That said, I’m struggling to see how some of these are mindjobs. The Matrix? I mean, for NEO it is, but for the viewer? Wasn’t really hard to follow imo.

Seven? A shocking ending, but not so much for being a mindjob.

Pan’s Labyrinth? I love that movie to death, and an interesting discussion could be had about whether the fantasy aspects are real or not, but a mindjob? Seems a stretch.

Fight Club is on here twice. Is it double trouble? Quite the twist at the time, for sure, which turned the whole movie upside down. Kinda in the vein of Usual Suspects or Sixth Sense in that way, that the movie itself didn’t mindjob you until you realized your perceptions of what was happening were all wrong.

I would throw in 1408 and Mulholland Drive. What about tv shows? Lost, Fringe, Westworld, Dark (obviously, I already commented on it), Castle Rock, The Magicians, Twin Peaks, Hannibal, various Black Mirror episodes…

A lot of good ones here too, from Eternal Sunshine to Donnie Darko to Shutter Island, Arrival, Dark City, Stay… Inception multiples times… Well, I might have a few more to watch.

*Duplicated comment since the first one isn’t showing*

where can i watch it?

I vaguely remembered the ending, but in watching it this time I very clearly interpreted it as either she was being punished to go through the loop repeatedly for how she treated her son. Like she was either actually dead and this was her punishment OR she’s like crazy and punishing herself within her own head.

So basically I agreed with your final theory from your post on triangle. Anyway this “genre” of “mind F” movies or whatever you want to call it, has always been a favorite of mind. I used to spend hours 7-10 years ago trolling around the IMDB forums finding lists such as this, and asking for recommendations lol. (RIP IMDB forums) I’ve seen probably 85% of the movies you have listed here. And of the movies listed here that I’ve seen, probably close to 70% of them I would say are one of my “favorite movies” lol. Here would be my notes for your list, firstly Corrections:

You have both Fight Club and Circle listed twice on the list.
You have inception listed 3 times. (lol)
You have Arrival listed as “The Arrival”, just a small change there.

Additions I Would make:
The Discovery
Killing of a Sacred Deer
Hereditary
Trance (Didn’t care for this much but it fits the list)
Vivarium
Time Lapse (not the greatest “time loop/travel” but fits list)
Source Code
Fermats Room
Moon
Enemy
Pi
A Bothersome Man
La Moustache ( This and a bothersome man for me both almost fall into the category of just being “weird” rather than pure “mind F’s” not sure I would include them)
The Guest (borderline whether or not I would include this in this “genre”)

Lastly just my opinion but I would remove a few that I wouldn’t exactly call “mind f” movies, even though I like some of these:

Inception: The story is actually fairly linear imo (maybe I’m just trying to seem smart lol)
The Invitation: I really liked this movie just as a horror/thriller, but was surprised to see it on the list. What about it was “Mind F” worthy?

Blade Runner: Also a pretty linear story IMO, maybe some debate as to whether or not he’s a replicant. But I wouldn’t exactly call that worthy of this list. (again, this is a movie I really liked)

Pandorum/MatchStick Men: Two movies I’m a big fan of, but I would say these just more have a twist ending that it really being a mind F. By including movies like this, I think you’re open to including stuff like the Ocean’s 11 movies, where we thought one thing was happening and it was actually something else. And I don’t think anyone would call those movie mind F’s lol.

The Ring: A bit of a surprise/twist ending and story. But for me it doesn’t fit with the rest. I’d put something like The Shining on this list before I would put the Ring on here. And I’m not sure I would include the Shining in this list.

Anyway, your list is probably one of the most comprehensive lists of this type of movie I have come across. I have a few movies added to my watchlist after reading this! Thanks for making it and I hope you update it again soon! Keep up the good work!

Below are movies that made me think, made me pay attention and made me want to watch over and over again. Some date me, but they still hold up today.

Time Bandits (fave of all time after City of Lost Children)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
The Devil’s Backbone
Titus
Eve’s Bayou
City of God (2002)
Sunshine
Doubt
Never Let Me Go
Miss Sloane
Red Road (2006)
The Sinner (series)
Run Lola Run
Tape (2001) Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke are excellent in this closed box film)
12 Angry Men (because it is fantastic and true and relevant to our current social climate) both versions

If you have the patience to watch a very slooooow, beautiful, and deep movie, watch Tarkovsky’s Stalker. If you liked it, watch his Mirror and The Sacrifice.

More good, mindbending movies: Brazil (1985), City of Lost Children (1995), The Game (1997), Southland Tales, The Truman Show, Unbreakable, Videodrome (1983), Zardoz (1974)

I strongly second the recommendations of Primer, Abre Los Ojos, Blade Runner, Fight Club, Memento Requiem for a Dream, Moon, Mulholland Dr, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and The Rapture. Triangle, Dark City, Inception, The Prestige, Predestination, the first 2 seasons of Lost, 12 Monkeys, Jacob’s Ladder, Source Code, The Butterfly Effect, the original version of Total Recall, Blue Velvet, and The Matrix were also good.

I wasn’t a fan of Oldboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, or Time Crimes, and think they’re overrated. I hated: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Usual Suspects, The Lobster, Seven, Existenz, Adaptation, Melancholia, Mr Nobody, Funny Games, and Being John Malkovich. Donnie Darko was ok (but Southland Tales was way better).

Watch Irreversible instead.

Awake
Gone girl
Before I go to sleep
What lies beneath
Enemy of the state
Gerald’s Game
Prisoners
Focus
Fracture
Double Jeopardy
Nocturnal Animals
Searching
Out of Time
Limitless
Ransom

Awake
Gone girl
Before I go to sleep
What lies beneath
Enemy of the state
Gerald’s Game
Prisoners
Focus
Fracture
Double Jeopardy
Nocturnal Animals
Searching
Out of Time
Limitless
Ransom