10 Darkest Thrillers, Ranked

Thriller movies are the cinematic equivalent of roller-coaster rides. Fascinating and adaptable, the genre isn’t constrained to any specific type, either. Whether horror, action, drama or mystery, thrillers have remained an applicable and reliable form of entertainment since the beginning. A good thriller raises heartbeats, builds suspense and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

Thrillers are only as effective as the feelings they provoke, and dark thrillers double down on this sentiment by introducing a heightened atmosphere, ratcheting tension through tone and complex narratives driven by intense emotion. The following is a selection of movies that embrace some of the darkest aspects of human nature and are all the more thrilling for it, delivering challenging but ultimately rewarding film experiences.

10 ‘Caché’ (2005)

Directed by Michael Haneke

Georges (Daniel Auteuil), a TV literary reviewer, his wife Ann (Juliette Binoche), and their young son, Pierrot, live a relatively quiet life in their modest French townhome. Their tranquility is disturbed when they begin to receive voyeuristic videotapes capturing their house and the family, accompanied by creepy childlike drawings. As the unwanted communication continues, the stakes grow higher as a dark history begins to unravel.

From legendary Austrian director Michael Haneke, Caché is a thriller/mystery that takes the time to unnerve and build suspense. While the narrative takes some dark turns in the later stages, a lingering sense of dread and paranoia is already present in the movie very early on. Like the best entries of the genre, Caché is allowed the time to simmer before the climactic boiling-over point is reached.

Caché

Release Date

February 17, 2006

Cast

Daniel Auteuil , Juliette Binoche , Maurice Bénichou , Annie Girardot , Bernard Le Coq , Walid Afkir

Runtime

117 minutes

9 ‘Wind River’ (2017)

Directed by Taylor Sheridan

When Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) discovers the body of a missing Native American girl on a Wyoming reservation, all signs point to homicide. Joined by FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), Lambert and the reservation’s extremely limited police force are tasked with solving the murder, the circumstances of which grow increasingly grim.

Dark thrillers often take place in hostile environments, and Wind River is no exception. The dangers of the Wyoming wilderness are captured with an authenticity that reflects the tone of the narrative. Wind River is a story that draws inspiration from real-life tragedies — the result is a movie that can be incredibly disturbing and harsh but necessary. It means to provoke and unsettle, offering a deep look into everyday tragedies.

Wind River

Release Date

August 18, 2017

Runtime

107 minutes

8 ‘Green Room’ (2015)

Directed by Jeremy Saulnier

A traveling punk rock band headlined by Pat (Anton Yelchin) accepts a gig at a secluded Pacific Northwest dive bar. After the band witnesses a crime taking place on the property, the primarily skinhead clientele and the bar’s ruthless owner (Patrick Stewart) are not keen on letting them walk away.

Vicious, brutal and relentlessly paced, Green Room is a white-knuckle thriller that masterfully establishes a hostile atmosphere. The grimy, graffiti-laden dive bar can best be described as an industrial punk coliseum where violence is the only way to survive. Green Room is exceptionally violent but never gratuitous; the intelligently constructed thrills and grounded nature of the story make for an incredibly engaging watch.

Green Room

Release Date

April 15, 2016

Runtime

94

Writers

Jeremy Saulnier

7 ‘Oldboy’ (2003)

Directed by Park Chan-Wook

After being kidnapped and held prisoner for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik) is suddenly released. An unstoppable force of revenge, Oh Dae-Su seeks answers by any means necessary. Unfortunately for him, his true suffering has yet to come as a bleak, twisted tale is spun.

A timeless classic of many genres, Oldboy thrills just as often as it intrigues. The central mystery is compelling, accompanied by fantastic action sequences and flashes of dark comedy. Oldboy holds its cards close to its chest for a considerable portion of the runtime, and the payoff is nothing short of stomach-churning. Oldboy is a beast of a movie that doesn’t play by the rules and would never dream of doing so.

Oldboy (2003)

Release Date

November 21, 2003

Cast

Choi Min-sik , Yoo Ji-tae , Kang Hye-jung

Runtime

120 minutes

Writers

Garon Tsuchiya , Nobuaki Minegishi , Park Chan-wook

6 ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

Directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

After happening upon a drug exchange gone wrong, unassuming war veteran Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) steals a satchel containing $2 million in cash. Hired to pursue Llewelyn and retrieve the money is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a psychopathic and ruthlessly effective killer. As the distance between them closes, the body count rises.

