12 Movies Like Psycho You Need to Watch
Find 12 suspenseful picks for fans of Psycho, from House of Usher and Cape Fear to Charade, Pacific Heights, and more classic thrillers.
If you’re searching for movies like Psycho, you probably want suspense with a sharp edge: uneasy atmosphere, unsettling characters, and twists that keep you guessing. This list brings together a strong mix of horror, mystery, thriller, crime, drama, and even a little dark humor, starting with the classic tension of Psycho (1960) and carrying through House of Usher (1960), Cape Fear (1962), and Charade (1963). You’ll also find offbeat picks like The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and The Entertainer (1960), plus harder-edged choices such as The Naked Kiss (1964) and Pacific Heights (1990). Whether you want old-school dread or a more modern paranoid vibe, these films deliver the same kind of uneasy pull that made Hitchcock’s masterpiece unforgettable.
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01
House of Usher
drama · horror
Convinced that his family is tainted by generations of evil, Roderick Usher is hellbent on stopping his sister Madeline’s wedding to prevent the cursed Usher bloodline from expanding. When her fiancé Philip Winthrop arrives at the crumbling estate to claim his bride, Roderick goes to ruthless—even deadly—lengths to keep them apart.
Directed by Roger CormanCast Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe, David AhdarAmazon Prime Video -
02
Cape Fear
action & adventure · crime · drama · mystery & thriller
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.
Directed by J. Lee ThompsonCast Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin, Martin BalsamAmazon Prime Video -
03
The Little Shop of Horrors
comedy · horror
Seymour works in a skid row florist shop and is in love with his beautiful co-worker, Audrey. He creates a new plant that not only talks but cannot survive without human flesh and blood.
Directed by Roger CormanCast Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller, Myrtle VailFreevee -
04
The Entertainer
drama
Archie Rice, an old-time British vaudeville performer sinking into final defeat, schemes to stay in show business.
Directed by Tony RichardsonCast Laurence Olivier, Brenda de Banzie, Roger Livesey, Joan Plowright, Alan BatesMax -
05
Charade
comedy · mystery · romance · thriller
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
Directed by Stanley DonenCast Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George KennedyAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
06
The Naked Kiss
crime · drama
A former prostitute works to create a new life for herself in a small town, but a shocking discovery could threaten everything.
Directed by Samuel FullerCast Constance Towers, Anthony Eisley, Michael Dante, Virginia Grey, Patsy KellyMax -
07
Pacific Heights
drama · mystery · thriller
A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.
Directed by John SchlesingerCast Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Michael Keaton, Mako, Nobu McCarthyNetflixAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
08
Shock Corridor
drama · mystery · thriller
With the help of his girlfriend Cathy and Dr. Fong, a psychiatrist, ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett poses as a madman in order to be admitted to a mental institution where a bloody murder has been committed.
Directed by Samuel FullerCast Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans, James Best, Hari RhodesMax -
09
The Long Good Friday
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.
Directed by John MackenzieCast Paul Freeman, Leo Dolan, Kevin McNally, Patti Love, P.H. MoriartyMax -
10
Horror Hotel
horror · mystery · thriller
In Whitewood, Massachusetts, a presumed witch places a curse on the town before she is burned at the stake. 300 years later, a college student arrives and checks into the mysterious Raven's Inn to research the town's history with witchcraft.
Directed by John Llewellyn MoxeyCast Dennis Lotis, Christopher Lee, Patricia Jessel, Tom Naylor, Betta St. JohnAMC+Freevee -
11
Monsieur Verdoux
comedy · crime · drama
The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off. To make money for his wife and child, he marries wealthy widows and then murders them. His crime spree eventually works against him when two particular widows break his normal routine.
Directed by Charles ChaplinCast Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, Allison Roddan, Robert Lewis, Audrey BetzMax -
12
The Killing
crime · drama · film-noir · thriller
Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.
Directed by Stanley KubrickCast Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Ted de CorsiaAmazon Prime Video
Wrapping Up
These picks give you more than a single style of suspense; they show how fear, deception, and tension can work across different genres and decades. From gothic horror to crime drama and slippery thrillers, each title brings a distinct take on the same uneasy feeling that draws viewers to this kind of cinema. Bookmark this page so you can come back whenever you want a fresh recommendation, and check in again as the list is updated regularly. It’s a handy guide for anyone building a watchlist around classic chills and clever twists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Psycho?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.
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Last updated: September 11, 2026