Films Like Last Night In Soho That Psychological Thriller Fans Need To Watch

There is a considerable amount of debate about the first slasher film, as the genre is rather loosely defined. Consensus often points to Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom," released in 1960 — just two months before Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" — as the world's first slasher. The film caused quite the controversy upon its initial release, so much so that Michael Powell's tremendous film career (largely in collaboration with Emeric Pressburger) collapsed after "Peeping Tom."

The film features the reclusive Mark Lewis (Karlheinz Böhm), an amateur filmmaker who works as part of a film crew and in still photography, taking pictures of pin-up girls. Mark has suffered considerable psychological damage as the result of his now-deceased father, a renowned psychologist who would regularly use Mark in his experiments, keeping him under constant surveillance as a child to further his own research. This, combined with Mark's love of seeing the fear in women's eyes, takes Mark down a deadly and murderous path that may have no return.

"Peeping Tom" is undeniably sick and twisted, but decades after its initial release, the film has finally earned the respect it deserves, and currently holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For fans of "Last Night in Soho" that loved seeing the seedy underbelly of London, "Peeping Tom" is a perfect choice. "Soho" director Edgar Wright even included "Peeping Tom" in a program of movies screening at the British Film Institute that directly inspired his latest film.

An exquisite, 136-minute masterclass in delivering on-screen tension, Roman Polanksi's "Rosemary's Baby" has been terrifying audiences ever since its release in 1968. The premise, based on the book of the same name by Ira Levin, is quite simple — Rosemary (the brilliant Mia Farrow) is pregnant and deeply concerned about the fate of her baby. She's convinced that her neighbors belong to a satanic cult, and are taking control of her life in order to use the baby for their own personal gain. Even worse, Rosemary believes that she may just be carrying the spawn of Satan herself.

Unfortunately for Rosemary, nobody believes her, least of all her partner Guy (John Cassavetes), who constantly discounts her claims and theories, making her believe that she's gone crazy. "Rosemary's Baby," like "Last Night in Soho," focuses on the experiences and difficulties of being a woman when people refuse to take them seriously. "Rosemary's Baby" has certainly laid the blueprint for this now well-worn genre of psychological thrillers.

The film won an Oscar for best supporting actress for the unforgettable Ruth Gordon, who plays elderly neighbor Minnie Castevet. After an unrelenting two hours, it's the chilling ending that will live with you long after the credits roll. For those who enjoy psychological thrillers with heavy dashes of religion and the occult, it doesn't get better than "Rosemary's Baby."

A film that likely scared a generation of people from cheating, "Fatal Attraction" is a wild erotic psychological thriller about a man who ends up making a grave error by cheating on his wife. Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) has it all — a happy marriage, a beautiful daughter, and a successful job as a lawyer. His work causes him to run into Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), who works as an editor at a publishing company. Dan has an affair with Alex, and while Dan believes it was clear that it was just a one-time thing, Alex very clearly has other ideas and begins to pursue Dan relentlessly.

Similar to "Last Night in Soho," "Fatal Attraction" plays with the idea of the crazy, unpredictable woman, though their approaches are markedly different. Close is absolutely tremendous as Alex Forest, a character who is genuinely iconic, placing seventh in the American Film Institute's list of the greatest villains of all time. "Fatal Attraction" has proven to be a cultural touchstone, even adding a new phrase — "bunny boiler" – to various dictionaries.

Unfolding in an extraordinary dream-like state, David Lynch's 2001 masterpiece "Mulholland Drive" has been sending chills down audiences' spines since its release. This film has garnered immense critical acclaim, becoming the subject of many features discussing its merits as one of the best films of the 21st century. In fact, it even topped a critics poll from the BBC's list of the 100 best films since the year 2000.

"Mulholland Drive" stars Naomi Watts as Betty Elms, a wannabe actress who recently arrived in Los Angeles. She meets Rita (Laura Harring), an amnesiac who can't remember her own name, and only calls herself Rita after seeing a poster for Rita Hayworth's film "Gilda." Betty agrees to help Rita discover her true identity, which takes the pair on a strange and unpredictable journey through LA, largely unfolding through a series of vignettes.

Just as "Last Night in Soho" exposes the dark side of London, "Mulholland Drive" exposes the sinister undergrowth of the dream factory known as Los Angeles. The film won best director at the Cannes Film Festival, and Lynch was nominated for best director at the Academy Awards for his brilliant work. The film has had a lasting impact, and that's largely in part to its utterly beguiling ending, as the film requires multiple viewings to figure out all of its mysteries.

Featuring the same leading actress as "Last Night in Soho," Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Thomasin in Robert Eggers' "The Witch." The film takes place in early 1600s New England when an English settler (Ralph Ineson) is banished from a colony along with his young family over a religious dispute. They establish a farm near a large forest, but before long, the family's youngest child vanishes, and they begin to believe a witch hiding in the forest is responsible.

Eggers went all-in during the filmmaking process, filming only by daylight or candlelight to make the film feel as historically accurate as possible. In fact, Eggers was so serious about historical accuracy that he's disappointed he didn't edit out the fact that you can faintly see Taylor-Joy's earring holes. Yes, really. It's that sort of attention to detail that allows "The Witch" to really shine — its period detail is immaculate, which helps build the remarkable sense of atmosphere. The film is magnificently tense, and it unfolds with a slow burn that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Like "Last Night in Soho," "The Witch" also has a lot to say about women's experiences. The film made a bona fide star out of Taylor-Joy, who's gone on to star in "The Queen's Gambit," "Split," and "The New Mutants."

An irresistible, white-knuckle thrill ride about the life of a jewelry store owner who can't stop gambling, the Safdie Brothers' "Uncut Gems" is a modern masterpiece. While Adam Sandler may not be the obvious choice to star in a thriller, he was the first name on the director's list: The Safdies approached Sandler back in 2015, four years before the film was released. The move paid off, as Sandler's performance is nothing short of a revelation and would see "Uncut Gems" ranked as our best Adam Sandler film ever.

Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a gambling addict who's on a mission to claim a priceless gem from Ethiopia in order to pay off his exorbitant debts. Despite everything tending to break Howard's way, his irresistible desire for more and more and more leads him to constantly make the wrong decisions, leaving audiences in agony. That said, there's real magic in Sandler's performance that makes you root for him, despite the fact that there's something deeply detestable about Howard. He's a strange, unpredictable character, and though he almost never stops swearing, you can't help but be drawn to him.

The outstanding cast is rounded out by Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett as himself, and even The Weeknd, also playing himself. All in all, "Uncut Gems" is a 135-minute thrill ride that doesn't waste a second. It's gritty, gross, disturbing, hilarious, terrifying, and heartbreaking.

A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a mystery, Charlie Kaufman's "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is a truly original journey. Loosely based on the novel by Ian Reid, the film tells the story of a woman (Jessie Buckley) and her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) who are headed to Jake's family farm to meet his parents. Then ... well, that's all you really need to know. Kaufman is no stranger to writing a complicated story – this is the man, after all, who has written films like "Synecdoche, New York," "Being John Malkovich," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

The mind-bending "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is a haunting and unforgettable journey through a person's psyche — though exactly whose mind, is anyone's guess. Though the ending of the film has been scrutinized, it's fair to say that just about everyone watching the film will draw an entirely different conclusion as to what it all means. One thing's for sure – "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is full of excellent performances, an endless sense of dread, and it'll stick with you long after it's over.