10 Best Psychological Horror Movies of the 2010s, Ranked

The best psychological horrors eschew cheap jump scares and relentless gore and instead deal in authentic performances and disturbing themes. In particular, the subgenre tends to play on the unseen and the dread of losing one’s grip on reality. It’s a tricky feat to pull off, but several filmmakers in the 2010s proved that they were up to the challenge laid down by the great psychological horror directors of the past.

Indeed, the decade saw a minor resurgence of psychological horror films, the finest of which earned their place in the cinematic Hall of Fame. These films ranged from social thrillers to dystopian political allegories, eerie cults to body horror, domestic nightmares to old-school tales of witches and possession. They stand out with their unique storytelling, atmospheric tension, and emotional depth. These are the best psychological horror movies of the 2010s, ranked based on their effectiveness at tackling the emotional and psychological issues within a horror setting.

10 ‘Suspiria’ (2018)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

“When you dance the dance of another, you make yourself in the image of its creator.” Luca Guadagnino‘s Suspiria is a reimagining of the 1977 Dario Argento classic, set in a prestigious dance academy in postwar Berlin. The film follows Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), a young American dancer who joins the academy only to discover that it’s controlled by a coven of witches. As Susie becomes more involved in the school’s strange rituals, the line between reality and supernatural terror blurs.

The original film was iconic, so this remake could easily have crashed and burned; instead, Guadagnino pulls it off with style. Rather than sticking entirely to Argento’s formula, he puts a new spin on the tale, including updating it with a wintry aesthetic in comparison to the original’s vivid colors. Plus, Guadagnino makes the movie resonate on an emotional level as well as a sensory one. He’s helped in this hugely by the masterful score from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.

9 ‘Goodnight Mommy’ (2014)

Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

“How do you know that’s your mother?” This unsettling Austrian film tells the story of two twin brothers (Elias Schwarz and Lukas Schwarz) who become suspicious of their mother (Susanne Wuest) after she returns home from cosmetic surgery with her face bandaged. Her cold and distant behavior leads the boys to believe that the woman in their home may not actually be their mother. Through this premise, Goodnight Mommy expertly plays on themes of identity, trust, and the fragility of familial bonds, ratcheting up the tension all the way.

Goodnight Mommy is essentially a modern update of an “old dark house” horror but with a greater focus on realism and family dynamics. Though the scary scenes leave a lasting impression, what lingers is the emotional aftermath. The third act is violent and brutal but also jam-packed with food for thought, and the movie was widely acclaimed on release. An English-language remake starring Naomi Watts followed, but the original is harder-hitting and more tautly constructed.

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8 ‘Saint Maud’ (2019)

Directed by Rose Glass

“Never waste your pain.” Before playing Galadriel in The Rings of Power, Morfydd Clark delivered a towering lead performance in his unsettling character study. She plays Maud, a devout and lonely hospice nurse who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her terminally ill patient, Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). As Maud’s religious fervor intensifies, her perception of reality begins to unravel, leading her down a dark and destructive path.

Saint Maud is a slow burn, focusing on mood and believability over frights, but it builds up to one of the finest closing scenes in recent horror history. The story is deliberately ambiguous, functioning both as a traditional horror and a tale of a woman in touch with superhuman forces. This approach is expertly conveyed through the cinematography, which draws on religious iconography and uses skewed or upside-down angles to mirror Maud’s distorted perspective. Shocking and thoughtful, Saint Maud made for a thunderbolt of a debut for director Rose Glass.

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7 ‘The Babadook’ (2014)

Directed by Jennifer Kent

“If it’s in a word or in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook.” This gem from Down Under focuses on Amelia (Essie Davis), a grieving widow struggling to raise her troubled son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), after the death of her husband. When a mysterious children’s book about the Babadook, a sinister figure that haunts homes, appears in their house, Amelia’s already strained mental state begins to deteriorate completely.

The Babadook becomes a symbol of Amelia’s repressed grief and trauma, manifesting as both a literal and psychological monster. The resulting film is brilliantly acted and almost Freudian in its study of family dysfunction; at times, The Babadook is almost more of a psychological drama. This is art horror done right, dealing in genuine terror rather than cheap scares. It was acclaimed on release and has rightly become a cult movie. Other than one notoriously incongruent stock sound effect, The Babadook lands all its beats perfectly.

6 ‘Raw’ (2016)

Directed by Julia Ducournau

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to adapt.” Justine (Garance Marillier) is a vegetarian who, after starting veterinary school, experiences a disturbing transformation after being forced to eat raw meat during a hazing ritual. She begins craving more meat, and her body and mind undergo drastic changes, leading her down a gruesome and unsettling path of self-discovery.

