What kind of movies do you like? Is it a murder mystery? Or a psychological thriller? Well, one of the best traits about such movies is that you cannot put them into one category. Yes, a movie that is a psychological thriller has a high chance of portraying a serial killer. Movies like American Psycho fall into this category.
American Psycho is one of the most popular thriller movies of all time. Christian Bale, one of the greatest actors of all time, was paid less than a makeup artist for the role. But he put his heart and soul into this movie.
So, the story revolves around a rich businessman who is most of the time concerned about how much others have, and those who are doing better in their lives are on his murder list.
His personality is like a person who is envious of other people’s success. All he wants from his life is nothing but acknowledgment. Yes, even for the murders.
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His uncontrollable anger is the reason behind all the murders he commits in this film. At some point, you might feel that he is actually possessed.
Well, indeed, he is! But by his own mind. He actually didn’t kill anyone, or did he? This is something you need to find out.
1. Pieces – 1982
When we talk about movies like American Psycho, one movie was released much before American Psycho but had a close resemblance. Thinking from the perspective of 1982, it was much ahead of its time.
The movie, Pieces revolves around a kid who turns himself into a serial killer after murdering his mother. A little boy named Timmy is always criticized by his mother for playing with a jigsaw puzzle that has a nude woman’s picture
But everything changed when one day he killed his mother and cut her body with a chainsaw, just like the jigsaw puzzle. Police thought that he was the victim.
Timmy grew up and continued with the murders of young women. Other characters later get involved in the investigation of the murders and find some gruesome evidence.
The movie was directed by Juan Piquer Simon who is known for another movie “Slugs“, and the actors are Christopher George, Lynda Day, the horror movie icon, etc.
2. The Clovehitch Killer – 2018
The Clovehitch Killer, written by Christopher Ford and Directed by Duncan Skiles, is one of those movies that shock you in the end.
Just like the above-discussed movie “Pieces,” this is also about murder, psychological illness, and yes, women.
The story is about a boy who has just shifted to a new place. He has already started hearing about a murderer who murdered more than 10 women and disappeared 10 years ago.
Meanwhile, he found some exotic sexual magazines in his dad’s car, which was suspicious. The later events keep unfolding one truth after the other, and in the end, he finds out that the Clovehitch killer is none but his own father.
But this time, he killed his father, saying, “Dad, if you can hear me, I love you!.”
This movie is about some ill sexual fantasies and the human tendency to extend the limits to fulfil them. This is something that happened to Christian Bale, his fantasies weren’t sexual, but he crossed the limits for the same.
3. God Bless America – 2012
Good wins over evil, but who is to decide whether it’s okay to kill evil? And who is to decide who is evil? A middle-aged frustrated American man has taken the initiative with a teenage girl to kill all the bad people in America.
Played by Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr who took a break from acting for some reason, the pair starts murdering people who are mean, nag about their problems, irritate the neighborhood, etc. KIt sounds pretty weird, right? But for them, it is pretty valid.
But how did it start? One fine morning the leading character Frank realized that he does not like his neighbors, and they are bothering his mental peace. Then what? He executed the plan.
It shows how the evil of society forces a man to be evil because he is willing to destroy evil. You didn’t get it, right? Watch it, then!
4. Maniac – 2012
You know what is interesting about American Psycho type of movies? The fact that they are all similar but, at the same time, very different from each other.
Maniac happens to be one of the most shocking thrillers. The story revolves around a person named Frank, who runs a mannequin store. He had a traumatic childhood with his prostitute mother.
Frank used to watch her mother have sex with various men, and these incidents slowly turned him schizophrenic. He started murdering women and using their hair on his mannequins and recreate his childhood.
But this time, it was a happy one. In the end up, he also ended up murdering his friend anna and stitching her hair on his mannequins.
5. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer – 2006
Do you kike perfumes too? But can you kill someone for it? Yes, Jean, the protagonist of Perfume, kills people to recreate fragrances.
Jean was born with a special ability to smell things. One fine day, he likes the smell of a girl and ends up accidentally murdering her.
The smell starts haunting him, and he goes on a mission to recreate the fragrance, and the episodes of murders keep on going.
Director Tom Tykwer has done a great job of portraying how Jean’s mind works.
6. I am not a Serial Killer- 2016
Serial killers often kill people to satisfy their needs. It can be anything from physical to psychological. I am not a Serial Killer is one of those films like American Psycho where the killer satisfies his needs from the dead bodies.
The actors are Christopher Lloyd, who is again in news for sharing the stage with Michael J Fox, Max Records, etc.
John, the leading character finds out that his neighbor has been murdering people, and each time he murders someone, one of his physical illnesses is gone.
John also discovered that the dead bodies have one organ missing, which means that the murder is involved in some kind of satanic ritual.
7. Joker – 2019
Joker is one of the best-performing movies of all time. Joaquin Phoenix, with his spectacular performance, has shown how constant criticism can break a man so bad that his trust in good humans fades away and turns him into a murderer. Recently, Brendan Gleeson who has been playing the new joker reunited with him for inspiration.
When we talk about movies like American Psycho, Joker has the closest resemblance. The leading character Arthur also doesn’t think that he has done something wrong by murdering those, just like the leading character of American Psycho.
