2022 has been an excellent year for thrillers, with the recently released Don't Worry Darling from director Olivia Wilde.
A good thriller needs to go further than character development and a strong plot, as there need to be at least a few twists, and the conclusion should be surprising as well. Redditors are sharing recommendations for the thriller movies that have made a big impression on them.
The Wailing (2016)
Stream on Tubi and Shudder
The creepy demon in best underrated movie monsters, and Redditor sonofceuta said of this movie, a "very cool Korean film that is part thriller and mystery with a little horror sprinkled in."
Jong-goo, who works for the police force, is devastated that his daughter Hyo-Jin has gone missing, and he begins searching in a village called Gokseong to find her and to solve the greater mystery at hand. People are getting killed and also getting very sick, and it's all thanks to an evil demon.
Black Swan (2010)
Stream on Prime Video and Hulu
In Black Swan, Nina Sayers dreams of being cast in Swan Lake as two sides of the same character, the sweet Odette and the darker Odile. Nina is stressed out as she's talented but she isn't able to convey both sides. When Nina meets a new dancer named Lily, the two get to know each other and it changes Nina's life for the worse. Redditor ulrikkle1994 called it their "favorite psychological thriller."
When watching Black Swan for the first time, it's hard to be sure what is really going on, and the conclusion is impossible to predict. The movie is beautifully shot and composed and gets into Nina's mind.
Copycat (1995)
Rent on AppleTV
Redditor shadownight311 called Copycat a "great thriller with the always excellent Sigourney Weaver." The actor played Dr. Helen Hudson, a brilliant academic who is an expert on serial killers. When Helen is attacked, she doesn't want to leave her house and is having a tough time with this traumatic experience.
Helen is drawn into helping investigate a killer, and the fact that she has become agoraphobic adds an extra layer here that complicates her ability to safe herself. Helen is a perfect final girl who has a complex personality, which elevates the movie.
A Simple Plan (1998)
Stream on HBO Max
A Simple Plan is one of the best 1990s crime thrillers. Redditor mprop shared a list of scary, interesting movies and said, "Don't fully if they all contain 'great' twists but these are fun" and recommended A Simple Plan.
Jacob and Hank Mitchell find a plane that has gone down and that has over $4 million. They figure out a way to get the money, along with their friend Lou Chambers, but of course, as the title suggests, nothing about this scheme is as easy as it seemed at first.
Primal Fear (1996)
Stream on Fubo and DirecTV
A good thriller goes in a direction no one thought would happen, yet still seems logical and easy to believe. Primal Fear is "great" with a "good twist."
Martin Vail is a lawyer working on a terrible case: Aaron Stampler, who is only 19 years old, has been accused of murdering Archbishop Rushman. At first, Martin thinks that Aaron is completely innocent, but as the case moves along, it twists and turns and becomes something that he never thought. This is a thriller that keeps audiences on their toes, unable to guess what's really going on.
A Simple Favor (2018)
Stream on Peacock
A Simple Favor," the 2018 thriller based on the book by Darcey Bell. Stephanie Smothers is a vlogger who shares her life as a mother, and she becomes friends with Emily Nelson, who is cool, sophisticated, and fabulous.
Stephanie thinks that she has made a great new friend, but when Emily goes missing, Stephanie looks into what happened, learning a lot of wild secrets along the way. A Simple Favor is fascinating and carefully plotted, and audiences don't know who to trust.
The Game (1997)
Rent on AppleTV
The Game tells the story of Nicholas van Orton, an investment banker who is told that he should play a game set up by Consumer Recreation Services.
Right away, this game seems strange and confusing, and Nicholas isn't sure what he should believe. The movie features a great performance from Michael Douglas in the main role, with Sean Penn playing his brother Conrad, and the film has a twist ending that is shocking but logical.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Stream on Netflix and Prime Video
The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a great thriller, and the beloved film, based on the book by Patricia Highsmith, has become known as one of the most compelling and fast-paced movies.
Matt Damon plays con man Tom Ripley, who is charming and attractive but who is always up to no good. From pretending to be Dickie Greenleaf to seducing people along his journey, Ripley is terrifying and always one step ahead of everyone who he knows. The movie is a perfect example of how to tell a riveting story about an unlikable character.
Red Eye (2005)
Stream on HBO Max
Red Eye directed by Wes Craven" as a thriller worth seeing, and the film is just as pulse-pounding today as it was when it was released in 2005. When Lisa Reisert boards a plane and meets Jackson Rippner, she thinks that they will have a pleasant conversation sitting next to each other, but he tells her that he's a terrorist.
Red Eye is one of Wes Craven's greatest movies and since the entire story takes place on a plane, it's incredibly tense and nerve-wracking. Lisa does an incredible job figuring out how to save herself from this horrible threat that she never could have anticipated.
Shutter Island (2010)
Rent on AppleTV
Shutter Island" as one of the greatest thrillers ever made, and Martin Scorsese's directing and Leonardo DiCaprio's acting make it a fan favorite.
Teddy Daniels, who is a U.S. Marshall, goes to Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island to look into one of the women there, and he finds out secrets there that he never expected. The movie has an incredibly eerie tone and a setting that audiences can't look away from.
