Mystical phenomena have interested mankind at all times. Even religion is nothing but a concept of the existence of an invisible entity. The inexplicable events that a person observed were interpreted as the presence of higher forces - good or bad. Belief in otherworldly forces still affects society, although many may disagree with this. For some, the period of fascination with mysticism was limited to children's “horror stories”, while someone, at a very conscious age, is studying unusual ultrasonic waves and radiation, trying to find out whether there is life on other planets or parallel worlds, thanks to which, next to the ordinary, earthly dimension, there another life.
Mystical thrillers - the most sinister creations of cinema
Cinema has spawned many films with a mystical component, in which amazing events take place with the characters. The subgenre of mysticism, which is especially popular, is our topic today. A good mystical thriller can contain quite interesting storylines: here there are inexplicable forces, and magical characters, and travel in time or space ... But all that is required from such a film is psychological stress, which covers the viewer from the very beginning and does not let go until the end of the viewing . Gloomy, frightening, unexpected, exciting - this article contains the best mystical thrillers with unpredictable denouement, shot over the past few decades.
1970s:
In the XX century, films with a mystical plot became very popular. We started shooting them for a long time. Even then, in the 70s of the last century, good mystical thrillers came out for hire. The list of the best is presented to your attention below.
Wicker Man (1973). A police commissioner is sent to an island near Scotland to investigate a missing girl. But the inhabitants of the island, it seems, are completely uninterested in solving the crime: Sergeant Govi witnesses the strange rituals that the whole local population practices the cult of Celtic paganism.
Now don't look (1973). Married couple Baxter loses his beloved only daughter as a result of an accident. Heartbroken husband and wife move to another country to forget about the tragedy. There they meet a woman who claims that the late daughter of the Baxters is with her and is trying to report some kind of danger hanging over her parents.
Stepford Wives (1975). The couple moves from a huge metropolis to the quiet provincial town of Stepford. A young woman, Joanna, gradually begins to notice something strange in the residents of the city - they look perfect, behave very respectably, they always get their plans, and their communication is unlike the conversations of ordinary people. What could be sinister in these lovely, at first glance, ladies?
Exorcist II: Heretic (1977). The continuation of the story of the woman Regan McNeill, in which the ancient demon Pazuzu inhabited. Now a man comes to the rescue of her, who experienced this in childhood. This is the only person who can know the answer to the question “Has evil returned?” and help the main character.
The Touch of Jellyfish (1978). A series of terrible accidents - and one witness who invariably was present at them, but did not suffer himself. Have the killings been planned by him intentionally, or can this person do harm to others only by the will of the will? And now a man who can influence what is happening by the effort of thought is immobilized. But the disasters continue, and the police inspector is sure that this terrible executioner will finish the job ...
1980s: mystical thrillers: list of the best
The Shining (1980). The family - husband, wife and son - move to an old, lonely hotel. The head of the family, Jack Torrens, is charged with the obligation to look after the hotel while he is empty without guests in the winter season. Gradually, for Jack, who begins to see ghosts, a world of real evil opens up, exposing the events that took place at the hotel earlier.
Other hypostases (1980). Scientist Eddie Jessup is trying to discover parallel worlds that are adjacent to our real world. He is sure that this can be done by examining his subconscious. Turning off the senses with hallucinogenic drugs, he plunges into himself in search of a shocking truth.
Christina (1983). Arnie Cunningham's loyalty to his car goes beyond reason. But it couldn’t be any different: the stunning red 1958 Plymouth ... has a human mind. The car's name is Christina. She attracts male owners and breaks their will.
Dead Zone (1983). A young man, waking up after a disaster, discovers paranormal abilities. The gift to foresee the future can help many people, and maybe make the protagonist a pawn in the hands of the powers that be.
Abyss (1989). A military detachment must find the remains of a ship that sank in the most dangerous depths of the ocean. Nuclear warheads aboard this ship must be defused urgently. Going down to the depths, reconnaissance soldiers are faced with a terrible phenomenon ...
1990s: mystical thrillers
Staircase of Jacob (1990) . Jacob Singer, who returned from the war, begins to haunt hallucinations, very similar to reality. He thinks that these visions are connected with the loss of his son, but it turns out that the soldiers who served with him in Vietnam, too, are not left alone by frightening obsessions.
Twin Peaks: Through the Fire (1992). The prequel to the legendary series. Two FBI agents are investigating the murder of Laura Palmer. They get data on the murder of another girl - Theresa Banks. Mysterious evidence that cannot shed light on circumstances force detectives to seek a clue in the world of inexplicable phenomena.
