Much in the same way that body horror can unnerve for its ability to turn your body against you, psychological horror preys upon your mind. The inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, or worse, is inherently terrifying. Censor (our review) sees a psychological unraveling for its lead character, a video censor during the Video Nasty craze that loses her ability to distinguish between waking life and horror movies.
In celebration of one of the year’s best hitting Hulu this week, this week’s picks belong to horror movies that distort reality for their characters in disturbing ways.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
Black Swan – Hulu
Nina (Natalie Portman) lands the coveted lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” but her commitment to perfection threatens her sanity. Darren Aronofsky’s psychosexual mind-bender gets deep into Nina’s headspace as she hallucinates everything from sexual encounters to moments of body horror. It’s a dizzying mirror for Tchaikovsky’s ballet, in twisted psychological horror movie form. Nina’s transformation into the Black Swan is as beautiful as it is grotesque.
Identity – Pluto TV, Tubi
James Mangold sets up an interesting yet familiar slasher mystery, complete with misdirects and gory deaths. But the biggest clue that there’s more to this slasher than meets the eye is in the title. Ten strangers become stranded together at a desolate roadside motel, only to discover that someone is picking them off one by one. Reality holds a very different meaning for these characters, making the killer’s motive particularly unique. The A-list cast brings it, too.
Oculus – Starz
Kaylie (Karen Gillan) tries to exonerate her brother and seek retribution for her parents’ death by finding proof of a supernatural presence within an antique mirror. But this haunted mirror has one nasty defense mechanism; it can alter perceptions of reality for those near it. Mike Flanagan takes a mind-bending approach to a haunting, distorting reality for the protagonists that attempt to destroy it. In the process, it keeps viewers guessing, too.
Shutter Island – Netflix, AMC+, Pluto TV
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a patient from a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. The further he gets, the more it seems that a conspiracy is afoot. Worse, it appears that the staff seems hellbent on keeping Teddy there. Martin Scorsese plays mind games with his protagonist in this stylish Gothic thriller that goes big on a moody atmosphere.
Videodrome – Peacock
One of Cronenberg’s most beloved films by fans, Videodrome follows James Woods as a sleazy cable TV programmer whose life begins to spiral out of control once he stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring extreme torture. It infects his mind, causing bizarre visions and eerie shifts in perceived reality. Only Cronenberg could use body horror to depict a fractured mind so effectively. The surreal imagery combined with special effects master Rick Baker’s work on the film create one of the strangest, most fascinating horror films that’s way ahead of its time.