11 Psychological Horror Movies – From 1920 To 2010
Most of us seem to like being scared, as long as it’s a controlled situation. We like it as long as there is no real danger, and it is more of an trigger of adrenaline than actual terror. Horror movies are a great way to get that experience. But oddly enough, even though so many people love them, horror movies usually do not get very good reviews. In this article, we will focus specifically on psychological horror movies, and make a summary list of their history.
Early 20th Century – The World’s First Horror Movies
George Méliès, a pioneer in film, made the first horror film ever: Le manoir du diable , or The Devil’s Castle (1896). Ever since then, there have been countless others who have followed in his footsteps.
1. Caligari’s Cabinet (1920)
This German film was the pinnacle of German expressionism. Many people see this film as the first full-length horror film, and today it is considered a cult classic. The film is based on a couple of murder cases that took place in Hamburg.
In the story, the murders are committed by a strange character and his strange slave. The film’s expressionist scenes and decorations are definitely also worth special attention. Along similar lines, Germany gave us another horror classic in 1931: M , directed by Fritz Lang.
2. Freaks (1932)
This movie takes place in a freak show. At the beginning of the 20th century, people with malformations were shown as attractions. The plot is about revenge and murder, and what is very interesting about this film is that they chose and used actors who really had malformations.
During this time period, people had an extreme fascination with monsters. Directors remade books such as Frankenstein (1931) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), using actors such as Bela Lugosi as Dracula.
Second half of the 20th century
This was a time full of change. In the 60’s, psychological fear and black and white was great. But the 70s marked an important turning point in the history of horror movies.
3. Psycho (1960)
The 60’s gave us movies like What Happened to Baby Jane ? (1962) and The Birds (1963). Of course, we can not talk about horror movies without mentioning the master Alfred Hitchcock and his movie, Psycho.
People from all over the world call it one of the best horror movies ever. The hair-raising Bates Motel, the shower scene, along with Norman Bates and his mysterious mother, create an atmosphere worthy of the master of excitement. This movie is pure psychological horror, without the need for any special effects or “ketchup”.
4. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
This film was directed by Roman Polanski, starring a young Mia Farrow. It is a good example of how important it is for these films to sink into an atmosphere of pain and anxiety. In this movie, it shows up every time we see Rosemary and her weird neighbors.
The film was groundbreaking for its time, and they filmed it in The Dakota, the building where John Lennon was killed. In addition, Charles Manson and his family tried to stop the film not long before Polanski’s wife was killed. It is an infinitely mysterious film that will leave just about everyone speechless.
The Exorcists (1973)
The extremely basic special effects, the green vomit and Regan’s scars make this film a pioneer for its time. If you see it for the first time now, it will probably seem more comical than it seems scary. But it has really had a big impact on horror movies in general: it’s a classic that completely reinvented the genre.
Hotel of Evil (1980)
During the 70’s and 80’s, many films mixed science fiction with horror. That’s how we ended up with amazing movies like Alien: The 8th Passenger (1979). This is also when the trend to turn Stephen King books into movies really started. It was Carrie (1976) and of course the Hotel of Evil .
Who can forget the legendary Overlook Hotel, the winding road or Jack Torron’s fantasies? There is no doubt that this is one of the best films of all time, thanks to the work of the genius Stanley Kubrick.
90s and 2000s
This is when the over-consumption of special effects really started to kill the magic of horror movies. There were hundreds of movies about paranormal things, and some even had several sequels. But most of them were not so good and did not get very good reviews.
This time period also gave us Japanese movies, like The Ring (2002) , and we also saw a lot of bloodshed, as in Saw (2004), along with a long list of movies with obsessed children and ghosts. But there are still some films from this era that went more for psychology and suspense.
7 . Misery: The Kidnapped (1990)
This is another film adaptation of a Stephen King book. The film earned Kathy Bates an Oscar for Best Actress for her claustrophobic, obsessive and suspenseful lead role. Annie Wilkes is a nurse who is completely captivated by the books of a famous author, Paul Sheldon. She becomes obsessed and ends up kidnapping him. This is a horror movie you should definitely put on your list, and you will get a glimpse of Kathy Bates at her disturbing best.
All that fascination with Stephen King remained, and led to great films such as 1408 (2007). It’s an underrated movie, and it goes back to the kind of psychological horror we’ve been talking about here.
It is hypnotic and claustrophobic, it probably deserves a little more attention than it has been given. It seems that King has still not gone out of style either. There was another film adaptation of It last year (2017), although some say Tim Curry’s adaptation from 1990 is much better.
8. Nattsvermeren (1991)
Hannibal Lecter is an unforgettable character. He is a very intelligent psychopath who is able to manipulate just about anyone. He plays Anthony Hopkins very well, and Jodie Foster also plays his character very well, so it’s no surprise that they both won an Oscar. It’s a must-see roller coaster and gives a glimpse into the minds of serial killers and cannibalism.
9. The Others (2001)
From the Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, with Nicole Kidman as the star of this exciting 21st century gem. Very strange things are happening in an old, mysterious, isolated and fog-covered mansion. It sounds just like any other paranormal movie, but that’s not the case with The Others .
All the fear is implicit, and the light is very low because the children in the film are sensitive to it. It gives us a dark, gloomy atmosphere where nothing is as it seems.
2010 – now
Then we have movies like The Conjuring (2013), Insidious (2010), The Babadook (2014) and the Paranormal Activity series. They are the biggest horror movies to come in recent years, and almost all had sequels and great financial success.
Some of them are quite interesting, but for the most part they just go overboard with makeup, effects and simple scares. They are movies that go for public attention instead of good reviews. In the end, it’s really just a forced kind of horror that gets old after a while.
Here are two recent films that are more along the lines of suspense than horror, but I have chosen them because the psychological ideas they deal with are still much more frightening than demonic possession.
10. Black Swan (2010)
Natalie Portman’s performance really stands out here. It is a ballet film about eating disorders, schizophrenia and hallucinations. The film will surely leave you thinking, thanks to its fascinating atmosphere, full of different metaphors and all kinds of interpretations.
11. Shutter Island (2010)
This film is from one of the greatest directors of the 20th and 21st century, Martin Scorsese. It also has the fantastic actor Leonardo DiCaprio, along with Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo in smaller but equally important roles.
Set in the 1950s, it resembles the film noir style of the early 1900s. The action takes place on an island where we find a mental institution. Where they flood us with the terror of the human mind and evil deeds like lobotomies. What exactly is Shutter Island? What is really going on at the mental institution? It is one of the absolute best, latest thrillers.
