Get Yer Thrills: The Top 10 Thriller Movies of All Time

When spooky season rolls around, many people naturally turn to horror movies, eager to immerse themselves in terrifying, blood-curdling fright as Halloween approaches. But if you’re squeamish, scared, or just turned off by guts and gore, there are still ways to dive into creepy, seasonally appropriate cinema without making you eternally afraid of all guys named Jason or Freddy.

With thrillers, you can get all the spine-chilling action of a horror movie without all of the chainsaws. (You might get a few axes, but more on that later.) In the best thrillers, the biggest scares come from existential crises set to ominous scores, and in the feeling that you really can never truly know what’s just around the corner.

With all that in mind and spooky season just around the corner, here are the 10 thrillers we think are the absolute best.

10. “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023)

A relatively recent Oscar-winning drama, “Anatomy of a Fall” follows the investigation of a novelist (Sandra Hüller) accused of murdering her husband (Samuel Theis). She says his fall from a mountainside chalet was an accident, but as the case and film unfold, more and more comes to light about the cracks in their marriage, from petty jealousies to outright resentment. As the couple’s 11-year-old son struggles with doubt about his mother’s innocence, the trial rolls on and, while a verdict is delivered at the end of the movie, don’t expect to come away with a clear sense of what happened. Instead, you’ll be left wondering if we can ever really know anyone — family members, best friends, and acquaintances all included.

9. “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

Even if you haven’t seen “The Silence of the Lambs,” you know something about it. It could be some of the creepy lines delivered by cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) or maybe some of the peril endured by Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling as a young FBI trainee trying to track down the infamous serial killer “Buffalo Bill.” “The Silence of the Lambs” endures for a reason: It’s an exceptional film. It’s the most successful thriller in Oscar history, winning awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and it’s since sparked several sequels and prequels. Pair it with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

8. “The Shining” (1980)

You can’t talk about quintessential thrillers without talking about “The Shining.” Though it’s often lumped into the horror genre, this adaptation of a 1977 Stephen King novel has plenty of thrilling elements, from tense interpersonal relationships, eerie glimpses of liminal space, and all kinds of psychological turmoil. Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall deliver all-time performances, and the film’s score is so iconic you’ll be hearing it everywhere for years to come. While we can’t say we’d suggest watching “The Shining” before heading off to any isolated mountain resorts, cozying up with the movie on a crisp fall evening could leave you feeling more than just a weather-related chill.

7. “Psycho” (1960)

Another absolute classic, “Psycho” comes from the twisted mind of Alfred Hitchcock. Director of more than a few all-time thrillers, Hitchcock cast Janet Leigh as Marion Crane for “Psycho,” tasking her with playing a young woman on the run after turning against her boss. Making a stop at the terrifying Bates Motel as she flees, Crane encounters Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates who has, shall we say, a “complicated” relationship with his mother. While there is a little gore in “Psycho” — what with the classic shower scene we’ve all seen spoofed countless times over the past six or so decades — it’s the spooky stuff you don’t see that really makes “Psycho” a classic of the genre.

6. “Uncut Gems” (2019)

Think you know Adam Sandler from his work in “Happy Gilmore,” “Billy Madison,” and “The Wedding Singer”? Think again. As Howard in this modern classic from Josh and Benny Safdie, Sandler is cast as a jewelry store owner imperiled by a precarious mountain of gambling debts. When he gets his hands on a rare opal, he thinks he can turn things around—only to discover that he might be in deeper than he ever really understood. Tense, propulsive, and absolutely relentless, “Uncut Gems” will have you perched on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

5. “Gone Girl” (2014)

Another look inside a marriage gone truly sideways, “Gone Girl” is a twisted David Fincher adaptation of a popular book by Gillian Flynn. Starring Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne, a man accused of murdering his wife (Rosamund Pike) after she mysteriously disappears, “Gone Girl” is so full of surprising twists and turns that it’s best approached with little knowledge of the plot, if possible. There’s a devious treasure hunt, some surprisingly delightful side players (Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry), and, ultimately, a thrilling comeuppance. Be prepared to be uncomfortable.

4. “American Psycho” (2000)

Remember those aforementioned axes? In “American Psycho,” Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a dapper and successful serial killer with a penchant for chopping up people he believes have done him wrong. An adaptation of an equally thrilling Bret Easton Ellis novel, “American Psycho” is fun and campy at times—set in the ’80s amidst investment bankers, cocaine, and some bizarrely important business cards—but it’s also equal parts hair-raising and spellbinding. You won’t come away liking Bateman, per se, but thanks to Bale’s electrifying performance, you won’t really abhor him either.

3. “Black Swan” (2010)

Another genre-bending thriller, “Black Swan” stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as rival ballet dancers competing for the leading role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. As Portman’s character, Nina, delves deeper and deeper into her obsession with absolute perfection, she starts to lose her grip on reality and descends deeper into myopic madness. While some on-screen moments veer dangerously close to body horror, “Black Swan” is more about mental chills than it is gory thrills.

2. “Zodiac” (2007)

Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Jake Gyllenhaal topline “Zodiac,” David Fincher’s true crime adaptation about the search for the real-life Zodiac killer. Set in San Francisco in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, the movie follows the police and local reporters as they try to make sense of clues left by the killer, including bloody clothing and increasingly cryptic letters. If you’re a fan of the true crime genre — and who isn’t by now? — then “Zodiac” is an absolute must-watch. You’ll think you know who did it, but with a post-film epilogue casting doubt on the killer’s true identity, you may come away second-guessing whether you really know anything at all.

1. “Seven” (1995)

If you’ve ever said “What’s in the box” with any sort of suspicious inflection or tone, thank “Seven.” A gruesome jaunt through a fictional killing spree inspired by the seven deadly sins, “Seven” stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of hard-grinding detectives forced into an awful, exhilarating race against time. (Spoiler alert: There isn’t a happy ending.) With another stellar directing turn from David Fincher, production design that’s second to none, and a pair of leads working at the peak of their acting prowess, “Seven” not only stands above so many movies that came before its release: It’s also set the bar for all other thrillers since.