collective experience. The protagonists try to survive the night and discover who is responsible. The nightmare of drug-induced wakefulness looms over most of the film.

Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski

Rosemary’s Baby is one of the most acclaimed psychological horror films. The film was the definitive launch to stardom of Mia Farrow who interprets paranoia to perfection.

Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move into a New York City apartment building, where they run into strange neighbors.

When she becomes pregnant, Rosemary isolates herself even more and fears that those around her, including her husband, want to steal her baby to use in the rituals of an evil cult. Your mood is all about shock and anticipation, as growing dread permanently surrounds the pregnancy.

The young woman comes to believe that her offspring are not of this world and her premonition is revealed after Rosemary gives birth.

Ari Aster’s Mindsommar

Mindsommar has strong detractors within film critics, claiming that more than psychological terror, the film only plays with some effects and symbols without depth. Others, however, claim it as another marvel of Ari Aster’s cinema, which together with this film and Hereditary has created its stamp within horror cinema.

Tons of symbolism, incredible cinematography, and Florence Pugh’s memorable performance make Mindsommar claim itself within the genre as a must-have.

The film begins with a family tragedy involving the protagonist Dani (Florence Pugh) due to her sister’s psychological problems. After this tragedy, her boyfriend and friends are invited to Midsommar, a summer festival held every 90 years in a remote village in Sweden.

The festival ends up being a disturbing event in broad daylight. Terror does not come from the hand of serial killers, aliens or supernatural beings. What is terrifying about Mindsommar is the concept of what we call “others. ” People around us and we know who with their rituals become unbearably “strange.”

Goodnight Mommy by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

Dark and full of dread, Goodnight Mommy is perfect for fans of psychological horror and extreme stories. It’s a lucid exploration of mental stability with impeccable cinematic language. The director’s intentions have been boldly captured by the cinematographer, so the film withstands any “back and forth” in the script.

Twin brothers who do everything together, from collecting beetles to feeding stray cats, welcome their mother home after their cosmetic facial surgery.

With her face wrapped in bandages and her distant demeanor, the twins become suspicious of her identity and a series of dark events take place as she attempts to recover from the operation.