In the Maw of Madness (1994). John Trent goes to a small city on the instructions of the agency for which he works. Here he must find a famous writer and conclude a contract with him. In close contact with the author of the mystical books about otherworldly forces, John realizes that the demons from the books are not fiction, and they all strive to get into our world with the help of the pen of a horror master.
The Sixth Sense (1999). An experienced child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, begins therapy with the unsociable and introverted boy Cole, who categorically does not want to make contact. When Malcolm still manages to find the language with the patient, the truth is shocking: the little boy is the only one who can see ghosts.
Sleepy Hollow (1999). Constable Ikabod Crane is being called in to investigate the killings in a settlement called Sleepy Hollow. All victims were beheaded, and local residents claim that the dead were injured at the hands of a headless horseman. Soon, the fearless Crane himself will have to make sure that evil deeds are involved in the matter ...
Filmography of the mystics of the beginning of the century
The best mystical thrillers with an unexpected end were filmed at the beginning of the XXI century. Their list is presented to the reader below.
Good mystical thriller "The Call" (2002). Terrible rumors about a cassette creep around the city, after watching which people mysteriously die exactly seven days later. The son of journalist Rachel found an ominous video cassette and watched it. Now the woman has seven days to understand where the traces of the crime lead, and to save herself and her son.
The Curse (2004). A girl who came from America for an exchange gets into a whirlpool of frightening events - strange things happen in the house, and strange murders are happening more and more often in the city. Karen learns that the matter is in an ancient curse, which showed its strength with the death of the previous owners of this house. The girl has very little time left to save herself and stop the ongoing killings.
The Six Demons of Emily Rose (2005). A priest who could not save the girl’s life during the exorcism ceremony is accused of intentional murder. He decides to find evidence that Emily was truly possessed by the demon, and delves into the world of dark forces in search of answers.
1408 (2007). Writer Michael Enslin, who has described stories of encounters with supernatural evil for many years, is full of skepticism about the existence of ghosts and other mystical creatures. He travels the world, hoping with his own eyes to see something terrible and amazing. One day he stops at hotel room 1408, which is notorious for the eerie things happening there.
Paranormal Phenomenon (2007). Mike and Katie, who entered the new house, decided to shoot everything that was happening on camera - to keep a video with joyful events for themselves. But once they understand that something terrible has intervened in their life. This camera helps them capture invisible supernatural activity. But, having understood what is happening, they do not know how to deal with what is happening. And the situations that happen in the house are becoming more dangerous for its inhabitants ...
And again on the screens - supernatural
The best mystical thrillers of recent years are presented to your attention below.
Seekers of graves (2010). The film crew, which organized a reality show in which several young people are trying their luck, studying at home where strange phenomena were observed, comes to an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Now their task is to hold out until the morning, being locked in this building, and to film everything that is happening on camera. Perhaps this will be their last assignment, and the camera recordings will be truly shocking ...
Good mystical thriller " Astal" (2010). The family moves to a new house, which immediately begins to seem ominous to them. But parents could only understand what was happening when their son Dalton fell into a coma. It turns out that in an unconscious state, the boy enters the other world. And when he comes to himself, evil demonic forces, who have been imprisoned all this time, are trying to get into our world through his feelings ...
Mom (2013). A few years ago, under mysterious circumstances, the family disappears. When the search for parents and their two little daughters was still successful, it becomes clear that the parents did not survive, and the girls were in an abandoned cabin in the forest all this time. Concerns about the upbringing of two feral babies fall on their uncle's shoulders. Very soon, he realizes that next to the children all the time there is someone invisibly whom they call mom ....
The Spell (2013). Parents and their five daughters begin life anew in a new home. It turns out that the ghosts who live here are far from friendly to everyone: the family is not at ease from constantly occurring troubles, and the girls can behave very strangely, as if someone is possessing them. The family seeks help from psychics who, putting their lives in danger, try to help the current inhabitants of this strange house.
Good mystical thriller "Telekinesis" (2013). Ordinary high school student Carrie suffers from the despotism of a religiously fanatical mother. And at school, peers are constantly mocking the girl. But once this comes to an end: a terrible force appears in the defenseless Carrie, with the help of which she wants to get even with the offenders.
Reviews: who likes mystical thrillers?
Reviews of the above films are mostly positive. Mystical thriller is a genre that is to the taste of lovers of horror, fantasy, fairy tales, as well as detective stories, crime and historical films. Depending on the direction of the director’s thought, the mystical plot line can be inscribed in absolutely any film. Among modern viewers in the last decade, mystical films on current topics related to modern technologies are in high demand - films supposedly shot on an amateur camera by the characters of the narrative (pseudo-documentary), and paintings where something supernatural affects people through the Internet.
Happy viewing!