25+ Mind-Bending Movies Like Shutter Island That’ll Leave You Reeling

Movies Like Shutter Island (Top Picks At A Glance)

If you’re in the mood for a mind-bending thriller and also enjoyed watching Shutter Island, then this list of films is perfect for you. We have curated a list of all the best movies like Shutter Island that you can watch!

These movies are all edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers with dark and twisty plots. So if you’re looking for a movie that will keep you guessing until the very end, then these are the ones for you!

• Where Was Shutter Island Filmed?

Black Swan Movie Description

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose life revolves around ballet.

She gets a chance to become the prima ballerina for Swan Lake but must compete against a newcomer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who is also very talented. As the competition between the two dancers intensifies, Nina’s dark side begins to take over her life.

• Movies Like Black Swan

Se7en Movie Description

A detective and his new partner investigate a series of murders that appear to be linked to the seven deadly sins.

As they get closer to catching the killer, he begins to toy with them, driving one of the detectives to the brink of madness.

Triangle Movie Description

A group of friends set sail to escape their stressful lives, but a dangerous storm forces them onto an abandoned ship. Jess (Melissa George) notices the ship is familiar, and the group soon realizes they’re not alone.

Strange events unfold and it becomes clear that something is hunting them down. There seem’s to be no escape from this deadly ship.

Prisoners Movie Description

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is desperate to find his young daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) and her friend when they disappear without a trace. The only lead the police have is an old motorhome parked on their street when the incident happened.

The driver of the home is arrested by Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), but they are forced to release him due to a lack of evidence. Dover is unhappy with the lack of progress that the police are making, so he takes matters into his own hands.

• Movies Like Prisoners

Dark City Movie Description

John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens in a strange hotel with no memory of who he is or what he’s done. He quickly realizes that he is the prime suspect in a series of brutal murders. In order to clear his name, he must uncover the truth about his identity before the police catch up to him.

Throughout his investigation, Murdoch discovers an underground society controlled by unknown entities referred to as the Strangers. By getting closer to unveiling the truth, Murdoch not only puts himself in danger but also those around him. If he wants any chance of coming out alive, he must be smarter than the Strangers.

The Game Movie Description

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a banker who leads a relatively quiet life alone. On his birthday, Conrad (Sean Penn), his estranged brother, comes to him with a strange gift: the ability to take part in a personalized real-life game. Nicholas knows he shouldn’t, but he accepts the gift anyway.

The game begins innocently enough, but as Nicholas gets further into it, it starts to hit too close to home. He fears for his life as the agents hired by the game’s organizers start closing in on him. In order to escape them and the game itself, Nicholas must unravel its secrets before it’s too late.

Donnie Darko Movie Description

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) saw a large, demonic rabbit named Frank (James Duval) on the night of the presidential election of 1988 who told him that the world would end in 28 days.

When he got home, he found that a jet engine had crashed into his bedroom. He begins to wonder if he is living in a parallel universe or if he is just crazy.

Fractured Movie Description

Desperate to find his wife and daughter after they disappear from the ER without a trace, a man becomes convinced the hospital is hiding a dark secret. He will stop at nothing to find out what they have done to his family.

Predestination Movie Description

A time-traveling agent’s final mission is to stop a criminal from carrying out an attack that would kill thousands.

The agent needs to find the criminal through time and space and prevent the tragedy, but the target always seems to be one step ahead of him. One mistake could be fatal not just for the agent, but for countless innocent people too.

Identity Movie Description

Ten people seeking refuge from a storm take shelter at a motel, only to realize they are being killed off one by one.

They work together to uncover the identity of the killer and save themselves before they manage to take another life.

The Prestige Movie Description

As two of the greatest magicians of their time, they used to work as partners. However, a bitter rivalry between them soon developed, as each one always tried to outdo the other.

One day, one of them performed a trick that was so incredible, it left the other magician in a downward spiral, desperately trying to figure out how it was done. Dangerous methods were used to unlock the secret of the trick, pushing away everyone who got close. It began to threaten not just his relationships, but also his life.

The Snowman Movie Description

As Detective Harry Hole investigates the death of a young woman, he quickly realizes that he’s dealing with a serial killer known as “The Snowman Killer.”

The sociopath continuously taunts Hole with cat-and-mouse games, as he continues his killing spree. Harry enlists the help of a new recruit to try and lure the madman out of hiding before he can strike again.

Inception Movie Description

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is not your average thief. He and his team can infiltrate people’s dreams and steal their deepest secrets. However, when someone offers him a chance at redemption, he can see the light at the end of the tunnel again.

Cobb’s next job will be his most difficult one yet- he must plant an idea into someone’s mind. With a formidable and unknown enemy predicting Cobb’s every move, this will prove to be more difficult than any previous feat.

• Movies Like Inception
• Movies Like Interstellar And Inception

Memento Movie Description

Leonard (Guy Pearce) recalls memories of his life before his accident. However, he can’t remember what happened 15 minutes ago.

