From Collider · Thomas Butt · · 1m 30s
10 Thriller Films That Are Perfect From Start to Finish
10 films that deliver relentless tension from opening credits to final shot.
In brief
10 films that deliver relentless tension from opening credits to final shot. These 10 thrillers showcase perfect pacing, character depth, and unrelenting suspense throughout their runs. Originally reported by Collider.
Seven (1995)
David Fincher's 1995 thriller stars Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as detectives solving murders based on the Seven Deadly Sins.
“The unforgettable climactic twist will always be devastating”
Sorcerer (1977)
William Friedkin's 1977 thriller follows four criminals delivering volatile chemicals across South America.
“What was once a box office bomb clouded by the concurrent release of Star Wars”
Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher's 2007 film follows a crime reporter, police inspectors, and a cartoonist investigating the Zodiac killer.
“Zodiac expands upon the formula cemented by Seven by framing this historical story not about the elusive killer”
M (1931)
Fritz Lang's 1931 German Expressionist film follows a child predator terrorizing a neighborhood.
“Without M, Lang's spellbinding film about a serial killer terrorizing a german neighborhood”
The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 thriller follows a surveillance expert entangled in a sinister plot involving a married couple.
“Starring gene hackman at his best, coppola's conspiracy thriller about a surveillance expert”
Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 thriller follows a photographer observing neighbors through his apartment window.
“Only hitchcock could make people-watching as exciting and suspenseful as a bank heist”
Blow Out (1981)
Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller follows a sound artist who records evidence of a political assassination.
“For a while, blow out was the kind of movie that needed to be recommended by a highbrow film buff”
High and Low (1963)
Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film follows a wealthy businessman facing a ransom dilemma after his chauffeur's son is kidnapped.
“High and low is a thrilling yet heart-wrenching film that forces the viewer to consider what exactly they would do”
Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg's 1975 thriller follows a shark hunter battling a massive shark in the ocean.
“If the shark on the set of jaws had worked, legend says that we'd never know the steven spielberg we know today”
Vertigo (1958)
Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 thriller follows a private investigator obsessed with a woman he believes is his client's wife.
“On paper, vertigo is a rudimentary story of a private investigator, scottie ferguson following the movements of an aloof woman”
The takeaway
These 10 thrillers showcase perfect pacing, character depth, and unrelenting suspense throughout their runs.
