The Best 17 Dark Thrilling Movies Like Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese is very good at making scary films with damaged characters and plots that keep people on the edge of their seats. Working with the director on three other films makes it six in a row that Leonardo DiCaprio seems to always understand and properly portray Scorsese’s vision for the mentally ill characters.

Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 book of the same name, Shutter Island follows Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), who is in charge of a crime investigation. Teddy thinks that Ashecliffe Hospital is hiding the fact that one of its patients has gone missing. But as he looks into it more, he finds that there is a lot more going on on the island and inside the walls. When Teddy thinks he knows everything, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) changes Teddy’s reality by telling him that he is actually a patient named Andrew Laeddis who has been given a new identity and the chance to play a detective to deal with the death of his wife and children two years ago.

The unclear closing of Shutter Island has caused fans to argue for more than ten years, but that’s exactly why people like Scorsese’s work. He prefers to show rather than tell, and he wants people to think about his work long after the scenes are over. If you like dark psychological tales movies like Shutter Island, you might want to see how these 17 films stack up.

The Top 17 Movies Like Shutter Island in 2024:

1- Inception

People have been scratching their heads and fighting about the ending of Inception, just like they did with Shutter Island. In the movie, DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a dream thief who is very good at making up worlds in people’s heads to get information. Saito (Ken Watanabe) hires Cobb to put information in the mind of a target. To make it look like a real thought, Cobb has to go deep into many minds. Some people on his team know that he is having more trouble than ever with his own deepest thoughts, which makes things even more dangerous.

There are so many minor links in Inception that people will need to watch it more than once to fully understand it. You’ll feel like you’re running with Cobb and his team as they finish the task, but when the secrets come out, you’ll have to rethink what you thought you knew. Real life seems to be what people want it to be in the end, and no one can change that.

2- The Orphan

What Leonardo DiCaprio played as U.S. Marshall turns out not to be who he seemed to be at the end of Shutter Island. A lot of people are interested in his real story. Same thing happens in Orphan: the weird little girl who says she is someone else is not who she says she is. People who watch Orphan don’t have to guess what will happen.

It’s not clear to me how Martin Scorsese got the main character into the hospital in the first place. He also didn’t show how things really turned out, which kind of leaves the ending open. Orphan is a lot better than Shutter Island at finding clues and hints. The shocking story twist doesn’t end there, though. The ending of the movie is believable and satisfying, and it shows how this twist will change everything. If you liked Shutter Island, you should see Orphan because it is a great psychological movie. But because it’s not very smart, the movie only gets 10th place on the list.

3- Gone Girl

People find detectives in psychological tales that also deal with crime very interesting because they are rarely dependable and often have personal problems that affect the case. People try to keep up with the clues to figure out how a story ends before it does, but great writers and directors never make it easy.

Movies like Shutter Island, Gone Girl is a movie based on a book that keeps people thinking. We don’t have to wait until the end of the story to find out about the plot twists and turns. They happen in the middle, when a man who seems guilty is shown to be innocent, but no one knows that until his wife wants them to. This movie will make people think about what they will believe and what is true because of the tension and the truth that is called into question.

4- The Truman Show

The saddest truth about Teddy Daniel’s family’s tragedy is hidden beneath his complete refusal of his reality. The Truman Show has a sad tone as it deals with truth and fiction. Even though things don’t always make sense (like the strangely long ad that pops up in the middle of a talk), Truman feels like he is in charge of his life. He was wrong about everything he thought he knew.

The Truman Show is a psychological story that doesn’t stick to one genre. It makes points about spying, privacy, and identity. It deals with themes that psychological movie fans will like a little more than Orphan. Truth be told, Truman has no power over his life. He thinks the show he’s on is real because of what the people around him have told him. Truman has been trying to get away from the fake world ever since he woke up. The Truman Show team knows that he is weak, so they have used his fear of water to keep him locked up. Even though Truman has lived his whole life acting out of fear, he is determined to get out of jail, even if it means facing the unknown. The Truman Show is a great movie, but the fact that it’s funny takes away some of its points.

5- The Prestige

While a good magician never tells his tricks, secrets do get out when two foes are right on the edge of death. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play magicians Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, who used to work together before Angier said Borden killed his wife. Since the event, they’ve been trying to beat each other, but things are getting worse as their dislike for each other grows.

The passion that the two men share is what will eventually kill them. In the role of fierce rivals, both Jackman and Bale are amazing. While viewers can (and should) suspend their disbelief for the cruel and amazing magic that happens, it is hard to say which actor deserves more attention.

6- Fight Club

When it comes to dreams and mind-bending movie experiences, Fight Club is another movie where the storyteller isn’t always reliable. A lot of people say that this movie is a lot like Shutter Island. The ending twist is meant to make people think about everything they just saw. If the whole idea turns out to be wrong, what is the truth?

The movie Fight Club makes you think. The movie not only raises some very interesting issues about chaos and consumerism, but it also makes people think about who they are. It’s not a wonder that Fight Club is still a cult favourite after all these years. Through an unusual story structure that makes viewers question what they think they know, the movie blurs the line between truth and fantasy. Some fans have said that Fight Club is a great movie to watch after Shutter Island. The film’s views on chaos and capitalism, on the other hand, are not related to Shutter Island’s main theme.

