The last 10 years have produced some truly amazing thriller movies, including some that rank among the best of all time. The best of these are the endlessly suspenseful films that take audiences on harrowing and thoroughly engrossing journeys full of tension and intrigue, with layered characters and inventive plotlines that keep the audience guessing. It’s certainly a great time to be a thriller fan, and even if you aren’t one yet, these movies are sure to make you a happy convert.
From gripping neo-Westerns and period dramas to deliciously dark comedies and psychological films, the best thrillers of recent years cover a vast range of subgenres, but each of them has the power to excite and entertain audiences in its own particular way. So, without further ado, here’s our handpicked selection of the best thriller movie from each year of the past decade, including some of the most acclaimed films of all time.
10
‘Sicario’ (2015)
A neo-Western action thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve, Sicario is a dramatized retelling of real-life events involving the Sonora Cartel. The first film of the eponymous trilogy, the movie follows Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an FBI special agent tasked with bringing down a dangerous Mexican drug cartel with the help of a prosecutor-turned-assassin, Alejandro (Benicio del Toro). Josh Brolin, Daniel Kaluuya, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, and Jeffrey Donovan star in other notable roles.
The second feature film written by Taylor Sheridan, Sicario is a taut and tense action thriller with underlying themes of moral conflict, treading the border between reality and ideals. Besides the gripping story, the film is most noted for the outstanding performances of Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro. The movie premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with critical acclaim for its narrative, excellent cinematography, and background score, and the film went on to earn three Academy Award nominations. Its success led to the release of a sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, in 2018, with a third film in development.
9
‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ (2016)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg in his directorial debut, 10 Cloverfield Lane is the second film in the Cloverfield franchise, but it isn’t directly connected to the other films, though they are all set in the same universe across different timelines and dimensions. This sci-fi horror thriller follows Michelle, a young woman who suffers a brutal car crash and wakes up in a bunker with two men who claim that the surface of the Earth has become uninhabitable. Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as the protagonist, with John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr. as the strangers, and Suzanne Cryer and Bradley Cooper in cameos.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a fantastic combination of psychological, apocalyptic, supernatural, and sci-fi horror thriller. The film is noteworthy for its visuals and intelligent camera work, which creates a sense of claustrophobia with its largely contained single-location setting that makes the experience all the more terrifying. With its compelling storyline, direction, and acting, 10 Cloverfield Lane earned critical acclaim and bagged several awards, including a Saturn Award for Best Thriller Film.
8
‘Get Out’ (2017)
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, is a psychological horror thriller that’s also notable for featuring one of Daniel Kaluuya‘s best performances. In the film, Kaluuya stars as Chris, a young photographer from New York City, who heads upstate with his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), for a weekend getaway at her parents’ estate, where an awkward get-together quickly transforms into a series of bizarre and eerie events. Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, and Catherine Keener appear in supporting roles.
Get Out was a massive critical success at the time of its premiere, marking an excellent directorial debut for Peele and becoming one of the most acclaimed horror thrillers of the last 10 years. With direction, cinematography, and plot twists that feel like a homage to horror classics, the film is a dark satire on the modern social and cultural landscape that’s thematically horrifying and leaves the audience with some truly unsettling thoughts. Besides Kaluuya’s outstanding central role, Keener and Rel Howery have also gained recognition for their performances in the film.
7
‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
A post-apocalyptic survival thriller, A Quiet Place was directed by John Krasinski from a story by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. The film follows the Abbott family as they struggle to survive mysterious extraterrestrial creatures that hunt humans by sound. Krasinski and Emily Blunt star as the parents, Lee and Evelyn Abbott, with Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as their children.
On its release, A Quiet Place was an outstanding success that earned several accolades for its cinematography, sound editing, and Blunt’s excellent performance, which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award. The film went on to spawn a successful franchise, beginning with the sequel A Quiet Place II, which was just as successful as the first movie. A slow-burning film with ever-mounting tension and unexpected jump scares, its experimental storytelling and fantastic visual experience make A Quiet Place one of the best sci-fi horrors of the past decade, with an intimate and claustrophobic approach and intelligent, artful storytelling that uses minimal dialogue, relying mostly on the cast’s expressive acting and the power of quietness to drive the story and the horror.
6
‘Parasite’ (2019)
Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, Parasite is a South Korean black comedy thriller film that revolves around the working-class Kim family, who slowly crawl their way into the wealthy household of the Parks. When they realize that they are not the only infiltrators, they find their comfort and tenuous security threatened, with disastrous consequences. The film boasts an ensemble cast that includes Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, and more.
