Thrillers & Suspense
Thriller and Suspense Films promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension.
A genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal, to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging on the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. Plots of thrillers often involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.
Below is a grand line-up of the best in contemporary Thrillers & Suspense made since 1965. Following a similar theme, with generally a darker look is the "Film Noir" feature, well worth checking out. The exploits of "James Bond 007" may also be accessed stage left.
Right: Frances McDormand makes an arrest in the Coen Bros "Fargo".
Murder by Numbers (2002)
6.1/10
Director: Barbet Schroeder
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt
In this gritty thriller from Barbet Schroeder ("Single White Female"), Sandra Bullock is a tough as nails police detective who teams with new partner... Read more
Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
5.2/10
Director: George McCowan
Starring: Robert Stack, Farrah Fawcett, George Maharis, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen, Sonny...
Combining classic '70s disaster flick with Hitchcockian suspense, this thrilling story terrified viewers when it first aired as an American TV movie.... Read more
Murder Party (2022)
5/10
Starring: Alice Pol, Eddy Mitchell, Miou-Miou
Follows Jeanne, a brilliant architect that suddenly has to investigate the murder of the landlord and patriarch of the mansion she was assigned to ren... Read more
Murder Take One (2005)
6.4/10
Director: Jin Jang
Starring: Seung-won Cha, Ha-kyun Shin, Jung-ah Park, Ji-su Kim
A crackling blend of murder mystery and deadpan satire, Jin Jang's adaptation of his own play begins with the homicide of a woman in a hotel room - a... Read more
Murderers' Row / The Silencers (1966)
Director: Phil Karlson
Starring: Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Victor Buono, Ann-Margret , James Gregory
After the success of the James Bond films, Dean Martin swung his way onto the big screen as super-cool secret agent Matt Helm in these popular lighthe... Read more
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971)
5.2/10
Director: Gordon Hessler
Starring: Adolfo Celi, Christine Kaufmann, Herbert Lom, Jason Robards, Lilli Palmer, Micha...
Jason Robards takes a rare horror role in this, Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale of mutant creatures and murderous intentions. Robards stars as Cesar Ch... Read more
Murphy's Law (1986)
5.9/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: Charles Bronson, Carrie Snodgress, Richard Romanus, Robert F Lyons
This thrilling game of hide-and-seek between a clever psychopath and a lone lawman hellbent on reaping justice stars Charles Bronson as veteran detect... Read more
Mutant Chronicles (2008)
5.2/10
Director: Simon Hunter
Starring: Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki, Sean Pertwee, John Malkovich, Benno Furman...
In the dystopian future of the 28th century, four giant corporations wage war for domination over the planet's dwindling resources. But the carnage ab... Read more
Mute Witness (1994)
6.8/10
Director: Anthony Waller
Starring: Marina Sudina, Fay Ripley, Evan Richards
A mute American F/X artist working on a low-budget slasher film in Russia witnesses her co-workers seemingly making an after-hours snuff film. She is... Read more
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
5.5/10
Director: Patrick Lussier
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe
A generous blend of gore and nudity, with a decent helping of '70s horror nostalgia thrown in, Patrick Lussier's bloodfest is not so much a remake of... Read more