Hollywood knows that the mind can be a dangerous place.
Instead of focusing on physical action, psychological thrillers — a mix of horror, drama and suspense — turn inward and blur the lines between reality and illusion. Whether you’re exploring the disturbed sanity of a killer (like Psycho‘s Norman Bates or You‘s Joe Goldberg) or trying to outrun the hallucinations in Smile, these films and TV shows know exactly how to unsettle you from the safety of the couch.
This twisty subgenre is well-represented across all major streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, Paramount+, Apple TV+ and Peacock.
Here are the best psychological thrillers sure to get under your skin.
Netflix
Us
As Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) settles in with her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), and two children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex), at their summer home, a sinister group of dopplegängers shows up with a vendetta. This 2019 thriller is rich with symbolism and social commentary, and with only his second feature, Jordan Peele further proves his directorial brilliance.
Watch Us on Netflix
You
One of Netflix’s most popular shows dives into the twisted mind of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a charismatic bibliophile with a toxic habit of justifying murder in the name of love. As Joe hops from city to city, his obsessive “romantic” fixations turn fatal for the women who cross his path. Watch all five seasons of You to see how long he can outrun the consequences — and whether he can ever escape himself.
Watch You on Netflix
Donnie Darko
In Richard Kelly’s 2001 cult classic, teenager Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) begins to slip in and out of a space-time disturbance. A mysterious rabbit figure tells him the world is ending, and Donnie narrowly escapes death — for the time being. The indie film’s cast includes Jake’s sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze.
Watch Donnie Darko on Netflix
Fair Play
Financial analysts Emily Meyers (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke Edmunds (Alden Ehrenreich) find themselves in a hidden romance within their shared workplace: a high-pressure Manhattan hedge fund office. However, when Emily secures a promotion that Luke coveted, their relationship is strained to its limits.
Watch Fair Play on Netflix
Apple TV+
Severance
To cope with the loss of his wife, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) takes a job at Lumon Industries, where he undergoes “severance” — a procedure that splits his work self (the “innie”) from his real-life identity (the “outie”). However, when strange events disrupt the sterile order of his workplace, Mark’s innie begins to question what’s actually going on at Lumon. The Emmy-winning sci-fi thriller boasts episodes directed by famed actor and producer Ben Stiller. Stream seasons 1 and 2 ahead of the anticipated third installment.
Watch Severance on Apple TV+
Disclaimer
Directed by Gravity (2013) and Roma (2018) filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a renowned journalist praised for unmasking others’ wrongdoings. However, when an anonymous novel arrives, Catherine is horrified to find herself cast as the protagonist in someone else’s exposé with her darkest secrets on the line. Binge all seven episodes of season 1 now.
Watch Disclaimer on Apple TV+
Presumed Innocent
Based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name and the 1990 thriller starring Harrison Ford, the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent features Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, the chief deputy prosecutor — a married man who develops an obsession with his colleague/mistress, Carolyn (Renate Reinsve). However, when Carolyn is found dead, Rusty becomes the No. 1 suspect in her murder and must fight to prove his innocence while trying to salvage his marriage. The show has been renewed for a second season.
Watch Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+
Hulu
Presence
Shot entirely from the first-person perspective of a ghost, Steven Soderbergh’s 2024 psychological thriller Presence follows the Payne family as they settle into their new suburban home. When the daughter (Callina Liang) senses a presence watching her, the family is initially skeptical, but it doesn’t take long for them to realize they aren’t alone.
Watch Presence on Hulu
Black Swan
In this 2010 psychological thriller, Natalie Portman gracefully steps into the pointe shoes of dedicated ballerina Nina. When the principal dancer retires — leaving the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake up for grabs — the company’s artistic director (Vincent Cassel) seeks someone to portray both the innocent White Swan and the seductive Black Swan. Nina, ideal for the former role, finds her match in her enigmatic rival Lily (Mila Kunis), igniting a corrupt friendship as her mind descends into a dark spiral.
Watch Black Swan on Hulu
Missing
Missing is a standalone sequel to the 2018 hit Searching. In the 2023 film, a daughter (Euphoria’s Storm Reid) searches for her mother (Nia Long) after she fails to return from a vacation to South America. The entire movie is shown through laptops, phones and security footage, and it’s never clear who the audience can trust.
Watch Missing on Hulu
Eileen
In this 2023 psychological thriller based on Ottessa Moshfegh’s book of the same name, Anne Hathaway stars as Rebecca — the mysterious, cigarette-smoking psychologist who begins to mentor her fellow employee Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie). As they both grow closer while working at a prison in 1960s Massachusetts, their unique relationship sends Eileen into a dark and twisted spiral.
Watch Eileen on Hulu
Amazon Prime Video
Speak No Evil
On a trip to the Italian countryside, American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) hit it off with carefree British couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). The Daltons later take up their new friends’ offer of staying at their secluded farmhouse in Devon, England. However, as soon as they settle in, the hosts begin a deadly game — testing just how far they can push their guests’ limits.
