A thriller film is one that conveys excitement and suspense. What makes a great thriller film is the careful use of tension, deception, and energy to draw the audience along a journey that frightens as much as delights. Be it a classic by thriller master Alfred Hitchcock or a newer cerebral thriller like “Memento,” the best examples give themselves away yet still keep you on the edge of your seat. In this article, we will discover the 20 best thriller films of all time. (You can also check out our list of the most violent movies ever made.)
To determine the best thriller movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of October 2023, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
20. Touch of Evil (1958)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (101,523 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (31,261 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (79 reviews)
- Directed by: Orson Welles
After a car bomb explodes on the Mexican border, Mexican drug enforcement agent Miguel Vargas teams up with American police chief Hank Quinlan to solve the case. Soon, however, Vargas suspects Quinlan and his shady partner of trying to frame an innocent man. His attempt to stop Quinlan and company soon put him and his new wife in jeopardy.
Marked by inventive lighting and camera shots, as well as a solid cast, “Touch of Evil” is an expressionistic yet hard-boiled outing by famed director Orson Welles. Though it received mixed reviews upon its initial release, contemporary appraisals consider the film to be a pinnacle of the noir genre and one of the best thriller films of all time.
19. Jaws (1975)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (565,147 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (945,011 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (93 reviews)
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Just before Fourth of July celebrations on a bucolic New England beach, a giant shark begins attacking and killing beachgoers. In response, a motley crew consisting of a local sheriff, an old fisherman, and a marine biologist team up to find the shark and put an end to the chaos.
Though it takes place almost entirely in the bright sun, “Jaws” is a horrifying and heart-racing tale of man versus beast. It’s exhilarating, exciting, and tense, with the story still humanizing the characters enough to make you root for them. For its jaw-dropping success, the film won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound.
18. Room (2015)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (392,959 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (49,823 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (317 reviews)
- Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
The film follows a young woman and mother who has been held in captivity for seven years. While enslaved, the woman gave birth to a son, who is now five years old. When they finally get a chance to escape, the boy is allowed to experience the outside world for the first time.
“Room” is no doubt grim and harrowing at moments, but simultaneously invites the viewer to experience tenderness and small wonders. Bolstered by the spellbinding performances of both lead actress Brie Larson and her son (played by Jacob Tremblay), the film illustrates the fact that love and four walls can still make a world worth fighting for.
17. Inception (2010)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (2,171,143 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (571,783 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (361 reviews)
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Dom Cobb is a thief of the more esoteric variety. That’s because he can enter people’s dream and steal secrets from their subconscious. This has made him an ace criminal, but at the cost of everything he cares about. When Cobb gets the chance at redemption through his hardest task yet, planting an idea in someone’s brain, the stakes get higher and his life will end up in jeopardy.
“Inception” succeeds due to its dazzling, innovative visuals that are planted firmly in a plot with a compelling pace. The movie is like a chess game of the cerebral variety, and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat until the credits roll. For its achievements, “Inception” won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. (Learn more about the actors who won Academy Awards for debut roles.)
16. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (958,136 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (446,711 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (71 reviews)
- Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Six strangers with color-coded pseudonyms are hired to carry out a daring robbery. During the crime, however, the gang is ambushed by police, forcing them to shoot their way to safety. After reconvening in their safe house, the remaining criminals try to find the traitor in their midst who tipped off their heist to the police.
A cult classic and one of the early great Tarantino films, “Reservoir Dogs” shines with its whip-smart dialogue and chaotic, but compelling energy that bristles underneath every scene. Sure it’s violent, even unabashedly so, but the film works because it stays true to its own hardboiled, non-linear logic.
15. The Big Heat (1953)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (25,267 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (5,985 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (32 reviews)
- Directed by: Fritz Lang
When tasked with investigating a police officer’s apparent suicide, Detective Dave Bannion learns there is more to the story. Soon, Bannion discovers links between the death that reach up past the police, all the way to criminal kingpin Mike Lagana. After the dead police officer’s lover is killed, Bannion realizes solving this case will mark him for death and put the lives of his family in serious jeopardy.
What makes “The Big Heat” one of the best thriller films of all time is how taut, merciless, and compelling the story is. Though ostensibly a femme-fatale type plot, this film inverts the trope, making Detective Dave Bannion an unwitting agent of chaos, who’s meeting with various female characters inevitably plots their doom. For its success, “The Big Heat” is now considered a masterpiece of the hard-boiled thriller.
