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This article contains mention of murder, abuse, and other violent mayhem.
Horrormovies are known for creating anxiety-provoking circumstances and observing characters react to them.
Manyhorror movies have heroes who are secretly villains, and some of them aren’t intentionally villainous.
As she grapples with newfound cravings, her identity and morality are challenged.
Cannibalism has always been a fascinating subject to portray someone’s descent into madness.
Garance Marillier’s protagonist comes from a vegan family.
She’s forced to consume meat herself in the same ritual.
It culminates in a climax that will leave viewers gasping in shock.
Also stars Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon.
Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman is one of themost unintentionally hilarious movie characters of all time.
Bateman is obsessed with his appearance and his sexual prowess, along with the quality of his material possessions.
He starts losing his grip on reality as his obsession grows into paranoia.
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Together, they navigate a world of paranoia and fear, descending into an increasingly disturbing psychological environment.
He’s most famous for directingThe Exorcist, one of thehorror movies that will always be a classic.
Ashley Judd plays the protagonist who starts a dysfunctional relationship with a stranger played by Michael Shannon.
Raw is a French-Belgian horror drama film directed by Julia Ducournau. The film follows Justine, a vegetarian veterinary student, who undergoes a drastic transformation after a hazing ritual introduces her to raw meat. As she grapples with newfound cravings, her identity and morality are challenged. Raw stars Garance Marillier and Ella Rumpf in leading roles, offering a unique exploration of coming-of-age themes interwoven with darkly compelling horror elements.
The powerful performances can affect viewers because of how real they make the paranoia look.
After his child dies, Jacob struggles to separate reality from his delusions.
Jacob’s Ladder stars Tim Robbins alongside Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven, and Jason Alexander.
Sexual depravity and dark romance can be found in nearly all of his films, barring one.
Eggers’The Lighthouseis a character study of two men in charge of a lighthouse.
The most famous of his films, and one that is most obviously a horror movie, isBlack Swan.
Based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) an investment banker in New York in 1987 who leads a double life as a serial killer. As investigators circle Bateman after the disappearance of a colleague, he finds himself trapped in a spiral of murder and excess, unable to stop himself from giving in to his increasingly dark urges. Also stars Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon.
Portman’s character has completely unraveled by the end of the film.
The fictional location of the Overlook Hotel is one of the most iconic locations in horror movie history.
Writer Jack Torrance takes up a job as the winter caretaker there and moves there with his family.
He’s informed that the previous caretaker killed his family before taking his own life.
Torrance loses all semblance of his reserved past self as he descends into madness over the course ofThe Shining.
In 1918, a young Pearl in her twenties, lives with her German immigrant parents in Texas.
Pearl is hellbent on being a movie star, and takes it personally when she fails at an audition.
As he delves deeper, he finds the line between fiction and reality blurred, confronting nightmarish truths.
Released in 1995, the film explores themes of madness and the power of storytelling.
Bug (2007): Bug follows Agnes, a waitress living in a remote and deteriorating motel in Oklahoma, who forms an unusual connection with Peter, a mysterious man. Together, they navigate a world of paranoia and fear, descending into an increasingly disturbing psychological environment.
It was created by John Carpenter,one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time.
It informally concludes the Apocalypse trilogy afterThe Thingin 1982 andPrince of Darknessin 1987.
Trent gradually loses his mind, becomes murderous, and ends the film with hysterical laughter.
She isstalked by an obsessive fan, and soon afterward, murders start happening.
She starts losing her grip on reality as she undergoes a transformation she can’t understand.
Jacob’s Ladder is a horror mystery centering on a mourning father and scarred Vietnam War vet named Jacob that is dealing with dissociation. After his child dies, Jacob struggles to separate reality from his delusions. Jacob’s Ladder stars Tim Robbins alongside Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven, and Jason Alexander.
The Lighthouse is a psychological thriller directed by Robert Eggers. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star as Thomas Wake and Ephraim Winslow, two lighthouse keepers who begin to experience strange and supernatural phenomena after they get stranded on a remote island in the 1890s.
In Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan, talented ballet dancer Nina Sayers struggles with her mental health while preparing for her performance in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Natalie Portman earned a Best Actress Oscar in the lead role, and the cast made up of Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder received high praise from critics and audiences.
Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall tells the story of the Torrance family, who move to the isolated Overlook Hotel so that father Jack Torrance can act as its winter caretaker. Stuck at the hotel due to the winter storms, the malevolent supernatural forces inhabiting the building slowly begin to drive Jack insane, causing his wife and psychically gifted son to be caught up in a fight for their lives when Jack is pushed over the edge.
Pearl, a prequel to the film X, follows the story of a young woman named Pearl residing on a secluded farm during the early 20th century. Directed by Ti West, this psychological horror explores Pearl’s descent into madness, delving into her troubled psyche and the haunting circumstances that surround her. Starring Mia Goth, the film provides a chilling backdrop and a character study of ambition and isolation gone awry.
In the Mouth of Madness, directed by John Carpenter and starring Sam Neill, follows an insurance investigator tasked with locating a missing horror novelist whose work has begun to affect readers in peculiar ways. As he delves deeper, he finds the line between fiction and reality blurred, confronting nightmarish truths. Released in 1995, the film explores themes of madness and the power of storytelling.
Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller directed by Satoshi Kon. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, a pop idol who transitions to acting, only to find herself stalked by an obsessive fan and plagued by mental instability. As she grapples with her evolving career and identity, Mima’s sense of reality begins to blur, culminating in a suspenseful and haunting narrative.