It’s a simple premise that director Julia Ducournau builds up into a visceral body horror about growing up, identity, and suppressed desires. Despite the gory elements, Raw doesn’t fit neatly into the horror genre; it bears little resemblance to typical vampire, zombie, or monster films, for example. What sets Raw apart is how its cannibalistic themes never overshadow Ducournau’s focus on Justine as a character—her journey into adulthood, exploration of sexuality, and complicated bond with her sister. More than the sum of its parts, this is a lean, mean, and intense portrait of a fine young cannibal.

5 ‘The Witch’ (2015)

Directed by Robert Eggers

“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” Another brilliant directorial debut, The Witch follows a 17th-century family who are exiled to a remote farm at the edge of a dark, foreboding forest. As strange events begin to unfold, the family is torn apart by paranoia, fear, and religious fervor. At the heart of the story is Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), the eldest daughter, who becomes the scapegoat for the family’s misfortunes, leading her to confront terrifying supernatural forces.

This is The Shining meets The Crucible, with an immersive folksy atmosphere and a weighty sense of drama. The performers do a lot of heavy lifting, making their characters far more layered than the average horror protagonists. With their assistance, Robert Eggers creates an oppressive atmosphere through the film’s period-accurate dialogue, haunting visuals, and slow-burn pacing. The project catapulted him to the forefront of contemporary horror filmmaking, and he will soon release a modern remake of a well-known classic, Nosferatu.

4 ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ (2017)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

“It’s the only thing I can think of that’s close to justice.” The Killing of a Sacred Deer follows Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), a successful surgeon whose life begins to unravel when a teenage boy, Martin (Barry Keoghan), forces him to make an impossible decision as retribution for a past mistake. The film is a disturbing blend of psychological horror and surrealism, with Yorgos Lanthimos‘s trademark deadpan style creating an atmosphere of cold, clinical dread.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is not its director’s most iconic or instantly likable project, but it’s undeniably smart and powerful as an exercise in horror. Much of its success comes from the trio of great performances at its heart, with Nicole Kidman joining Farrell and Keoghan. Like The Lobster, it touches on real-world issues with a hefty dose of symbolism and dark humor. Here, Lanthimos examines guilt, morality, and the consequences of one’s actions through the trappings of a domestic medical thriller.

3 ‘The Platform’ (2019)

Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

“There are three kinds of people: the ones above, the ones below, and the ones who fall.” This Spanish film is set in a dystopian prison where inmates are housed in vertical cells, with a platform of food descending through the levels each day. Those on the upper levels feast while those below starve, creating a brutal survival hierarchy. At the heart of the story is Goreng (Iván Massagué), a new inmate who tries to understand and challenge the system, leading to increasingly violent and desperate actions.

The result is a fusion of brutal horror and social commentary, rich in allegory and chock-full of stunning narrative turns. Many commentators praised the claustrophobic setting, later pointing out its parallels with life during the pandemic. One critic memorably described the movie as “grindhouse Buñuel.” While it’s undeniably bleak, The Platform‘s rapid, ferocious pacing keeps the viewer glued to the screen, anxiously bracing themselves for the inevitable escalation.

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2 ‘Get Out’ (2017)

Directed by Jordan Peele

“Now you’re in the sunken place.” After entertaining audiences for years with his comedic chops, Jordan Peele took his career to another level with his confident feature directorial debut. This comedy-horror-social-commentary hybrid features Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, a young Black man who visits his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family estate only to uncover a terrifying secret about their intentions. The film’s unsettling atmosphere builds as Chris slowly realizes the truth.

Get Out alternates between laugh-out-loud funny and deeply creepy, with Peele frequently misdirecting the viewer and subverting their expectations. The performances are great, and the script is killer from start to finish. Not for nothing, Get Out made an immediate splash, its themes resonating with audiences in the late 2010s. It speaks to the issues and ideas of that era with pinpoint accuracy. Within a few years, several publications had already ranked it among the best films of the 21st century.

1 ‘Hereditary’ (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

“I never wanted to be your mother.” When it comes to the very best psychological horrors of the 2010s, it’s hard to top Ari Aster‘s masterpiece about loss and family trauma. Hereditary revolves around the Graham family, led by Annie (Toni Collette), as they unravel following the death of Annie’s mother. As strange occurrences plague the family, they begin to uncover dark secrets about their lineage and the terrifying legacy they’ve inherited.

Once again, this is a film that succeeds as both a scary viewing experience and a deep, believable drama.Hereditary draws its terror from the characters’ emotional turmoil, psychological baggage, and fractured relationships. The darkness steadily builds until all hell breaks loose in the third act, with Aster serving up terrifying images that go toe-to-toe with anything from the genre’s classics. Hereditary was quickly canonized as one of horror’s finest achievements in the 21st century. It’s bound to continue influencing horror directors for a long time to come.

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