When Gillian Flynn published her third novel, Gone Girl, back in 2012, it became an instant bestseller. It was perhaps little surprise that a film adaptation of the book was immediately commissioned. However, what has been quite intriguing is the manner in which the David Fincher film has become such an enduring classic that has now remained relevant for over a decade, as it follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as he struggles to respond to his wife’s disappearance when it begins to look as though he may be responsible for it.
Defined by Rosamund Pike‘s scintillating yet terrifying performance as Amy Dunne, Gone Girl‘s fanfare only grows greater as more time passes by. As such, audience interest in finding films that can deliver a similarly pulsating experience has only grown over time as well. Ranging from taut mystery thrillers to astounding depictions of female ambition and desire in commanding lead performances, these thrillers are perfect for lovers of Gone Girl who want to experience the thrills and intensity all over again.
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‘Psycho’ (1960)
Gone Girl has become an icon of modern cinema as one of the most compelling psychological thrillers in recent decades. Psycho is an icon of classic cinema as one of the most compelling psychological thrillers of all time. However, the two movies aren’t linked only by their illustration of excellence in the genre, but also by their daring plot structures that use the midpoint to maximum effect, completely altering the trajectory of the second half of the story with a shocking and sinister twist.
The Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) as she steals a sum of money from her boss and flees the city, ending up at the Bates Motel. When she disappears soon after, her sister and lover team up to investigate what happened to her. An impeccable marriage of simmering suspense, shock horror, and morbid intrigue, Psycho is as gloriously unsettling as it is viciously absorbing.
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‘Dial M for Murder’ (1954)
Like Gone Girl, Dial M for Murder presents an enrapturing and cynical psychological thriller exploring a marriage laced with a morbid plot for revenge. It unfolds as retired tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) plots to murder his socialite wife after learning that she is having an affair. Extorting his old college friend to be his accomplice, Tony hatches a scheme that could see him inherit Margot’s (Grace Kelly) wealth, but when the attack doesn’t go to plan, the homicidal husband must try to scramble out of the limelight of a police investigation.
The film exudes a twisted glee, a macabre magnetism that is both exciting and ensnaring. Anyone who finds a wicked form of entertaining splendor in Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of Amy Dunne will likely experience a similar sensation of sinister zest in Milland’s suave and slicing performance. Further bolstered by the story’s twisting and turning nature, Dial M for Murder is an addictive viewing experience rich with gripping suspense that combines psychological tension and marital conflict with superb skill.
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‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)
Rosamund Pike’s faultless and ferocious performance as Amy Dunne is arguably the single most defining element of Gone Girl‘s greatness, a piercing and petrifying exhibition of psychotic drive and ruthless determination underlined by a power that is immediately impressionable. Interestingly, Gone Girl wasn’t the only psychological thriller of 2014 to feature that type of performance.
A terrifying descent into the world of freelance photojournalism, <em>Nightcrawler</em> thrives off the back of Jake Gyllenhaal’s imposing lead performance as Lou Bloom, a psychopathic petty criminal who finds work filming horrific incidents in L.A. and selling the footage to a local news station. Perhaps even more so than Gone Girl, Nightcrawler is a confronting exploration of the cunning calculation and inhuman apathy of a psychopath, one that plunges viewers into a bitterly realistic and brutal world of crime, exploitation, and amorality.
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‘Blood Simple’ (1984)
