Psycho Killer Films
My favorite patho-psychological films. I find these movies bizarre, interesting and entertaining (rejecting the thousands of "obscene for the sake of being obscene" kind of movies). Some are just plain too real.
They are in somewhat of an order from what I found most disturbing to the more moderate.
They are in somewhat of an order from what I found most disturbing to the more moderate.
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- DirectorOliver StoneStarsWoody HarrelsonJuliette LewisO-Lan JonesTwo victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.Ironic, overly violent, sexually twisted play on the media's glorification of serial killers. Oliver Stone is an irresponsible director for making this (and probably myself for sharing it), but it is interesting (and I think, true) nonetheless.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.A very realistic portrayal of an honest man losing his mind.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsTim RobbinsElizabeth PeñaDanny AielloMourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.Creepy, bizarre and actually scary.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin SpaceyTwo detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.Saw this when I was younger, but it is one of the only movies to actually scare the crap out of me...mostly because it's very realistic.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsBill PullmanPatricia ArquetteJohn RoseliusAnonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.Classic Lynch style sex and appropriately placed violence.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsNaomi WattsLaura HarringJustin TherouxAfter a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.Mysterious and heart-wrenching.
- DirectorMarc SchölermannStarsAlyssa MilanoMilo VentimigliaKeir O'DonnellA group of medical students devise a deadly game: to see which one of them can commit the perfect murder.Sex and violence with med-school twists.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.My personal favorite of the list.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.All too real.
- DirectorMary HarronStarsChristian BaleJustin TherouxJosh LucasA wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.Excellent satire- "Did you know I'm utterly insane?"
- DirectorMichael MannStarsWilliam PetersenKim GreistJoan AllenFormer FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.One of my absolute favorites; started the Hannibal series, although I personally consider this original to be more fulfilling and not pretentious like the post-Lamb films.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Here it is.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsViggo MortensenMaria BelloEd HarrisA mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.Sex and violence - didn't know it was a Cronenberg!
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.Interesting narrative about serial killers in small town America.
- DirectorEric BressJ. Mackye GruberStarsAshton KutcherAmy SmartMelora WaltersEvan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.Haven't seen this in forever, but remembered it was great and realized it wasn't in this list.
- DirectorKaryn KusamaStarsMegan FoxAmanda SeyfriedAdam BrodyA newly-possessed high-school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?I know a lot of people don't like this one, but I don't think they get that it's a satire. If you want a straight up vampire chick flick, go watch Twilight. In some ways this film is like Donnie Darko, or a coming of age story, but from the female perspective ("Hell is a teenage girl"). Love the social commentary and surreal scenes.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMalcolm McDowellPatrick MageeMichael BatesAlex DeLarge and his droogs barbarize in a decaying near-future.Creepy, funny...ultra-violent.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsJennifer LopezVince VaughnVincent D'OnofrioAn F.B.I. Agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim.Don't be alarmed, Jennifer Lopez does a fantastic job portraying a detective searching the mind of a serial rapist in this surreal crime drama.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.Not very scary, but still pretty messed up.
- DirectorMichael LehmannStarsWinona RyderChristian SlaterShannen DohertyAt Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.Wasn't sure what to expect based on the title alone, but this heartbreaking satire is a must-see and own.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsMichael DouglasRobert DuvallBarbara HersheyAn ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.Man coming into conflict with everyday (albeit, modern) nonsense.
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJessica ChastainShea WhighamPlagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.There's a storm-a-brewin' and we all better be prepared.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsHarrison FordHelen MirrenRiver PhoenixAn inventor spurns his city life and moves his family into the jungles of Central America to make a utopia.Again, man against modern society.
- StarsJoanne WoodwardSally FieldBrad DavisA young woman whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed sixteen different personalities is treated by a doctor.Looked this up after learning that Tears for Fears' album (and song) "Songs From the Big Chair" was named after it. Don't let the fact that this was originally a TV movie discourage you from seeing this. Acting is supreme and the story (loosely based on a real person) is guaranteed to break your heart.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsJames McAvoyAnya Taylor-JoyHaley Lu RichardsonThree girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.great new film by M. Night Shyamalan