No Country for Old Men is a contemplative and subversive thriller. Dark, gritty and completely void of fluff, this brutal and unapologetic movie operates on a different level than most. No Country for Old Men builds suspense in a familiar fashion but provides an unconventional yet thematically fitting payoff for most of its threads. The matter-of-fact approach to violence is disquieting and works to communicate a setting where no characters are safe, no matter their significance to the plot.

No Country for Old Men

Release Date

November 8, 2007

Runtime

122 Minutes

Writers

Joel Coen , Ethan Coen , Cormac McCarthy

5 ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Directed by Dan Gilroy

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a desperate, slick-talking young man who’s okay with making a dishonest living. When he discovers the L.A. crime journalism scene, Lou purchases a video camera and is quick to earn the attention of major news outlets. Soon, this young would-be upstart proves dangerously ambitious, willing to do just about anything for the perfect shot.

Nightcrawler features a phenomenal lead performance from Jake Gyllenhaal while offering a fascinating, thoroughly engaging social commentary. Lou’s obsession with being the best at what he does (and building an empire from it) leads to an unsettling transformation and dark story developments that strengthen the film’s strong condemnation of media and the ruthlessness of the 24-hour news cycle. Nightcrawler is a gripping and confidently made thriller that is anything but predictable.

Nightcrawler

Release Date

October 31, 2014

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Papajohn , Marco Rodríguez , Bill Paxton , James Huang , Kent Shocknek , Rene Russo

Runtime

117 minutes

Writers

Dan Gilroy

4 ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)

Directed by David Fincher

Investigative journalist Michael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by an elderly industrial tycoon to investigate the 20-year-old unsolved murder of his niece. Allowed a research assistant, Blomkvist is joined by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a technically gifted and anti-social computer hacker. The deeper they dig, the more sinister the findings.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is as bleak and uninviting as thrillers come. Director David Fincher has a penchant for the dreary, and this movie is as icy as its snow-capped Swedish setting. A history of sadistic and cyclical violence is unearthed, and an aura of dread lingers with little alleviation; yet, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo remains extremely effective all the same, elevated by a career-defining, Oscar-nominated performance from Rooney Mara.

3 ‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Following the disappearance of his young daughter and her friend, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is fed up with waiting on the police’s fruitless investigation. Taking matters into his own hands, Keller searches for answers and is willing to do just about anything to get them, tailed by the detective investigating the case.

At the core of Prisoners is an enthralling moral dilemma. The film deals with a nightmarish and inconceivable situation for many, and director Denis Villeneuve urges the viewer to place themselves in the protagonists’ shoes and ask what they would do differently. While Prisoners is dismal and sometimes downright difficult to watch, it’s a challenging movie that provokes both thought and engagement with its central themes.

Prisoners

Release Date

September 18, 2013

Runtime

153

Writers

Aaron Guzikowski

2 ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Young and eager FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is asked to question the infamous cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Another serial killer runs rampant, and Clarice must rely on the genius intellect of Dr. Lecter for assistance in locating him. Of course, the ever-calculating Dr. Lecter’s motives are far from righteous.

One of the most influential and celebrated thrillers of all time, The Silence of the Lambs is an electrifying movie that knows exactly how to get under the skin. Dr. Lecter is the embodiment of evil, his piercing gaze guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on any viewer. Naturally, as it revolves around serial killers, the subject is gruesome, but The Silence of the Lambs is so artfully presented and intelligent that it should be mandatory viewing for thriller enthusiasts.

The Silence of the Lambs

Release Date

February 14, 1991

Runtime

118 minutes

Writers

Ted Tally

1 ‘Se7en’ (1995)

Directed by David Fincher

A serial killer, known only as “John Doe,” themes his killings around the seven deadly sins, and two homicide detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) are assigned to the case. The sadistic nature of the killings only grows more extreme as the detectives get closer to catching him. However, his final act will be one that neither will foresee.

Se7en is not only a dark thriller, it’s just one of the darkest movies ever. Grisly, nasty and deeply unsettling, Se7en is a twisted work that is masterfully made and remains powerful even today. A foreboding atmosphere and air of dread are present in every single scene, building to a climax that is striking in the most horrific of ways. Today, Se7en remains the pinnacle of dark and unsettling thrillers, largely thanks to how much it inspired future endeavors in the genre.

Se7en

Release Date

September 22, 1995

Cast

Brad Pitt , Morgan Freeman , gwyneth paltrow , R. Lee Ermey , Daniel Zacapa

Runtime

127 minutes

Writers

Andrew Kevin Walker

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