Images

Images

Year: 1972

Runtime: 101 mins

Language: English

Director: Robert Altman

ThrillerHorrorMystery

During a holiday in Ireland, a pregnant children’s author begins to experience unsettling extra‑sensory phenomena. As her mental state unravels, she becomes increasingly paranoid, hallucinates, and sees a doppelgänger that threatens her perception of reality. The film explores the blurred line between imagination and madness, immersing the viewer in her disorienting visions and the tension between what is real and what is imagined.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Images yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Images (1972)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Images (1972). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

London, England; Irish countryside

The story mostly unfolds inside Cathryn's London home, a symbol of affluence and domestic stability under threat. The vacation cottage in the Irish countryside provides a remote, mist-filled setting where reality bleeds into vision. These spaces contrast urban enclosure with rural isolation, mirroring Cathryn's fragmented perception.

🏙️ Urban 🗺️ London 🏞️ Countryside

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:33

Main Characters – Images (1972)

Meet the key characters of Images (1972), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Cathryn (Susannah York)

Wealthy children's author whose pregnancy heightens both vulnerability and tension. She experiences escalating paranoia and vivid apparitions, blurring the line between the people around her and the figures from her past. Cathryn's perceived reality fractures under pressure, driving the plot's deadly choices.

🧠 Mind games 💔 Trust erosion 🕵️‍♀️ Susceptibility

Hugh (René Auberjonois)

Cathryn's husband, a steady, comforting presence who becomes indistinguishable from the visions that haunt her. His role shifts between real partner and spectral figure, intensifying the sense of doubt and danger in the marriage.

💞 Relationship strain 🥀 Illusory threat 🕰️ Time squeeze

René (Marcel Bozzuffi)

Cathryn's dead lover who appears as a doppelgänger, taunting her and orchestrating moments of terror. His presence stirs guilt, unresolved desire, and a haunting reminder of past betrayals.

💔 Unresolved love 👤 Doppelgänger 😨 Fear

Marcel (Hugh Millais)

Neighbor and ex-lover who visits with his daughter Susannah, bringing tension and a new danger into Cathryn's already fragile state. His presence disrupts the peace of the cottage and the home.

👤 Ex-lover 🧭 Disruption 🔪 Threat

Susannah (Cathryn Harrison)

Marcel's adolescent daughter who becomes entangled in the eerie events and foreshadows Cathryn's potential fate. Her interactions add a layer of inheritance and looming family dynamics.

🧒 Youth 🌀 Foreshadow 🕯️ Innocence under threat

The Old Man (John Morley)

A wandering neighbor who appears briefly, representing a contrast to the others’ looming menace and highlighting the randomness of encounters in Cathryn's world.

🚶‍♂️ Stranger 🕳️ Ambiguity 🗝️ Threshold

Voice On Telephone (Barbara Baxley)

Uncredited voice that unsettles Cathryn with taunting calls, introducing a disturbing external threat that invades her home. The voice operates as a manipulative force behind the scenes.

🎭 Interruption 🗣️ Haunting voice 🔊 Threat

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:33

Major Themes – Images (1972)

Explore the central themes of Images (1972), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🪞 Doppelgängers

Cathryn's world fractures as she encounters multiple versions of the men in her life—Hugh, René, Marcel—who seem to shift in and out of reality. The doppelgänger motif destabilizes identity and blurs the line between memory, desire, and fear. The house and landscapes become mirrors that reflect and distort Cathryn's sense of self.

🧠 Reality vs Illusion

Visions and taunting voices invade Cathryn's senses, turning ordinary events into hallucinatory threats. The narrative relies on unreliable perception to question what is real, what is imagined, and what the truth might be. The audience is kept guessing until the climactic reveal about what truly happened.

🔪 Violence & Guilt

The murders and near-murders force Cathryn to confront the consequences of fear and desire. Her actions, whether real or imagined, expose a psyche pushed to the edge by isolation, pregnancy, and disintegration of trust. The film builds a sense of guilt through ambiguous culpability and the collapse of domestic safety.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:33

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Psychological Thrillers with Unreliable Narrators Like Images

Psychological thrillers where the protagonist's grip on reality is the central mystery.For viewers who enjoyed the ambiguous reality of Images, this list features movies like it where the protagonist's sanity is in question. These similar psychological thrillers explore themes of mental illness and paranoia, creating a disorienting experience. If you liked questioning what was real in Images, you'll find more unsettling stories here.

unreliable narratordisorientingparanoidpsychologicalambiguousunsettlingclaustrophobic

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread are typically told from the perspective of a character whose mental state is fragile or actively breaking down. The narrative structure mirrors their confusion, presenting events that may be real, imagined, or a distorted combination of both. The central conflict is often internal, as the character struggles to discern truth from delusion while the audience shares in their uncertainty.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared commitment to an unreliable point-of-view. They create a cohesive, paranoid atmosphere by limiting the audience's knowledge to the protagonist's skewed perspective, resulting in a similar feeling of psychological unease and narrative ambiguity.

Slow Burn Psychological Horror Movies Like Images

Atmospheric films where tension builds gradually through psychological unease.If you liked the slow-building tension and claustrophobic atmosphere of Images, this collection features similar slow burn thrillers and horror films. These movies like Images use a deliberate pace to create profound psychological dread and unsettling moods. Fans of atmospheric, character-driven horror will find more recommendations here.

slow burnclaustrophobicatmosphericdreadpsychologicalunsettlingtenseisolated

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a gradual, almost imperceptible, escalation of threat. The story unfolds patiently, focusing on the internal state of a character as their environment or mind becomes increasingly hostile. The horror or thriller elements are derived from sustained atmospheric pressure and psychological unraveling rather than frequent jump scares or events.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific mix of slow pacing, high psychological intensity, and a dark, claustrophobic tone. This combination creates a uniquely stressful and immersive viewing experience defined by a pervasive sense of dread that creeps in rather than shocks.

Unlock the Full Story of Images

Don't stop at just watching — explore Images in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Images is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Images Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Images, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Images Summary

Images Timeline

Track the full timeline of Images with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Images Timeline

Images Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Images that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Images Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Images

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Images: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Images

Similar Movies to Images

Discover movies like Images that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.