Mind Game Thriller backdrop

Mind Game Thriller movies

Psychological pressure and manipulation: gaslighting, obsession, paranoia, and control as the core suspense engine.

Sweet Virginia

1. Sweet Virginia

Drama Thriller Mind Game Thriller Tragic Drama
6.2
20171h 34min

Overview

A former rodeo star, now a motel manager, meets a young man who is responsible for the violence that suddenly has seized his small town.

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Infidelity and crime, Betrayal and violence, Small town menace, Debt and deceit, Illicit money motive

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

You Were Never Really Here

2. You Were Never Really Here

Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime Psychological Drama
6.7
20171h 29min

Overview

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, his nightmares begin to overtake him, and a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

Themes

Institutional corruption, Family obligation and care, Protecting the vulnerable, Trauma and vigilantism, Violence as coping, Memory of abuse, Cover-ups and secrecy

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

The fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure who they believe possesses the power to grant any wish, in return for which they must carry out a task he assigns them.

Themes

Deception and coercion, Trust under pressure, Desire vs ethics, Interdependent fates, Moral dilemma, Power through bargains

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Rakuten TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Based on a True Story

4. Based on a True Story

Thriller Mystery Mind Game Thriller Unreliable Perspective Mystery
5.7
20171h 37min

Overview

Delphine is the author of an autobiographical novel that has become a bestseller. Exhausted by the promotional tour, just when she feels out of place, paralyzed by the idea of having to start writing again, she meets Elle, a young, attractive, intelligent, intuitive woman who seems to understand her better than anyone.

Themes

Ghost writer influence, Anonymous letters threat, Novelist fame strain, Book signing pressure, Female friendship grounding, Creative crisis strain

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

5. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Drama Thriller Mystery Mind Game Thriller Unreliable Perspective Mystery
7.0
20172h 1min

Overview

Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways.

Themes

Coercive manipulation, Deception and trust, Power under pressure, Family under siege, Ethics of professional authority, Moral duty vs violence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Cult of Chucky

6. Cult of Chucky

Horror Thriller Supernatural Horror Mind Game Thriller
5.3
20171h 31min

Overview

Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family... until a string of grisly deaths occur after her psychiatrist introduces a new group therapy tool -- a "Good Guy" doll.

Themes

Isolation amplifies fear, Multiplicity of self, Mental institution, Voodoo possession, Group therapy manipulation, Trauma shaping identity

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Flatliners

7. Flatliners

Drama Horror Thriller Psychological Horror Mind Game Thriller
5.2
20171h 51min

Overview

Five medical students, hoping to understand the mystery of what lies beyond life, embark on a dangerous experiment. When their hearts are stopped for a short period of time, they have a near-death experience…

Themes

Deception and concealment, Guilt and accountability, Professional identity under strain, Ambition vs consequences, Peer pressure and competition, Ethical risk in experimentation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

Liam wakes from a car crash with no memory of who he is. As he makes his way into town to look for help, he finds only dead bodies, all with strange pale eyes. Liam's first assessment is that a virus is present in the air, but he soon discovers the horrible truth: anyone who comes within a 50-foot radius of him dies instantly.

Themes

Trust under threat, Amnesia-driven uncertainty, Co-dependency under pressure, Proximity danger, Police pursuit risk, Twin sister absence

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Wish Upon

9. Wish Upon

Horror Thriller Fantasy Supernatural Horror Mind Game Thriller
5.1
20171h 31min

Overview

A teenage girl discovers a box with magical powers, but those powers comes with a deadly price.

Themes

"movie: wish upon. genres: horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Fantasy main themes: magic, Wish fulfillment, Magic, Wish fulfillment full keywords list: magic, Wish fulfillment. concept analysis: the film explores the dangerous allure of power and the consequences of unchecked desires. it serves as a cautionary tale about the cost of pursuing personal gain at the expense of others, Highlighting themes of grief, Loss, And the inescapable nature of fate."

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

2:22

10. 2:22

Science Fiction Mystery Thriller Romance Time Travel Sci-Fi
5.7
20171h 39min

Overview

Two planes almost collide after a blinding flash of light paralyzes air traffic controller Dylan Branson for a few seconds. Suspended from his job, Dylan starts to notice an ominous pattern of sounds and events that repeats itself in exactly the same manner every day, ending precisely at 2:22 p.m. Also drawn into a complex relationship with a woman, Dylan must figure out a way to break the power of the past and take control of time itself.

Themes

Obsession and jealousy, Fate vs agency, Forbidden love under pressure, Time loop repetition, Memory as pattern, Public spaces and routine life

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.