10 Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and brought to the big screen by Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is a sleek neo-noir psychological thriller that is rooted firmly in pulpy B-Movies and Hitchcock – and the result is just as joyously spectacular as it sounds.

Set in the 1950s, Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio as US Marshal and former soldier Teddy Daniels who, along with their partner (Mark Ruffalo), is assigned to investigate an asylum on the eponymous island where a patient has reportedly escaped.

However, in typical genre fashion, not everything is at it seems like a larger conspiracy may be in play – or could it all just be a fabrication?

Bolstered by phenomenal performances by DiCaprio, Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley as the sinister psychiatrist, and characterised by a menacing collection of modern classical music hand-picked by music supervisor and long-time Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson, Shutter Island’s atmosphere instantly pulls audiences into its underlying mystery.

Shifting form bleak mystery to horror and finally to tragedy, the final twist of the film may not be the most noteworthy thing about it. Rather, it’s how Scorsese gets to that final line that makes Shutter Island so good.