Thursday Movie Picks: Psychological Thrillers

 

For the 16th week of 2021 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of psychological thrillers. Films that play into the world of suspense as it delves into character studies as well as understanding about what is going on in their head. Here are my three picks:

1. Les Diaboliques

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s adaptation of an obscure novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac is definitely a suspense thriller that play into the idea of terror where a woman and her husband’s mistress conspire to kill that woman’s husband as things go wrong when the body suddenly disappears. It is this eerie film that has a woman dealing with the cruelty of her husband as she’s trying to run a children’s school while also having a heart condition that just adds to the chaos. It is an inventive film that has so many twists and turns as it showcases what a psychological thriller should be.

2. Manhunter

Though audiences are probably more familiar with Anthony Hopkins in the role of Dr. Hannibal Lector, what some probably don’t know is that Brian Cox did it first in Michael Mann’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel five years earlier which would be adapted in 2002 by Brett Ratner with Hopkins as Dr. Lector. Yet, this is the definitive version of the story as it plays into a man troubled by his encounter with Dr. Lector to the point that he goes to him for help in trying to find a serial killer. It is a thriller that is more about trying to find the clues and the killer itself as it’s told with such richness by Mann.

3. Cache`

Michael Haneke’s surveillance film revolves around a TV host and his publisher wife who receive mysterious video tapes as they learned they’re being filmed for some strange reason. It plays into a man’s hidden past as a boy and the actions he probably had unknowingly caused as it adds to this intrigue as the mystery peels slowly yet it each piece that is revealed just showcases a lot of revelations. It is a film that does demand re-watches yet it does get rewarding as it allows the audience to think more and more that includes its ending which remains one of the best twists in film.

© thevoid99 2021