Since its premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Parasite has been cited as one of the greatest films of the 21st century and a thriller masterpiece. Behind its creepy thriller façade, the movie is a sharp social satire exploring themes of greed, classism, and social discrimination through the eyes of one family as they go to extreme lengths to survive. The film was a massive critical and commercial success that achieved international recognition, becoming the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or and the first non-English language film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
5
‘Promising Young Woman’ (2020)
A black comedy thriller, Promising Young Woman was written, directed, and co-produced by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie, a young woman who sets out to seek revenge for her best friend, who committed suicide after being raped by a classmate. The film also stars Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Chris Lowell, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton in supporting roles.
A genre-bending film, Promising Young Woman is an outstanding revenge thriller that intelligently combines elements of the black comedy, crime drama, feminist film, rape and revenge, and vigilante action genres. Underneath its dark exterior, the film is a haunting tale of grappling with past trauma, navigating forgiveness, and the desire for vengeance. Bold and provocative, Promising Young Woman is one of the most notable Feminist New Wave films, which is both celebrated and contested for its narrative, storytelling, and impact. The film was a critical and commercial success, hailed as Mulligan’s career-best performance, and it received several accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
4
‘Last Night in Soho’ (2021)
A psychological thriller written and directed by Edgar Wright, Last Night in Soho follows Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a naïve teenager who moves from rural England to London to become a fashion designer. Every night, Eloise finds herself haunted by visions of Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a glamorous singer from the ’60s who may have been murdered. The cast also includes Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Rita Tushingham, and Michael Ajao, with Diana Rigg and Margaret Nolan in their final film roles.
Last Night in Soho is a fine blend of time-travel fantasy and horror mystery that explores struggles with identity, ambition, and romanticizing the past. Stylish and terrifying with a haunting story and period-perfect art design, the film is a visually delightful tribute to London’s glamorous West End of the swinging sixties. On its premiere, the film was praised for its technical effects, direction, and cast performances, but despite its positive reception and McKenzie’s strong performance, the movie is still an underrated gem of the 2020s.
3
‘Decision to Leave’ (2022)
A neo-noir romantic mystery directed, produced, and co-written by Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave follows the story of an insomniac detective who, while investigating a man’s death, reaches out to the victim’s widow to interrogate her as a potential suspect. Things get complicated when his persistent investigation leads him to develop feelings for the woman. Park Hae-il and Tang Wei star as the main characters, with Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo, and Park Yong-woo in supporting roles.
Even though it might not be quite as brilliant as Park Chan-wook’s earlier critically acclaimed films like Oldboy and The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave is remarkable in its own right, with a multilayered story that unfolds with surprise twists. The film’s biggest highlight is its stunning visuals, showcasing South Korea’s scenic landscape in picture-perfect frames. The two main characters and the tension between them are mirrored in the imagery of the sea and the mountains, which are motifs that hold special significance in Eastern philosophy. On its release, Decision to Leave became one of the most successful international films of the year, earning several accolades, including two BAFTA nominations.
2
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Directed, written, and produced by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer chronicles the life and work of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Adapted from the biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, this biographical drama thriller follows Oppenheimer and his team as they work on the highly classified Manhattan Project, which would forever change the course of history. Cillian Murphy leads the massive ensemble cast as Oppenheimer, with Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh in supporting roles.
With Oppenheimer, Nolan delivers a dramatic, intimate, and terrifying take on the origin story of the world’s first nuclear weapons and the people who made them. Since its premiere, the film has become a global phenomenon and has been hailed as one of the best World War II epics of all time. The excellent cinematography, direction, visuals, and practical effects make this biopic a masterclass in filmmaking, and it’s easily one of the most acclaimed films of the decade, winning seven Academy Awards out of 13 nominations and several other accolades.
1
‘Heretic’ (2024)
Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Heretic is a psychological horror thriller that follows two young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who pay a visit to the enigmatic Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), an eccentric man who expresses interest in their faith. As Mr. Reed gradually reveals his true, diabolical intentions, the two young women must rely on their faith and wits to escape his trap. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East star as the young Mormon missionaries, with Topher Grace in a supporting role.
A brilliant exploration of religious, social, and psychological themes, Heretic drives fear more through its dialogue and setting rather than shocking and gruesome visuals or jump scares. The closed-room setting, smart camera angles, excellent lightwork, and oppressive atmosphere come together to create a spine-chilling horror film. Hugh Grant delivers a fantastic performance as the movie’s bizarre antagonist, which may just be one of the best of his career, earning him Best Actor nominations at the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the BAFTA Awards.
- Release Date
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November 8, 2024
- Runtime
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111 minutes
- Director
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Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
