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".
Payback (1999)
7.1/10
Director: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, David Paymer, Kris Kristofferson, James Co...
Based on the same Richard Stark novel ("The Hunter") that inspired 1967s "Point Blank", this stylish mob actioner stars Mel Gibson as a career crimina... Read more
Payback ( Blu-ray ) (1999)
7.1/10
Director: Brian Helgeland
Starring: David Paymer, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Mel Gibson
Based on the same Richard Stark novel ("The Hunter") that inspired 1967's "Point Blank", this stylish mob actioner stars Mel Gibson as a career crimin... Read more
Peacock (2010)
6.3/10
Director: Michael Lander
Starring: Bill Pullman, Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, Cillian Murphy, Ellen...
John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy), a quiet bank clerk living in tiny Peacock, Nebraska, prefers to live an invisible life. Then, in a moment, everything c... Read more
Pearl (2022)
7/10
Director: Ti West
Starring: Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland
In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on he... Read more
Peeping Tom (1960)
7.7/10
Director: Michael Powell
Starring: Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Brenda Bruce
Director Michael Powell's disturbing and fascinating cinema experiment in fear was denounced when first released but has gone on to become a cult clas... Read more
Peeping Tom (Blu-ray) (1960)
7.7/10
Director: Michael Powell
Starring: Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Brenda Bruce
Director Michael Powell's disturbing and fascinating cinema experiment in fear was denounced when first released but has gone on to become a cult clas... Read more
Penance (2020)
5.6/10
Starring: Julie Graham, Nico Mirallegro, Neil Morrissey, Art Malik, Wanda Ventham
The lives of grieving mother Rosalie and her daughter Maddie are changed forever when they meet Jed. A spark of hope for the future is rekindled withi... Read more
Penthouse North (2013)
6.4/10
Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton
A reclusive, blind photojournalist lives quietly in a New York penthouse, until a smooth but sadistic criminal looking for a hidden fortune enters her... Read more
Perfect Blue (1998)
7.9/10
Director: Satoshi Kon
Starring: Animated
This groundbreaking anime details the adventures of a female pop star who forgoes her music career to become an actress. After appearing in a thriller... Read more
Perfect Stranger (2007)
5.7/10
Director: James Foley
Starring: Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, Giovanni Ribisi, Richard Portnow, Gary Dourdan
Halle Berry does her best to convince as Rowena, a hard-nosed New York journalist who becomes disillusioned with the media world, but gets in over her... Read more