The 6 Psychological Thrillers To Watch After ‘Longlegs’
We’re only halfway through the year, and already 2024 has given us a healthy assortment of horror films sure to delight and terrify most audience members. From surreal horror films like I Saw the TV Glow to inventive supernatural horror movies like Late Night with the Devil, horror lovers across the globe can rejoice at the numerous worthwhile films that have entered the genre within this past year.
As memorable as many of these 2024 horror films have been, though, few films have matched the overwhelmingly positive reception of the Nicolas Cage-led psychological thriller, Longlegs. Fusing the traditional police procedural drama with a supernatural horror film, Longlegs comes packed with plenty of standout moments, from Cage and Maika Monroe’s gripping performances to the movie’s disquieting central story. For theater-goers anxious to find an ideal companion piece to Longlegs, we rounded up a list of similarly-veined thrillers to enjoy after seeing this superb 2024 horror film.
The Silence of the Lambs
Few films bear as strong a resemblance to Longlegs as 1992’s all-time classic, The Silence of the Lambs. Like its spiritual successor in Osgood Perkins’ cerebral horror film, The Silence of the Lambs features a young FBI agent (Jodie Foster) on the trail of an elusive serial killer. With Anthony Hopkins handing in a career-defining performance as the loquacious psychologist-turned-cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs remains as horrifying now as it did upon its initial release three decades ago. Watch The Silence of the Lambs on Prime Video.
Shutter Island
Probably the closest Martin Scorsese will ever come to directing a full-blown horror film, Shutter Island transports viewers back to the mid 1950s, focusing on the exploits of two police detectives (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) tracking down a missing person at a secluded mental health facility. Posing just as many questions as it does answers, Shutter Island’s shocking plot revelations forces audiences to pay close attention to its central mystery, wondering aloud what’s real, what’s fake, and what’s merely the product of DiCaprio’s troubled imagination. Watch Shutter Island on Paramount+.
Seven
Next to The Silence of the Lambs, Seven typically ranks as one of the greatest psychological thrillers of the past few decades. A police procedural drama centered around several murders modeled after the Biblical Seven Deadly Sins, Seven manages to somehow appear even more downbeat than The Silence of the Lambs, if only for its famous twist ending. Getting beneath viewers’ skin in more than a few places, Seven adds a refreshingly cynical spin on the hard-boiled mystery film, standing tall as one of the finest movies in either Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, or David Fincher’s individual filmographies. Watch Seven on Amazon Video.
Manhunter
Before Anthony Hopkins handed in the definitive portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Brian Cox delivered a notably chilling performance as the infamous serial killer in 1986’s Manhunter. An atmospheric adaptation of Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon, Manhunter more than manages to capture the taut tone of Harris’s original novel, right down to the eerie presence of Cox’s Lecter (spelled here as “Lecktor”) and Tom Donnan’s twisted “Tooth Fairy” family murderer. Watch Manhunter on Amazon Video.
Jacob’s Ladder
Though Jacob’s Ladder may not feature serial killers on the run or a police investigation at the center of its narrative, that doesn’t prevent the film from inducing just as many goosebumps as the other entries on this list. A harrowing study of PTSD, trauma, and repressed memories, Jacob’s Ladder brilliantly explores its spellbinding story, sweeping audiences away with its chaotic premise, nightmarish tone, and nonlinear presentation. Watch Jacob’s Ladder on Amazon Video.
The House That Jack Built
If there’s one word that would accurately describe The House That Jack Built, it’d probably be “nauseating.” Just as Longlegs has the ability to make audiences sick to their stomachs, Lars von Triers’ 2018 psychological thriller never wastes a moment to leave viewers shocked, disgusted, and consistently horrified with its upsetting subject matter. A meticulous study of a 1970s American serial killer looking back at his prolific career, The House That Jack Built makes American Psycho seem like a light-hearted Disney musical by comparison, plunging viewers into the literal depths of Hell with its gut-wrenching story of murder, psychopathy, and karmic justice. Watch The House That Jack Built on AMC+ and The Roku Channel.