10 Psychological Thrillers That Genuinely Mess With Your Head
2. Psycho
Another Hitchcock classic, 1960's Psycho is filled with famous scenes, iconic lines and undoubtedly one of the most shocking twists in the history of cinema.
Pushing things like deviant behaviour, sexuality and typical slasher-like violence into the mainstream, the film is set at the now infamous Bates Motel and initially follows a young woman named Marion Crane who is on the run after stealing from her employer. At the motel she meets the manager-owner, the softly-spoken and polite Norman Bates.
Norman explains how he owns the motel with his mother, though she remains a mysterious silhouette figure that people only see against her bedroom's light every now and again. The mystery surrounding Mother, whilst known now, is still one of the greatest examples in building suspense in a movie and its shocking conclusion really is an unforgettable moment.
Anthony Perkins completely sells the role of Norman Bates, and the final sequence of shots with Mother's final voice-over and that insane sinister smile is still amongst the most haunting moments in history. The legendary status of Psycho is well-earned by this point, and the twists and turns of its story and main villain is enough to mess with anyone.