Similar Film Research

Psycho (1960)

Brief summary: A Phoenix secretary steals $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

Storyline: Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam's California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel.

Reviews: “…lives up to its reputation as one of the most entertaining and suspenseful horror films of all time…” – David (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/psycho/)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Brief summary: A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Storyline: Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter, who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator, has the answers to their questions and can help locate the killer. However, Clarice must first gain Lecter's confidence before the inmate will give away any information.

Reviews: “Hopkins’ cumulative screen image is one of civility and decency, and the association adds to the withering, macabre effect of his murderer. It is a remarkably lucid portrait of lunacy” – Desmond (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_of_the_lambs/?search=the%20silence%20of%20the%20lambs)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Brief summary: A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

Storyline: Malcom Crowe is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient. This boy "sees dead people". Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy (Cole) much to the dismay of his wife. Cole's mom is at her wit's end with what to do about her son's increasing problems. Crowe is the boy's only hope.

Review: “Sayamalan’s script is a clever construct, but also contains a great deal of sensitivity to the plight of the ‘different’ child” – John (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sixth_sense/)

The Omen (1976)

Brief summary: Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the anti-christ? The devil's own so on?

Storyline: Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Great Britain, but they want more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events - and the ominous warnings of a priest - lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate.

Review: “…a slick, polished, and professional thriller that combines an intriguing mystery with periodic eruptions of bloody violence…” – Steve (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1015517-omen/)