Thrills, Chills, And Excitement
The American Film Institute maintains many lists of the top US films. Their list of thrillers includes some movies you might not think of when we talk about the work of thrill master Alfred Hitchcock, but you can’t deny that each of these films gets your pulse pounding!
Die Hard
Director: John McTiernan
Released: 1988
Everybody’s favorite Christmas action movie definitely serves up enough excitement to be considered a thriller. John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) one-man struggle against Hans Gruber’s (Alan Rickman) baddies is a masterpiece of one-liners and classic action sequences.
Twentieth Century, Die Hard (1988)
Notorious
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1946
The first of numerous Hitchcock films to make this list, this espionage thriller is considered one of his best works. Paranoia, suspense, and romance mingle in this post-WWII film starring screen legends Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.
Casablanca
Director: Michael Curitz
Released: 1942
As well as being considered a great thriller, Casablanca is often in the top ranks of greatest films ever made. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman sell the drama and intensity of conflict-ridden Morocco and provide some of the most iconic lines ever set to celluloid.
Warner Bros., Casablanca (1942)
Bullitt
Director: Peter Yates
Released: 1968
Bullitt is a critically acclaimed thriller focusing on a detective investigating the untimely demise of a witness. The practical effects of the time lend authenticity to the film’s action sequences, particularly a car chase that is considered to be one of the best ever filmed.
Jurassic Park
Director: Steven Spielberg
Released: 1993
It wasn’t just the relentless pace of the story that left people breathless in Jurassic Park—the jaw-dropping dinosaur special effects were unlike anything audiences had seen before. This sci-fi thriller was as close as we’d ever come to seeing what a real-life dinosaur might look like.
Universal, Jurassic Park (1993)
The Night Of The Hunter
Director: Charles Laughton
Released: 1955
A tense Robert Mitchum vehicle, based on the true story of criminal Harry Powers, The Night of the Hunter is a classic film noir. In a genre known for its suspense and paranoia, Mitchum’s performance stands out, as does director Laughton’s use of silent film techniques to enhance the creepy atmosphere.
United Artists, The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Fugitive
Director: Andrew Davis
Released: 1993
Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford kept audiences on the edge of their seat with this tale of Dr Richard Kimble, falsely accused of foul play against his wife, and of his quest to prove his innocence. The movie updated the 1960s television show for modern audiences to great acclaim.
Warner Bros., The Fugitive (1993)
Strangers On A Train
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1951
Proving that you should always be wary of chance encounters while traveling, Strangers On a Train is a tale of cross and double-cross that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Not Hitchcock’s first, nor his last, appearance on this list, and yet more proof of his mastery of this suspenseful genre.
Warner Bros., Strangers on a Train (1951)
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Director: Steven Spielberg
Released: 1977
A slow-burn science fiction thriller, Close Encounters built a creeping kind of dread throughout its run time. Glimpses of alien ships and creatures provided just enough suspense to carry audiences through to the film’s triumphant, and somewhat unexpected, finale.
Columbia, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Deer Hunter
Director: Michael Cimino
Released: 1978
A chilling psychological thriller set during the chaos of the Vietnam War, The Deer Hunter regularly places on lists of the best films ever made. Using Russian Roulette as a device to explore war and PTSD, the film features early performances from Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep.
Universal, The Deer Hunter (1978)
The Shining
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Released: 1980
A film that locks you up in a snow-bound hotel and never lets you get comfortable, thanks to stellar performances from stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Nicholson’s performance in this film is probably one of the most quoted in the history of cinema.
Warner Bros., The Shining (1980)
Fatal Attraction
Director: Adrian Lyne
Released: 1987
This suspenseful film served as a warning to men in the 1980s that straying from their marriage could have terrifying consequences. Glenn Close’s performance as an unhinged lover is epitomized by a scene involving a rabbit that few, having seen it, can forget.
Paramount, Fatal Attraction (1987)
Star Wars
Director: George Lucas
Released: 1977
What can be said about the quintessential space opera that hasn’t already been said? Almost 50 years after its initial release, this exciting, engrossing movie still converts new generations into die-hard fans.