He is trying to find the man who raped and killed his wife, but he has difficulty because he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss.

Gone Girl Movie Description

As Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) celebrate their fifth anniversary, the facade of their perfect relationship begins to crumble.

Nick is now the prime suspect in the investigation into Amy’s disappearance, and under mounting pressure from the police and from the public, the couple’s perfect image is destroyed. Everyone is left questioning who they really are.

• Movies Like Gone Girl

Nocturnal Animals Movie Description

Suzan Morrow’s (Amy Adams) ex-husband sends her a manuscript that dredges up dark secrets from their past.

As she reads, she realizes that unless she comes to terms with what happened, her future will always be troubled.

• Nocturnal Animals Ending Explained

The Machinist Movie Description

Insomnia and mental health issues take a toll on Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale), leading to accidental injuries at work and a growing obsession with a prostitute named Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Trevor’s grasp on reality starts to slip away, and he becomes convinced that Ivan (John Sharian), a mysterious person that has entered his life is to blame for his problems.

Mystic River Movie Description

Jimmy Marcus (Sean Penn) is a former convict who has suffered a devastating loss: his daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) has been murdered. Not only that but two of Jimmy’s childhood friends are involved in the case.

Dave (Tim Robbins) was the last person to see Katie alive, while Sean (Kevin Bacon) is the homicide detective at the head of her investigation. Jimmy conducted his own independent investigation and came to the conclusion that Dave killed his daughter. Enraged, he plans to take matters into his own hands.

• Movies Like Mystic River

Mulholland Drive Movie Description

Rita (Laura Elena Harring), a woman with dark hair, suffers from amnesia after a car accident. She finds herself wandering the streets of Los Angeles in a daze.

Betty (Naomi Watts), an ambitious and talented blonde from the Midwest who has come to LA to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, discovers Rita taking refuge in an apartment. The two women work together to try and solve the mystery of Rita’s true identity.

Frailty Movie Description

The God’s Hand Killer was a man who believed that he needed to kill all of the demons that he had revealed to him. He started killing them across Texas, but he also had two young sons.

The younger son admired his dad and believed in what he was fighting for, while the older brother rebelled but couldn’t quite bring himself to stop his father. Two decades later, the elder son walked into a police station and confessed.

Fight Club Movie Description

The man (Edward Norton) is a dull office worker who suffers from depression and insomnia. The only thing that makes his life bearable is the support group he attends, where he pretends to have serious problems.

However, when he meets another poser named Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), his life starts to spiral out of control. He meets an erratic soap salesman named Tyler (Brad Pitt) and together they start a fight club for men who need some change in their lives. But as the club grows in popularity, things start to go wrong and dark secrets emerge.

• Movies Like Fight Club

Unsane Movie Description

Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) had been desperately looking for a new start after being stalked by an unknown assailant for years. However, when she voluntarily checked herself into Highland Creek Behavioral Center, she quickly realized that it was nothing like she expected.

The doctors at the center doubted her sanity and she became convinced that one of the staff was actually her stalker. Sawyer must fight tooth and nail to break free from their grip but it might not be possible.

Changeling Movie Description

Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) arrives home one day to find that her son, Walter, is gone. Five months later, she finally hears from the police that they’ve found Walter in Illinois.

However, when he arrives, he is not her son – he has a different haircut and different clothes. The police refuse to listen to Christine’s claims that this is not her son, and she only has the support of a clergyman who wants to use the case to expose corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department and government.

Jacob’s Ladder Movie Description

Veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) returns home after the Vietnam War but quickly falls into a downward spiral of hallucinations and flashbacks.

His girlfriend and ex-wife try to help him but to no avail. As he descends further into madness, even his chiropractor friend is unable to reach him.

Primer Movie Description

Engineering students Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) create a time machine and begin to test its potential. They quickly realize that their actions have consequences, some of which they can fix, but others will require further exploration.

With each trip back in time, they must be careful not to change the future too much or they could find themselves stuck in a never-ending loop. They must attempt to fix the damage they have caused and prevent the future from ever being manipulated again.

The Girl On The Train Movie Description

Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) is a woman who rides the train every day and views what seems to be a perfect couple from her window. However, one day she witnesses something disturbing that makes her doubt the couple’s perfection.

She reports it to the police, but then becomes curious and starts her own investigation. This choice to take matters into her own hands may lead her down a dangerous path that she can’t come back from.

• Movies Like The Girl On The Train

5 More Movies Like Shutter Island (Honorable Mentions)

While our top picks for movies like Shutter Island are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, we also wanted to give a few honorable mentions a chance to shine. These films may not have made the cut as our top choices, but they still offer plenty of suspense, mystery, and psychological thrills for viewers to enjoy.

Whether you’re in the mood for a mind-bending puzzle or a heart-pounding thriller, these honorable mentions have got you covered. So if you’ve already watched our top picks and are craving more psychological suspense, be sure to give these movies a watch.

• The Woman In The Window (2021)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• Primal Fear (1996)
• The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
• Exam (2009)