7 Best Psychological Thrillers on HBO Max Right Now
HBO Max‘s vast film library includes some of the most beloved and celebrated Hollywood franchises of all time, nearly every masterpiece made by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and an entire DC Comics superhero section. The streamer’s psychological thriller collection, meanwhile, covers films made both decades ago and within the last few years. These include a 2024 erotic thriller from the same filmmaker who made “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a little-seen 1970s drama that leaves a lasting mark and even an under-appreciated gem from the master of suspense himself.
Here are the best psychological thrillers streaming on HBO Max this month.
“Babygirl” (2024)
Director Halina Reijn’s 2024 erotic thriller “Babygirl” may not be as brutal or violent as her 2022 film “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” but both have the same knowing sense of humor. That plays a critical role in “Babygirl,” which follows a high-powered female CEO (Nicole Kidman) who begins a risky affair with a younger, dominant male intern (Harris Dickinson).
Clear-eyed about the sometimes contradictory nature of desire, “Babygirl” is an intense, psychologically thorny thriller that knows how to have fun with its story and cut the tension at the right times. Kidman’s fearless lead performance serves as the perfect anchor for a film that, despite its early marketing, is more interested in identity — and how the things we find pleasure in help shape who we are — than gratuitous sex or nudity.
“Eddington” (2025)
When writer-director Ari Aster’s COVID Western “Eddington” hit theaters last year, many viewers’ initial reaction was that the movie was coming too soon. The months since its release, however, have suggested that “Eddington” may, in fact, have been right on time all along.
A violent psychological thriller set in the midst of the COVID lockdown, the film explores the political turmoil caused by a mayoral race between a fictional small town’s frustrated sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and incumbent mayor (Pedro Pascal). Unsparing, funny and deeply sad, “Eddington” gets right to the ugly heart of the things that isolate us personally and divide us communally.
“Foreign Correspondent” (1940)
“Foreign Correspondent,” one of the more underrated gems of director Alfred Hitchcock’s influential and oft-referenced filmography, is a psychological spy thriller brimming with paranoia and uncertainty. The film, only Hitchcock’s second Hollywood production after “Rebecca,” follows an American reporter (Joel McCrea) living in Britain who embarks on a dangerous investigation into a Europe-spanning spy conspiracy.
No one really knows who they can trust in “Foreign Correspondent,” a film which explores, with Hitchcock’s signature technical flair and breezy pace, the socially destructive force of instability and the importance of exposing and standing up to those who are only interested in creating it.
“Get Out” (2017)
Writer-director Jordan Peele’s 2017 film “Get Out” is one of the most acclaimed, popular and influential thrillers of the last decade, and for good reason. A contemporary psychological thriller punctuated by moments of pure, unabashed horror, “Get Out” follows a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) as his trip to meet his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family takes a number of increasingly unnerving turns as he grows closer to learning their community’s most closely guarded secrets.
Peele inches his way toward his film’s hilarious, horrifying and bloody climax with an almost painful level of patience, which only makes the closing moments of “Get Out” land with that much more force.
“Heretic” (2024)
“Heretic” is not as good or ground-breaking as “Get Out,” but like that film, it gets its claws in you early and refuses to let go again. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, this contained A24 psychological thriller follows a pair of unsuspecting young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are lured into the home of an eccentric man (Hugh Grant) and subsequently put through a torturous test of their faith by him.
Made with supreme confidence and a firm level of tonal control, “Heretic” ratchets up the tension with every twist and stomach-dropping turn that its story takes. It is a film that demands your attention, and Hugh Grant’s star turn as its kooky villain will leave you with a whole new appreciation for his versatility and enduring star power.
“The Most Dangerous Game” (1932)
1932’s “The Most Dangerous Game” does not overstay its welcome. An adaptation of Richard Connell’s influential, enduring 1924 short story of the same name, director Ernest B. Schoedsack’s film does not stretch its story beyond its limits but settles for an extremely short, especially by modern Hollywood standards, 62-minute runtime.
That allows “The Most Dangerous Game” to cut with the same brutal efficiency of its source material. Featuring an early star performance from Joel McCrea as an everyday man left stranded on a remote island and an unforgettable, villainous turn from Leslie Banks as the sadistic antagonist who begins hunting him for sport, “The Most Dangerous Game” is a psychological, black-and-white thriller that pulls no punches.
“Mikey and Nicky” (1976)
Writer-director Elaine May’s nocturnal 1976 crime thriller “Mikey and Nicky” may be the most obscure or little-known film on this list. It is also one of the best. A psychologically compelling drama, it follows a small-time Philadelphia mobster (Peter Falk) who spends one long night with his old friend (John Cassavetes), who has been marked for death by their mafioso boss.
Elevated by the chemistry between real-life friends Falk and Cassavetes, “Mikey and Nicky” is alternately hilarious, tragic and nerve-wracking. There are waves of emotion roiling beneath seemingly every scene and line exchanged by its two leads — all of which lead to an inevitably haunting conclusion.
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