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40 Best Thriller Movies If You’re All About That Suspense

Thrillers that make you want to double check the front door is locked.

By , and Jessica Edwards
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Thriller movies are reserved for the most fearless of movie fanatics.

Rather than the blood and gore of many horror films, thrillers are full of conflict, unexpected twists and tensions that have you on the edge of your seats. Better yet, the anxiety, terror and uncertainty inflicted on a viewer by thrillers can force them to question themselves, their close ones and even their own reality.

From the 2010 Oscar-winning film Black Swan to all new 2024 releases including Damsel which sees Millie Bobby Brown star as a princess forced to defend herself against a fire-breathing dragon and Lady Gaga Folie À Deux, a musical sequel to 2019 film Joker, there's a range of plot lines to keep you hooked.

That’s why we’ve rounded up a list of the best thriller movies to watch that are sure to have you biting your nails throughout.

1

Miller's Girl

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Jenna Ortega stars as Cairo Sweet, a young 18-year-old woman who schemes to have an affair with her much older teacher, Jonathan Muller (played by Martin Freeman) with the hopes of finally finding an interesting story for her university application.

Filled with tension, Miller's Girl examines the boundaries between student and teacher and the consequences of challenging power dynamics.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME

2

Road House

A remake of the 1989 movie starring Patrick Swayze, things are not all as they seem in this action thriller which sees Ryan Gyllenhaal play a UFC fighter who ends working as a bouncer in an up in an unusual rough-and-tumble roadhouse in Florida.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME

3

Saltburn (2023)

It's the film of the moment that everybody's loving to hate, but if Emerald Fennell's second film, Saltburn, which takes inspiration from Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, then mark it as one to watch - if not for that naked Sophie Ellis-Bextor soundtracked dance scene.

The film tells the story of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who befriends the beautiful, wealthy and aristocractic Felix Catton while studying at Oxford. When Catton invites Quick to his family's estate, deftly named Saltburn, things quickly start to unravel for Quick and the circle of people he's elbowed his way to the heart of.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME

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4

Foe (2023)

Set in a near-future world that has been baked by a climate apocalypse, Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior's family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger shows up at their door with a startling proposal.

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5

Fair Play

Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor stars in this moody thriller which follows the slow but sinister unraveling of a couple's relationship when Emily, played by Dynevor, receives an unexpected promotion at a hedge fund company instead of her boyfriend (Alden Ehrenreich).

The premise of the film spotlights themes of love, ambition, feminism and jealousy and the dynamics of power imbalances in modern day heterosexual relationships.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

6

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)

Charlie Kaufman, the 2005 winner of the the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the brains behind one of Netflix’s most underrated thrillers.

Starring Jessie Buckley as Lucy, a young woman thinking about ending her relationship with her boyfriend Jake, played by Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things proves that nothing is ever really as it seems as the pair visit his parents on their secluded farm.

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7

Before I Wake (2016)

When foster parents Mark and Jessie, played by Jacob Tremblay and Kate Bosworth respectively, welcome eight-year-old Cody into their home, they’re unsurprised to learn that he’s terrified to fall asleep. They assume it’s like any natural fear that a child has of falling asleep, until suddenly their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room. The couple quickly learns that both Cody’s dreams and his nightmares can become real — and so begins their journey to uncover the truth behind his unusual ability.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

8

The Good Nurse (2022)

While battling a serious health condition, overstretched ICU nurse and mum Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) uncovers one of the most sinister serial killers of all time, Charles Cullen, in this unnerving mystery drama.

The film is based on the true story of Cullen, who, between the 1990s and 2000s, killed at least 29 people while being employed as a nurse, although authorities believe that number to be closer to 400.

While Loughren's new colleague (Cullen) appears selfless and a huge help to her at first, unexplained deaths lead the silent killer to his fate.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

9

Fall (2022)

Courage and strength come at a cost when two adventure-seeking friends fight for survival from 2,000 feet high in this gripping tale, starring Shazam!'s Grace Fulton and Halloween's Virginia Gardner.

It depicts emotionally fragile rock climber Becky almost a year after a life-altering accident scarred her for life. She hesitantly decides to join her friend on a risky climbing mission to reach the top of the forsaken B67 TV tower in the middle of the Mojave desert.

But, when the duo's daring move doesn't go according to plan, their chances of coming down alive get slimmer by the minute.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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10

The Clovehitch Killer (2018)

The Clovehitch Killer is inspired by the harrowing events caused by 'BTK Killer' Dennis Rader, who murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991. The cases remained unsolved until 2005 when he unwittingly disclosed his identity to law enforcement. In the movie, we see a teenager's perfect family - or so it would seem - ripped apart by the distressing reality of a serial killer lurking much too close to home.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

11

Get Out (2017)

This thriller earned Jordan Peele an Oscar for 'Best Original Screenplay'. Tackling prevalent issues, it centres around interracial couple Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose Armitage (Girls' Allison Williams). They visit her upstate family home, where her loved ones are overly accommodating, before increasingly shocking and unsettling revelations set alarm bells ringing.

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12

Scarface (1983)

Starring Oscar-winning Al Pacino, this classic follows a resilient Cuban-born criminal who acquires control of a drug cartel and surrenders to greed. The result? A life of compulsion, mania and cruelty, leading to menacing consequences.

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13

The Occupant (2020)

This Spanish thriller sees an unemployed advertising executive stalking the new tenants of his former home, which he can no longer afford to live in. His motives towards the new occupants turn sinister, and he torments the family, after downsizing his family from luxury living to a small apartment.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

14

Dressed To Kill (1980)

When a high-class prostitute accidentally witnesses a mysterious woman brutally murder a housewife, she finds herself in the midst of a very dangerous game – and the killer's new target. This New York City-based thriller is a distinctly Hitchcock-inspired classic that's filled with nail-biting suspense and some seriously stylish scenes to boot

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15

The Devil All The Time (2020)

Starring Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, this thriller sees menacing characters come across a young man committed to protecting his loved ones in a small town post World War II. Corruption and turbulence are at the core of this film, taking its viewers on one hell of a bumpy ride.

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16

The Voyeurs (2021)

A young couple become obsessed with the sex lives of their neighbours who live opposite to them. They constantly peer through their window and fixate themselves on the pair's love life, before a range of incidents lead to a dark outcome.

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17

Woman In The Window (2021)

Amy Adams plays agoraphobic Dr. Anna Fox in this film and boy does she give a scene-stealing performance. Living alone in her large Manhattan house, Anna's life is turned upside down even further when she witnesses something from her window while spying on the new family who have moved in over the road. But, did she really see what she thinks she saw? Watch to find out.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

18

Run (2020)

Run is a spine-tingling thriller which explores the relationship between a teenager (Kiera Allen) and her overprotective mother (Sarah Paulson) who locks her away from the outside world. However, the teen soon starts to question why her mother is so hellbent on keeping her isolated and starts to investigate into her mother's web of dark secrets.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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19

The Revenant (2015)

The acting, combined with the location, combined with the soundtrack of consistent, building drumming that essentially runs through the entirety of this film means that you literally feel your heart is beating in time with the film. Suspense is an understatement when it comes to this 2015 film which saw Leonardo Dicaprio finally win a Best Actor Oscar.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

20

Panic Room (2002)

See a young Jodie Foster and an even younger Kristen Stewart play a mother and daughter who move into a home which features an actual panic room. On one terrifying night they are forced to take refuge in the panic room, when three men (led by Forrest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam and Jared Leto) storm their home.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more. 

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Naomi May
Acting News Editor

Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. 

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