Twentieth Century, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
The Maltese Falcon
Director: John Huston
Released: 1941
Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade pursues criminals and a jeweled statue in this classic film noir. The Maltese Falcon was one of the first films to be accepted into the Library of Congress for being historically and culturally significant.
Warner Bros., The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Titanic
Director: James Cameron
Released: 1997
A few of the films on the AFI Thriller list are based on real-life events. When we know the outcome of historical disasters such as the sinking of the Titanic, it can make a film even more thrilling, as audiences try to figure out if the main characters will survive a disaster that so many didn’t.
Double Indemnity
Director: Billy Wilder
Released: 1944
The tale of Fred MacMurray’s villainous insurance salesman is widely considered to have set the standard for the film noir genre of the 40s and 50s. The film won numerous awards and is regularly included on lists of the best movies ever made.
Paramount, Double Indemnity (1944)
Lawrence Of Arabia
Director: David Lean
Released: 1962
Based on the memoirs of TE Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia features Peter O’Toole as the titular character in his adventures in the Middle East. An epic adventure film, Lawrence’s lavish production set it well above contemporaries, and audiences responded accordingly.
Columbia, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Taxi Driver
Director: Martin Scorsese
Released: 1976
A psychological drama exploring the effect of the Vietnam War on returning veterans, Scorcese’s masterpiece was a major stepping stone in many Hollywood careers, including Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster. Though a very violent and disturbing film, it is often considered one of the best films in American cinema.
A Clockwork Orange
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Released: 1971
Notorious for its unflinching brutality, A Clockwork Orange is a tense tale of near-future teenagers gone beyond bad. Malcolm McDowell’s Alex is a monster by any stretch of the imagination, and it takes a strong stomach to witness his offenses and “rehabilitation”.
Warner Bros., A Clockwork Orange (1971)
High Noon
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Released: 1952
Westerns are not the first genre that one might think of when listing “thrillers”, but High Noon manages to create a sense of suspense by telling its story in real-time. The threat of a gang of criminals against a small-town sheriff is shared by the audience as we witness every moment of his struggle.
United Artists, High Noon (1952)
The Great Escape
Director: John Sturges
Released: 1963
Yet another thriller based on true events, this story of POWs attempting to escape their captors is non-stop suspense, action, humor, and drama. Steve McQueen’s acerbic Virgil Hilts is just one of a plethora of memorable characters in this epic drama.
United Artists, The Great Escape (1963)
Vertigo
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1958
If you’re getting tired of seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s name on this list, we don’t know what to tell you. No one does it better. James Stewart plays a detective with a severe fear of heights in another one of Hitchcock’s suspenseful nail-biters.
The Manchurian Candidate
Director: John Frankenheimer
Released: 1962
If you like a good dose of conspiracy theory in your thrillers, The Manchurian Candidate is here for you. A returning Korean War veteran is brainwashed into becoming an unwitting assassin in this political drama.
United Artists, The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Chinatown
Director: Roman Polanski
Released: 1974
This Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway film hearkens back to the golden age of Hollywood noir. Mistaken identity and old family feuds are just part of the knot that private investigator Jake Gittes must unravel in 1930s Los Angeles.
Deliverance
Director: John Boorman
Released: 1972
If any thriller helped stoke the paranoia of bumping into dangerous backwoods dwellers, it was Deliverance. Despite becoming infamous for some particularly brutal scenes, the film was accepted into the Library of Congress as representing a culturally important piece of cinema.
Warner Bros., Deliverance (1972)
Rear Window
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1954
A testament to Hitchcock’s brilliance, Rear Window is told entirely from the confines of a single room as Jimmy Stewart witnesses what he thinks may be a crime in the building across from him. Amazing direction and performances keep audiences as glued to their seats as Stewart’s wheelchair-bound protagonist.
Bonnie And Clyde
Director: Arthur Penn
Released: 1967
A fictional portrayal of real-life bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, this thriller was a watershed moment in Hollywood. The risks taken by the filmmakers paid off, and Bonnie and Clyde is considered one of the great pieces of American cinema.