Moreover, Joker makes you feel sympathy for the villain. This movie shows how a villain is not a born evil man, but society is the one who forced him to do so.
8. Panic Room – 2002
Can a single room terrify you to the extent that your brain stops working? Panic Room is one such movie. Panic Room literally makes you panic!
The story revolves around a mother, Jodie Foster who is cast with Fiona Shaw in True Detective season 4, and a daughter(Kristen Stewart who is reuniting with Oliver Assays for a new project) who just shifted to a new home. Everything is going good until 3 men break into the house.
All they can think of is to hide in the room specially made to escape such situations, the panic room. But the burglars want something that is actually in the panic room.
9. The Night Clerk – 2022
What would you do if you find you that your lover is trying to prove that you are a murderer? Sounds frightening, right? Something similar happened to Bart, the leading character of The Night Clerk.
Brat works as a night clerk at a hotel and imitates the customers. He does this to overcome his disorder. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a girl named “Andrea.”
Brat starts changing himself in a better way, but later, he finds out that his beloved is in a relationship with someone else. The later events also enfold that one of the police officers is actually her lover.
Andrea tried to trap Bart in her crimes, but somehow this innocent person succeeds to save himself.
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 2011
Is it possible to solve a missing case that happened 40 years ago? Well, it can be. Something similar happened to Mikael Blomkvist in this movie.
A Swedish reporter starts investigating a case of a girl who went missing 40 years ago. The girl was none but the niece of the businessman she is working for.
The following events enfold some disgusting events.
11. Get Out – 2017
Get Out is a perfect blend of murder, thriller, human depth of psychology, and of course, racial issues. The actors are Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, who has recently joined the series “Parish,” and Caleb Landry, etc. Caleb also announced the release of his new album.
The leading character Chris is very excited about meeting his girlfriend’s parents. Chris and his girlfriend are in an interracial relationship. Chris is a black man, while Georgiana is a white girl.
Arriving at their home, Chris started noticing some strange events. Her parents started making bizarre and hateful comments about black people. Chris also noticed that every servant in their house is actually black.
The later events include some supernatural activities that are done to kill Chris. It is something that the family has been doing for quite a long time by being possessed by their ancestors.
12. Shutter Island – 2010
Shutter Island is a movie that enfolds the evils of human experiments. The protagonist Teddy Daniels played by Leonardo DiCaprio is on a mission to investigate the case of a girl going missing from a hospital.
He comes to this island, and the following events reveal that the hospital is doing some unethical experiments on its patients. He also finds out about the missing girl, hiding in a cave.
13. The Silence of the Lamb – 1991
Movies like American Psycho take a new turn in The Silence of the Lamb. Why? In this movie, the murderer has reached such an extent of human psychological disorder that he starts murdering people so that he can make a suit.
Yes, the story revolves around an FBI agent Clarice Starling who is asked to take an interview with a man named Buffalo Bill. It’s his murder name.
The officers are trying to get information out of his mouth so that they can solve the case.
14. Us – 2019
Adelaide Wilson is a woman who has been running away from her traumatic childhood. But was she able to do it? Nope! After growing old, she and her family go on vacation, where she feels a strong possibility of something going wrong.
In the end, it happens. They were attacked by 4 masked people. Who are they? Themselves!
15. The Invisible Man – 2020
Movies like American Psycho also enable us to experience this movie as well. The Invisible Man revolves around a girl and her coming out of a toxic relationship with her boyfriend. She succeeds at doing so.
But the story takes an interesting turn when she finds out that her boyfriend has died and left a huge amount of money for her. She also discovers the presence of someone else in the house, it’s her boyfriend who is actually alive.
16. The Talented Mr. Ripely – 1999
The Talented Mr. Ripely is one of the best movies like American American Psycho because here also, the leading character is suffering from a superiority complex. Two friends, Ripely and Dickie are very good friends, but Dickie notices something weird about him.
He noticed that Ripely wanted to be him and live like him. These things annoy him, and later Ripely murders Dickie and starts living his rich life.
17. The Snowman – 2017
The snowman you are playing with might be a dead body! Sounds Creepy, right? Directed by Thomas Alfredson, The Snowman portrays a murder of a girl.
The murderer hides her body in a snowman! Who is he? It was the new boyfriend of Rakel. She was the beloved of Harry, the investigator of the murder case.
18. Regression – 2015
Detectives are here to solve a case, but the victims are saying that some supernatural forces are there. Starring Emma Watson, this movie revolves around the regression process to pull out past memories.
But later, they find out that all the supernatural things are nothing but some fake memories that were implanted in their brains.
19. Zodiac – 2007
Zodiac is the name of the killer. Yes, the town is terrified by murder cases. The killer is fascinated by the idea of being famous and leaves clues so that people can guess his name.
20. Red Dot – 2021
Red Dot portrays an interracial couple that has come to see the northern lights but is mercilessly chased by shooters. But why? What have they done? The story is about an act of revenge that the boy takes who was the victim of their negligence.
Conclusion
We hope you liked exploring all these movies like American Psycho. Psychological thrillers never go out of trend. If created in the right direction, it can easily make a human rethink his values and current state of mind.
Actors put a lot of effort into playing such roles, and in the end, it gives them fame like nothing else. As we are talking about actors, you can look at this too – Top 10 Richest Actors In The World & Their Journey.