14. Strangers on a Train (1951)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (129,318 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (35,801 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (52 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The film follows tennis star Guy Haines, who is furious over his wife’s refusal to get a divorce. After he strikes up a conversation with a stranger, Haines unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that will lead to his wife’s death, the death of the stranger’s father, and Haines being pinned as suspect number one.
There’s no doubt that “Strangers on a Train” is one of Hitchcock’s best films and one of the best thrillers of all time. Using a classic Hitchcock setup of an innocent man falling into a malevolent web, the movie is sinister and filled with menace. Ultimately, “Strangers on a Train” uses its creeping, lurking terror to propel the story from pulp to perfection.
13. The Departed (2006)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,241,061 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (738,191 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (283 reviews)
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
The film follows South Boston cop Billy Costigan when he goes undercover to infiltrate the criminal enterprise of mob boss Frank Costello. Meanwhile, an agent named Colin Sullivan infiltrates the police department as a mole to report all activity to Costello. After both the police and mob realize they have moles in their midst, Costigan and Sullivan must figure out each others identities to save both of their lives.
It’s hard to argue with any movie that Martin Scorsese makes. “The Departed” is no exception, as the film uses its nebulous morality and gritty authenticity to spin a tale that is both a compelling thriller, classic gangster/police procedural, as well as a true American tragedy. For its success, “The Departed” won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay Writing. (Learn about movies that didn’t win any Oscars, but should have.)
12. The Usual Suspects
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,028,997 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (435,145 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (77 reviews)
- Directed by: Bryan Singer
When fast-talking criminal Verbal Kint is interrogated by the police, he explains the far reaching power of mythical crime kingpin Keyser Soze. So far in fact that Kint convinces the police that Soze not only exists, but has drawn him and his criminal partners into a big heist that ends with an explosion in San Pedro harbor and many people dead.
“The Usual Suspects” is one of the great whodunit movies, if not, one of the best thrillers of all time. It operates through smoke and mirrors, weaving layers of deceit and false confessions to create a tale that is strange, funny, compelling, and truly thrilling. For its success, “The Usual Suspects” won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay.
11. Die Hard (1988)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (820,820 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (574,298 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (79 reviews)
- Directed by: John McTiernan
For Christmas, police officer John McClane visits his estranged wife and two daughters. He then joins his wife for a holiday party at her office. Soon, however, a gang of criminals take over the building and takes hostage the entire party. As the crime proceeds, McClane realizes the only person who can save the building, his wife, and her coworkers, is himself.
One of the best thriller films of all time and a breakout role for Bruce Willis, “Die Hard” has it all. It’s funny, heart-stopping, and compelling, resulting in a film that shows how much difference one man can make if he’s willing to put his life on the line. The movie received four Academy Award nominations.
10. Vertigo (1958)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (382,223 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (102,724 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (83 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The film follows an ex-police officer who is hired to prevent an old friend’s wife from committing suicide. Nothing is as it seems, however, as the ex-police officer suffers from an intense fear of heights. Soon, he will wrestle with his personal demons as he falls for this strange, deeply-disturbed woman.
What makes “Vertigo” one of the best thrillers of all time is how it uses its dream-like logic to propel forward a story of true menace and fright. It’s a movie about people who don’t really know who they are, and its unpredictable, disturbing plot also acts as a meditation on comfort, love, and loss.
9. Memento (2000)
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,169,429 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (381,352 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (181 reviews)
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
The film follows Leonard as he attempts to track down the man responsible for raping and murdering his wife. The problem is, however, that Leonard suffers from a severe, untreatable form of memory loss. Though he can remember his life before the accident, new memories cannot form. This keeps him in the dark about his wife’s death and his involvement in it.
“Memento” is a truly puzzling, fever dream of a thriller. It uses an impeccable cast and nebulous stakes to create a compelling portrait of pain and disorientation that injects itself into the viewer. This allows the movie to function on multiple levels, placing the viewer in the headspace of Leonard to help him solve a seemingly unsolvable crime. For its success, “Memento” was nominated for two Academy Awards.
8. The Third Man (1950)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (176,811 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (54,190 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (90 reviews)
- Directed by: Carol Reed
A pulp western writer named Holly Martins arrives in Vienna, Austria to stay with a childhood friend, only to find his friend dead when he arrives. This causes Martins to develop a conspiracy about the presence of a third man at the time of his friends death, leading him down a treacherous path in solving the crime.
What makes “The Third Man” great is it is packed full of strange twists and turns, landscapes that become plot devices, and a synthesis of the strange and sinister. The film is a veritable bag of cinematic tricks, which results in a story that is exciting, entertaining, and truly thrilling. (Explore the best spy movies based on true stories.)
