10 Best Thriller Movies of All Time

10º – Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)

A serial killer appears terrorizing an American city with several victims, always having as a source of inspiration for their crimes the capital sins. Two detectives are tasked with discovering the identity of the killer, initiating a complex investigation. ‘Se7en’ makes use of a cold cinematography and an exhibition of irreplaceable plans to give dynamicity to the beautiful history, counting on one of the most emblematic endings of the seventh art.

9º – Insomnia (Christopher Nolan, 2002)

Two detectives investigate a murder of a young woman in a small US town. Here, Al Pacino plays one of the detectives investigating the case. The actor delivers a high quality performance, knowing how to handle and transmit to the viewer the psychological conflicts that end up appearing throughout the plot in the character. A great thriller.

8º – Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015)

A great investigation promises to make explicit in the social environment a frightening situation involving priests and possible abuses. ‘Spotlight’ walks among the genres of biography and suspense, always cherishing the full exposure of a concise story, working with an extremely controversial subject.

7º – Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

Based on real-life events, the film tells the story of an investigation over the years of a serial killer titled “Zodiac” that attacked its victims between the 1960s and 1970s. Irritable, ‘Zodiac’ is a lesson in how to do it suspense, with a plot that gains all its dynamicity with small events and conceptually little relevant to the core of the investigation. A true masterpiece by David Fincher.

6º – Memories of Murder (Joon-ho Bong, 2003)

Focused on a small South Korean province in 1986, the film develops its plot about the emergence of several bodies of brutally murdered women in different places, unleashing the idea that a serial killer round the place. ‘Memories of Murder’ is one of the best Korean films of all time and one of the best thrillers ever made.

5º – Prisoners (Denis Villeneuve, 2013)

Two small children disappear without trace, putting their families in a state of complete paranoia. As the police investigation cools, the parents of the children will decide to pursue a private investigation that will endanger them. ‘Prisoners’ has a cool atmosphere for the unleashing of his scenes, with a thrilling story that draws at the same time it disturbs the viewer. One of the great thriller movies of this century.

4º – The Stranger (Orson Welles, 1946)

A war crimes investigator travels to a small town behind a supposedly hidden Nazi. Directed and starring Orson Welles, with the presence of the great Edward G. Robinson, ‘The Stranger’ raises an atmosphere of mystery and suspicion that carries the great plot of the film.

3º – The Chaser (Hong-jin Na, 2008)

After several prostitutes began to disappear without a trace, a pimp begins a hunt behind the women thinking, initially, that they were running away from him. However, as we advance on the plot, man begins to realize that the disappearance of women hides much more sinister resolutions. ‘The Chaser’ is one of the busiest thriller films of the 21st century. Every minute of the film works by sending an adrenaline about the footsteps of the central characters of the story, without ever losing the substance of a good investigative thriller.

2º – The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)

An FBI rookie has to call for the help of a serial killer cloistered in a psychiatric hospital to capture another ruthless and lethal killer. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ is the greatest thriller ever made. Irresistible in all its ramifications, the work remains current even more than two decades after its launch.

1º – Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986)

Based on the Thomas Harris novel, this film features Will Graham’s quest for a terrible serial killer that is decimating entire families. ‘Manhunter’ is the best film based on the saga of Harris after ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. The decision to dose suspense and a little action results in a perfect match, which works by enchanting and scare the viewer with each scene overcome.