Warner Bros., Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
King Kong
Director: Merian C Cooper
Released: 1933
Often remade and imitated, this is the original giant ape film and the one that shocked audiences on its release. The innovative effects were unlike anything early filmgoers had seen before. A true classic in multiple genres, King Kong paved the way for all of the special effects extravaganzas that followed.
The Godfather
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Released: 1972
The quintessential mob drama, The Godfather was a career-defining moment for its director and many of its actors. Marlon Brando’s iconic performance is just one of the aspects of this film that garners it the acclaim and respect it has commanded since its initial release.
Paramount, The Godfather (1972)
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Director: Steven Spielberg
Released: 1981
Harrison Ford, it seems, is quite a thrilling actor! This callback to 1930s pulp fiction and movie serials spawned a long-lived franchise and some truly great moments in cinema history. “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”
Lucasfilm, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Rosemary’s Baby
Director: Roman Polanski
Released: 1968
Some thrillers are for everyone. And some should never be shown to particular groups of people. Rosemary’s Baby, for example, should be avoided by people who are pregnant. This disturbing tale of cults and paranoia is not for the faint of heart or the large of belly.
Paramount, Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The French Connection
Director: William Freidkin
Released: 1971
A lauded thriller about New York detectives in pursuit of a French narcotics smuggler, Gene Hackman won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role in this film. The French Connection is another thriller that was recognized by the Library of Congress as being culturally significant.
Twentieth Century, The French Connection (1971)
The Birds
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1963
Although the effects in Hitchcock’s avian thriller are a little dated nowadays, this film still manages to convey a sense of suspense that is hard to ignore. The idea that the natural world might suddenly turn on us is a powerful one, and this film’s acclaim and longevity are a testament to that fact.
Alien
Director: Ridley Scott
Released: 1979
While no one can hear you scream in space, there were likely quite a few screams in the movie theaters when this heart-stopping science-fiction horror film was first shown. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley takes on the iconic xenomorph in one of the scariest films of the 70s.
Twentieth Century, Alien (1979)
The Silence Of The Lambs
Director: Jonathan Demme
Released: 1991
Anthony Hopkins, despite a long and acclaimed career, will forever be associated with unhinged psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter. Although Lecter isn’t the main villain of the film, it’s the uncomfortable scenes between Clarice Starling and Lecter that remain in people’s minds long after the film is finished.
Orion, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
North By Northwest
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1959
Yet another entry by Alfred Hitchcock on the top thriller list, this Cary Grant film, like many of Hitchcock’s, is considered a masterpiece of American cinema. A spy story about a man mistaken for a secret agent, North By Northwest features all the hallmarks of Hitchcock’s inimitable style.
MGM, North by Northwest (1959)
The Exorcist
Director: William Friedkin
Released: 1973
Considered at the time of its release to be one of the scariest films ever made, The Exorcist continues to raise heart rates 50 years after its release. This tale of demonic possession is one of the undisputed classics of the horror/thriller genre, thanks in large part to the unsettling performance of young Linda Blair.
Warner Bros., The Exorcist (1973)
Jaws
Director: Steven Spielberg
Released: 1975
A shark on a rampage could easily have become standard B-movie fare but in the hands of master director Spielberg, it became one of the tensest films to hit screens. The incredible John Williams provides a deceptively simple musical theme that has become synonymous with dread.
Psycho
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1960
It was always going to be Hitchcock topping this list of thrillers. No one has ever done suspense and shock in quite the same way. Filled with brilliant performances and thrilling moments, this is the film that single-handedly ruined showers for generations of viewers! Yet while that shower scene is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history, few know that Hitchcock snuck an even more disturbing shot into some versions of the film.
Toward the very end of the movie, Hitchcock spliced in a frame of Norman’s mother on top of Norman Bates’s smiling face. For a split second, he looks like an undead skull. But here’s the creepiest part: Hitchcock only put this detail in some versions of the movie. If viewers who saw this version tried to talk to friends who saw the other version, they’d seem as insane as the movie’s iconic main character.