7- The Machinist

It’s no secret that Christian Bale is a very successful actor who is best known for playing Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy. But Bale was praised for his part (and how he prepared for it) in The Machinist just a year before he donned the mask and cape. People started to worry about Bale’s health after he went on a diet for months. It took Bale 62 pounds of weight loss to get the skinny look he wanted for the role.

Bale worked hard on his part in “The Machinist,” and it paid off. People were shocked to see his character, Trevor, go through such a hard life because of his insomnia and dreams, only to find out what was really causing them. Once more, accepting truth breaks worlds, but this time, Trevor seems better after accepting it.

8- Triangle

In Triangle, Jess and her friends get on a boat and go sailing. When their ship sinks, they have to get on an empty cruise ship, but Jess gets stuck in a loop of time that makes her feel dizzy. She learns more about herself and how she’s linked to the things that keep happening in the loop as the movie goes on. Triangle is another mystery movie with a vague ending. Was Jess able to get out of the loop? There could also be a greater message in the loop that she needs to figure out. The questions that people have at the end of Shutter Island are also asked in the 2009 movie. Leonardo DiCaprio’s U.S. Marshal and Melissa George’s Jess both look like they are not guilty. But what they think they know about themselves is just a bunch of false beliefs that need to be questioned.

The Christopher Smith movie is very interesting for people who like plots with twists that keep coming up. It definitely has a psychological rabbit hole like Shutter Island that will keep fans of psychological thrillers hooked. The ending isn’t quite clear, but it leaves room for different interpretations. There’s a finish that fans want to see, and they can always imagine it. On the other hand, things might not be as good as they seem. When compared to the first three on the list, Triangle is more like Shutter Island. On the other hand, the scary parts would take away some points.

9- Black Swan

Though ballerinas make their work on stage look simple and easy, it’s not. Black Swan is about dancers getting ready for a play of Swan Lake. It shows how hard the world of ballet can be. Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, is a perfectionist who wants to play the lead. She is naturally the White Swan, but she needs work on being the evil Black Swan. Nina still gets the part, but her fantasies get out of hand when she feels threatened by her replacement. Reality gets fuzzy, and Nina gives a great show that costs her everything.

Nicole Kidman and Mila Kunis worked out for months before the movie to get in shape. Portman could have been written off as the perfect White Swan who values perfection over passion, just like her character. But she worked so hard to show how tragic it is for her character when she forces herself to become the Black Swan. She got an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her part as Nina.

Also Read: The Best 13 Movies Like Harry Potter For This Weekend

10- Annihilation

Because the ending isn’t clear, Annihilation will definitely make fans think for days after they watch it. In the sci-fi movie, Lena’s journey takes her into a dangerous area where unknown forces have changed things. Lena and a group of experts find the tracks that the last group left behind as the radiation starts to change their bodies. It’s pretty much impossible to come back from the Shimmer as the same person you were before you went in. When Lena finally gets to where she’s going, things get worse.

Annihilation makes people think about their identities and the truth at the same time. There is some doubt in the telling because the story is told from different points of view all the time. The ending of the movie also leaves room for opinion. Lena, did you get back? What percentage of the person hugging her husband is really her, even if she made it through the Shimmer? Kane didn’t have as much luck, but a piece of him did make it back. Does it really matter in the end? There are a lot of questions that Annihilation doesn’t answer. Annihilation is more like Shutter Island than Black Swan, which is good for people who like to think.

11- The Girl on the Train

At the start of The Girl on the Train, Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), who drinks until she passes out instead of facing her problems, is easy to feel sorry for. Rachel has lost her husband and her job, and she feels like she has nothing left, so she takes the train every day. That being said, Rachel has to figure out what she thinks is true when her ex-neighbor goes missing and she wakes up bloody and drunk. She finds something shocking that puts her in even more danger, which is bad news.

People are sceptical of what Rachel says and does because she is a drinker who often loses track of where she is and what she is doing. But now that Rachel knows she wasn’t as bad as her ex-husband made her out to be, she wants to make sure that no other woman has to go through her abuse ever again. The plot twists and turns are connected to the main ideas, and seeing women stand up for each other at the end is inspiring.

12- Zodiac

At its core, Shutter Island is about looking for a missing woman, and it questions the facts of the case at every step of the way. The story twist around the end of the movie changes everything. In that way, Zodiac is a lot like it. It’s about the search for Zodiac, the killer who has never been caught and whose real name is still unknown. The mystery story gets a better look at the police and press workers who are working on the case. It also follows Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist who has become a detective, as he tries to catch the killer.

Does Arthur Leigh Allen kill people? There were hints in the movie that he might be guilty, but the truth will never be known. Fans are only left with clues to think about. There are four people who might have done the Zodiac crime, but there isn’t enough solid proof to link any of them to it. At the end of the day, Zodiac is one of those films that doesn’t give fans a clear answer. Maybe someone will see something that the detectives have missed. Zodiac is even more like Shutter Island than the other films because of the investigation, the close re-examination of each scene, and the unclear finish.

