10 Psychological Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
6. Bug
William Friedkin is arguably one of the finest directors to ever come out of the Hollywood system and yet outside of the universal acclaim he gets for The Exorcist and The French Connection, very few of his other films get the love and appreciation that they deserve.
Perhaps his most underappreciated effort is Bug, a beautifully bleak tale of shared psychosis that packs a particularly nasty punch. Set almost entirely within the confines of a grimy motel room, Bug tells the story of Agnes, a woman who is left fragile and destitute after escaping her abusive ex-husband. Soon after she meets Peter, a drifter with a mysterious past and an unhealthy obsession with conspiracy theories.
Not one to reveal its true nature too early, Bug slowly cranks up the tension, drip-feeding us the intricacies of the character's neuroses over time. Which all culminates in some truly horrific set-pieces that will be forever seared into your brain.
From the pen of notorious scribe Tracy Letts - the same man who gave us the equally perverse Killer Joe - Bug is an incredibly grotty affair that's like nothing else you've ever seen.