Summary
- Thriller films elicit heightened feelings of excitement and anticipation, regardless of the genre they are mixed with.
- The best thrillers keep audiences on the edge of their seat with plot twists and surprises, focusing on the emotional experience of viewers.
- Great thriller films like "Shutter Island" and "Get Out" leave a lasting impact on audiences with shocking twists, introspective paths, and elements of horror and satire.
From psychological horror and murder mysteries to intense crime dramas, there are tons of great thriller films for an exciting movie night. Thriller films can be mixed with almost any genre, be it horror, western, or even superhero films, to tell a story that gives its viewers heightened feelings of excitement and anticipation. A thriller is characterized by the visceral feeling it elicits in its audience, be it in a big-budget epic like The Dark Knight or a relatively small-scale film like Se7en.
A good thriller keeps its audience on the edge of their seat, constantly building up towards a climax of plot twists and surprises. The best thrillers are filled with strong writing and often have movie star casts, but the true measure of the genre is the film's ability to grip its audience. A great thriller is often more about what the audience feels than what the film is about, creating a unique experience for viewers. Here are the 10 best thrillers to watch right now, including some of the best movies of all time.
10 Shutter Island (2010)
Martin Scorsese's movies are known for eliciting strong emotions from their viewers, often keeping a fast tempo filled with incredible characters. Shutter Island is one of Scorsese's true thrillers, following Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal sent to an asylum on a remote island, in search of an escaped murderess. While in pursuit of this mystery, Daniels begins to question his own reality, an introspective path filled with shocking plot twists that will leave the audience thinking about the film for weeks.
9 Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele's directorial debut film, Get Out, is the closest to traditional horror out of the great thriller films. Starring Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, the film follows him and his girlfriend Rose as he's invited to meet her parents for the first time. What begins with seemingly uncomfortable back-and-forth conversations between Chris and Rose's family becomes something more terrifying, resulting in a visceral and gripping horror experience with plenty of twists and turns. Get Out also features some of Peele's humor, as it has elements of satire.
8 The Prestige (2006)
While the idea of two feuding magicians may seem farfetched, the combined powers of Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and Hugh Jackman pull it off, making a terrific film about obsession and revenge. The Prestige features solid performances and the excellent writing that one would expect from a Nolan film. The film's central rivalry devolves into back-and-forth scheming, resulting in jaw-dropping plot twists that continue to reward its viewers on re-watches.
7 Oldboy (2003)
A man is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years, then gets released and allowed to hunt down his jailor. By the description of the plot alone, Oldboy sounds like an incredible time. Park Chan-wook's mystery thriller is extremely brutal in both its graphic violence and its psychological twists. The film has great fight scenes, strong directing, and cinematography, as well as an unbelievable performance from Choi Min-sik.
6 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Leaning heavily into the horror side of thrillers, The Silence of the Lambs is the definitive Hannibal Lecter film, with Anthony Hopkins giving a legendary performance opposite Jodie Foster's Clarice, a top student in FBI training. The FBI believes Hannibal Lecter may be able to provide them some insight regarding an ongoing serial killer investigation, and that Clarice will be the perfect person to draw him into helping them. Silence of the Lambs becomes a thrilling and deadly game of cat and mouse between Clarice and Lecter.
5 The Departed (2006)
Martin Scorsese's The Departed is fast-paced from start to finish. Between scenes of graphic violence and profanity-filled dialogue, the Boston crime epic never stops to explain itself, keeping its steady pace until its plot twist-filled climax. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio are fantastic as the opposing stars of the film, but The Departed's greatest strength is its writing, with several great side characters, meandering narrative, and some of the most shocking moments in crime films.
4 No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Coen Brothers' neo-western film, No Country For Old Men, is a Best Picture winner about a man who stumbles upon $2 million in the aftermath of a brutal drug dealing. The thrill comes from the man hunting him for that money; the mysterious and extremely intelligent Anton Chigurh. Chigurh is the highlight of the film, played by Javier Bardem in one of the most frightening villain performances in cinema. No Country For Old Men is philosophical and complex but also features top-notch shootouts and chase sequences that get the heart pumping.
3 Parasite (2019)
Winner of the 2020 Academy Award for Best Picture, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite quickly became a massive hit for film fans. Parasite is a South Korean thriller with horror and comedy elements, following the low-income Kim family as they scheme to get jobs working for the household of a wealthy family. It turns out, there's more than what meets the eye in the house, and Kim's family facade quickly falls apart. Parasite is an extraordinarily exciting thriller and a fantastic introduction film for viewers looking to explore the great cinema of South Korea.
2 Se7en (1995)
David Fincher's filmography, which also contains films like Gone Girl and Zodiac, is filled with intense mystery thriller films. Se7en is a dark, murder mystery film following two detectives, played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, who investigate a serial killer that uses the seven deadly sins to denote his murders. Se7en is written beautifully throughout, but the Seven movie ending is a perfect, ticking clock of tension, as the film's antagonist continues to warn the audience that something is going to happen, leaving viewers in constant anticipation.
1 The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight is commonly considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever, and the reason for that is that it doesn't feel like just another superhero film. The Dark Knight is a gritty crime movie thriller with Batman as the protagonist, but the main talking point of the film has always been Heath Ledger's Joker. From the bank heist that opens the film, the Joker is terrifying, and constantly seems steps ahead of the caped crusader. Every conflict in The Dark Knight's ending is about the philosophical ideas that the Joker is trying to impose, making for massive stakes about human nature.