Watch Speak No Evil on Amazon Prime Video
Blink Twice
Cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) catches the eye of charming tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) at his charity gala in this Cinderella story gone wrong. Upon meeting, Frida and her friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat), accept his invitation to join him and his entourage on his private island. As the days in paradise start to blur together, Frida’s euphoric haze is disrupted when Jess suddenly disappears after previously warning her that something sinister was happening on the island.
Watch Blink Twice on Amazon Prime Video
Saltburn
Igniting social media trends, viral candle scents and frequent mentions at awards shows, the name Saltburn has likely crossed your path — but consider this as a sign to press play finally on the 2023 thriller. Emerald Fennell’s disturbing thriller takes audiences on a sun-drenched yet disorienting vacation to the king-size estate of Saltburn, where Oxford student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the orbit of Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) and his vibrant, eccentric family.
Watch Saltburn on Amazon Prime Video
HBO Max
Inception
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi thriller follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a spy who can infiltrate people’s dreams and steal secrets deep within their psyches. When he’s tasked with embedding an idea in someone’s mind, Dom is threatened by an ominous enemy who predicts his every move. The film features renowned Hollywood actors, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Cillian Murphy and more.
Watch Inception on HBO Max
Get Out
Ready to go to the Sunken Place? Peele’s 2017 directorial debut, Get Out, explores issues of racism as it follows a Black man (Daniel Kaluuya) in an interracial relationship who learns his White girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family has a malicious ulterior motive beneath their seemingly warm welcome.
Watch Get Out on HBO Max
Companion
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) believes she’s just a woman in love, joining her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), and his standoffish friends on a remote cabin getaway. However, when she discovers she’s not human — but a companion robot engineered to fulfill Josh’s every desire — her sense of reality falls apart. As her autonomy grows beyond her programming, Iris is forced to question what’s real versus what’s artificial, and how far she’ll go to reclaim control.
Watch Companion on HBO Max
Heretic
While visiting individuals who’ve previously expressed interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, two Mormon missionaries — Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) — knock on the door of a reclusive middle-aged professor (Hugh Grant). What starts as a friendly discussion about their faith soon turns into a disturbing mind game meant to dismantle the young women’s beliefs and religion itself.
Watch Heretic on HBO Max
A Different Man
In this A24 psychological thriller, Golden Globe-winner Sebastian Stan plays Edward, a struggling actor whose neurofibromatosis has left him with severe facial disfigurement. Years after undergoing an experimental medical treatment that radically altered his appearance, he has now reinvented himself as “Guy Moratz.” However, when another actor with the same medical condition, Oswald (Adam Pearson), shows up at the theater where “Guy” has landed a role, Edward becomes consumed with the need to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his.
Watch A Different Man on HBO Max
Joker
In the gritty streets of early-1980s Gotham City, aspiring stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) paints his face with blotchy makeup for his job as a clown, longing to carve out a space for himself in the world. Yet, as society subjects him to perpetual bullying and neglect, Fleck’s tenuous grip on reality falters — paving the way for the dawn of his villainous identity, the Joker. (Be sure to catch Phoenix reprise his role in the 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux opposite Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, also available on Max.)
Watch Joker on HBO Max
Peacock
The Invisible Man
Adapted from the classic H.G. Wells short story of the same name, The Invisible Man is a traditional thriller with a few major twists. With a suit that allows the wearer to become invisible, scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) uses the technology to terrorize his ex, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss). To get her life back, Cecilia must find who is stalking her and how to stop them.
Watch The Invisible Man on Peacock
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The 2011 psychological drama We Need to Talk About Kevin centers on Eva (Tilda Swinton), a mother struggling to cope following a mass murder committed by her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller). Kevin seems incapable of emotion and appears to feel no remorse for the killings.
Watch We Need to Talk About Kevin on Peacock
Paramount+
Strange Darling
In J.T. Mollner’s 2024 acclaimed psychological thriller, a one-night stand ignites a killer cat-and-mouse game between “the Lady” (Willa Fitzgerald) and “the Demon” (Kyle Gallner). Told across six chapters, its non-linear structure puts a fresh spin on the genre, keeping audiences guessing at every turn.
Watch Strange Darling on Paramount+
Smile and Smile 2
You’ll never see a smile the same way again. Parker Finn’s psychological horror franchise centers on those doomed by a deadly curse: After witnessing a gruesome suicide, victims are haunted by a parasitic entity and terrifying hallucinations of smiling faces until they meet the same fate. The 2022 original follows a psychologist (Sosie Bacon) desperate to break free, while the 2024 sequel shifts to a pop star (Naomi Scott) who is committed to ending the nightmare once and for all.
Watch the Smile films on Paramount+
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