7. Rebecca (1940)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (131,069 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (39,605 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (94 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The film follows a young newlywed woman who travels to her husband’s family estate. Soon, however, she is in for a surprise. Not only is the massive estate imposing, but she finds herself battling the shadow of her husband’s first wife, who’s legacy still lingers in and around the building.
What makes “Rebecca” one of the best thrillers of all time is how deftly it manage all parts of movie-making. It has a brilliant cast, impeccable production, and a story that is haunting, suspenseful, and powerfully-psychological. For its success, the movie won Academy Awards for Outstanding Production and Best Cinematography – Black and White.
6. Le Samouraï (1967)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (52,470 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (10,000 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (33 reviews)
- Directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville
Professional killer Jef Costello undergoes an elaborate series of rituals before killing a nightclub owner. He succeeds, but a witness of the shooting causes him to be arrested for the crime. Soon, Costello goes from predator to prey, as he is tailed by crime bosses and police investigators alike.
There is no doubt that “Le Samouraï” is a masterpiece of filmmaking. It’s artistic and spellbinding, using its spare production and setting to deliver masterstrokes of storytelling with simple, but effective moments. The movie has a heavy atmosphere, too, and all these elements catapult it from thriller to classic. (Explore the best assassin movies of all time.)
5. Chinatown (1974)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (309,557 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (78,076 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (76 reviews)
- Directed by: Roman Polanski
LA-based private eye J.J. Gittes is hired by a woman to investigate her husband. Gittes assumes it is a routine infidelity case, but soon, however, realizes that he was hired by an imposter. This leads him into a labyrinth of intrigue, conspiracy, and crime that reach to the highest levels of Southern California power.
Inspired by the California water wars of the early 20th century, “Chinatown” succeeds on all levels. Its brilliant script provides a solid foundation for the superb acting, resulting in a film that reinvigorates the noir genre while still falling comfortably in its midst. For its across-the-board success, “Chinatown” won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
4. North by Northwest (1959)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (312,200 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (79,896 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (109 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
After ad executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent, he is ruthlessly pursued by spy Philipp Vandamm. Hunted relentlessly, Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey. On the way, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Eve, but all the while, Vandamm and his associates close in on Thornhill’s location.
Though relatively overlooked during its time, “North by Northwest” is now considered one of the greatest thriller films of all time and a model for action and suspense movies that followed. It’s tight and daring, imbuing every scene with an energy that keeps you on the edge of your seat. For its success, “North by Northwest” was nominated for three Academy Awards.
3. Psycho (1960)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (630,728 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (240,418 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (104 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Secretary Marion Crane is on the run with her boyfriend after stealing thousands of dollars from her employer. Staying on backroads and exhausted by a thunderstorm, the couple stop at a quaint motel. There, they meet the polite but neurotic proprietor, Norman Bates. He’s a fan of taxidermy, utterly devoted to his mother, and will soon make the couple’s life a living hell.
What can be said about “Psycho” that hasn’t been reinforced by its pop cultural cache? Well, for one, it’s the origin of every suspenseful character study to follow. The film is strange and menacing, with a lurking energy that will grind away at your nerves scene after scene. For its success and shocking effect, “Psycho” was nominated for four Academy Awards.
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,332,128 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (847,443 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (104 reviews)
- Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Clarice Starling is the top student at the FBI’s training academy. She such a star pupil, in fact, that she’s asked to interview notorious murder, cannibal, and eminent psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Soon, Starling gets more than she bargained for when attempting to use Lecter’s knowledge to help with an ongoing murder case.
Though a sleeper hit, “The Silence of the Lambs” quickly became considered one of the best thriller films of all times. Not only does it introduce the iconic character of Hannibal Lecter, the film is smart and atmospheric, teetering between psychological horror and police procedural while remaining uniquely compelling. For its success, “The Silence of the Lambs” won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
1. Rear Window (1954)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (465,467 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (151,019 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (122 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The film follows a news photographer confined to his apartment after an accident. During the doldrums of his recovery, he spends his time watching his neighbors through a telephoto lens and binoculars. Soon, however, his voyeurism turns menacing after he believes he’s witnessed a murder in the apartment across the way.
It should come as no surprise that the best thriller film of all time is “Rear Window.” Not only is it directed by thriller master Alfred Hitchcock, the film is spellbinding in its ability to make you feel like you’re the main character. Using careful deception and perfect staging, “Rear Window” shows the consequences of voyeurism in an incredibly entertaining and hair-raising way. (Explore the best horror movies of all time.)