13- The Boy

When you watch a horror movie, dolls and robots are already creepy, but The Boy managed to twist and turn everything people thought was real. Lacey Cohan plays Greta Evans, who is hired as a nanny in the UK countryside. She is enchanted by the house and land, but when she meets the boy she is supposed to take care of, she starts to worry. The kids don’t introduce Greta to a lively and active boy, but to Brahms, a life-sized china doll. While they are gone, they give her a long list of strict orders to follow. When Greta doesn’t follow the list, strange things start happening in the house.

This isn’t your average possession movie, and the ending is a surprise that no one, not even Greta, saw coming. Since the people in the story seem to be on edge, and the house is on its own, it’s not a very warm or comforting trait.

14- The Matrix

The next level is the Matrix. The psychological sci-fi movie makes you think about what reality is. But what if the people decide what truth is? How high can the sky really get? What if the mind is what holds it back? The movie is a trip that bends your mind and deals with truth and illusion, just like Shutter Island. The movie doesn’t talk much about mental health, but it does talk about choosing between life in the real world and the fake world.

The Matrix also shows the idea of being locked up and trying to get out of it. They are the enemy in the movie. There is a world full of computers, and everyone is forced to do what they are told, even though they know something is wrong. Neo can accept either the blue pill or the red pill from Morpheus, which tells him the truth. Not only can he get away from lies, but he can also choose to stay in safety. People who like psychological thrillers have seen the movie more than once over the years. Fans of the famous great movie The Matrix can’t miss it.

15- Us

The psychological horror movie Us is full of scary turns that will make everyone in the theatre question their own reality. The plot of the story is about Adelaide and her family as they deal with their deadly twins. The family tries to run away, but they quickly learn that clones are after more than just them. When Adelaide and her clone Red are by themselves, Adelaide learns that Red planned the uprising and that all the Tethered who were made by the government and then left behind have chosen to “untether” themselves from their clones. All of this is new to Adelaide, but she knows the biggest secret of all of them.

The writer, director, and producer of US, Jordan Peele, doesn’t believe in leaving any stone unturned when it comes to making stories that keep you guessing. The story is interesting and scary, but the message of the movie is what really makes it stand out. Peele wanted to show the truth about wealth in a way that would make people think, and he hit the point.

16- Changeling

J. Michael Straczynski thought about writing a book about the real-life murders of Christine Collins and the Wineville Chicken Coop for more than 20 years before he finally pitched a draft, which turned into Changeling. Clint Eastwood agreed right away to direct after reading the story. Focusing on Collins instead of the killer was a unique choice that let the time period play a bigger role in the movie. It shows how unfair the court system used to be, how women were treated when they spoke out against the government, and how a mother’s love will always be there for her children.

What happens after Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) finds out her son is missing is what the movie is about. The news spreads like wildfire, and the police don’t want to face the public with empty hands, so they “find and return” Collins’ son to her. However, she thinks the child is not her son and is an imposter. In the end, Collins is sent to a mental hospital after telling everyone what she believes. A 15-year-old kid who is meant to be sent away admits that he helped his uncle abuse and kill 20 kids, including the Collins kid. Even though people are arrested and bodies are found, Christine is still sure that her son is still living somewhere.

17- Prisoners

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal play a worried dad and a determined cop who want to find out who kidnapped two people in the action film Prisoners. On Thanksgiving, Keller Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing. Keller thinks the strange young man in the van is to blame, but Detective Loki tells Keller to let the cops look into it. Keller decides to try to solve the problem himself, and he and Detective Loki find out some very scary facts about their small town.

The movie starts with a blow-up, but the people and their relationships are shown in a way that feels real. People said nice things about both Jackman and Gyllenhaal’s roles. It’s amazing how much pain and drive Jackman was able to show through his character with so little speech. Gyllenhaal won the Hollywood Film Festival award for Best Supporting Actor.

Conclusion:

Movies like Shutter Island are so interesting because they can put viewers in deep psychic settings. Each movie on this list looks at how fragile the mind is and how many layers of perception there are, which makes them all remarkable.

Also Read: The 15 Best Movies Like Interstellar for Sci-Fi Fans

FAQs:

Q: What is the main theme of Shutter Island?

A: The main theme of Shutter Island revolves around the fragility of the human mind, trauma, and how we cope with guilt and loss.

Q: Are psychological thrillers based on real events?

A: Some psychological thrillers are inspired by real events, but many take artistic liberties to explore deeper psychological or fictional narratives.

Q: What are some underrated psychological thrillers?

A: Enemy, The Machinist, and Secret Window are often overlooked but provide intense psychological depth similar to more popular movies like Shutter Island.

Q: How does Shutter Island compare to other psychological thrillers?

A: Shutter Island stands out for its atmospheric tension, intricate storyline, and its deep dive into psychological trauma, which resonates with audience’s more than traditional thrillers.

Q: What makes a good psychological thriller?

A: A good psychological thriller keeps the audience guessing, uses unreliable narrators, and explores the complexities of the human psyche while maintaining suspense throughout.