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The Best Thrillers of All Time

Suspense as an art form: the thriller canon ranked by our composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls.

The thriller is the genre with a single undisputed master: Alfred Hitchcock, who spent five decades turning audience anxiety into form — twenty-eight of his films sit in this library's thriller ranks, and Vertigo topped the Sight & Sound poll itself. Around him the canon spreads from Clouzot's cruelty and Polanski's paranoia to the American conspiracy cinema of the 1970s and the serial-killer procedurals of Demme and Fincher.

The Godfather (1972) leads with a composite score of 9.75. Top 100 of 599 films in our library.

Masters of the genre

  1. 1
    The Godfather1972 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States / Italy · crime, drama, thriller
    9.75

    Empire 500 (2008) #1 · Oscar Best Picture winner 1972 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #3

  2. 2
    Apocalypse Now1979 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · war, action, drama
    6.84

    Palme d'Or winner 1979 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #18 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #19

  3. 3
    Goodfellas1990 · Martin Scorsese · United States · biography, crime, thriller
    6.33

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1991 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #28 · Empire 500 (2008) #6

  4. 4
    Taxi Driver1976 · Martin Scorsese · United States · film-noir, drama, crime
    6.25

    Palme d'Or winner 1976 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #12

  5. 5
    The Third Man1949 · Carol Reed · United Kingdom · film-noir, mystery, drama
    6.08

    BFI Top 100 British films #1 · Palme d'Or winner 1949 · Cannes Grand Prix winner 1949

  6. 6
    Pulp Fiction1994 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    5.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1994 · Empire 500 (2008) #9 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1994

  7. 7
    Parasite2019 · Bong Joon-ho · South Korea · comedy, drama, thriller
    5.72

    Palme d'Or winner 2019 · Oscar Best Picture winner 2019 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #1

  8. 8
    The Godfather Part II1974 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    5.37

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1974 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #26 · Letterboxd Top 250 #8

  9. 9
    Vertigo1958 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · mystery, thriller, drama
    5.16

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #6 · AFI 100 (2007) #9

  10. 10
    Mulholland Drive2001 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, crime
    4.61

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2001 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2001 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #8

  11. 11
    Chinatown1974 · Roman Polanski · United States · film-noir, mystery, thriller
    4.33

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1974 · AFI 100 (2007) #21

  12. 12
    On the Waterfront1954 · Elia Kazan · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    4.31

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1954 · AFI 100 (1998) #8 · AFI 100 (2007) #19

  13. 13
    There Will Be Blood2007 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, western, thriller
    4.26

    Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #2

  14. 14
    The Silence of the Lambs1991 · Jonathan Demme · United States · thriller, horror, crime
    4.23

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1991 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #2 · AFI 100 (2007) #74

  15. 15
    No Country for Old Men2007 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · drama, thriller, western
    4.20

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2007 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #1

  16. 16
    Psycho1960 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · thriller, horror, mystery
    4.01

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #31 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · AFI 100 (2007) #14

  17. 17
    The Hurt Locker2008 · Kathryn Bigelow · United States · action, thriller, war
    3.95

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2009 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2010 · Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #1

  18. 18
    Blowup1966 · Michelangelo Antonioni · United Kingdom / Italy · mystery, thriller, drama
    3.93

    Palme d'Or winner 1967 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1966 #1

  19. 19
    The Conversation1974 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · thriller, drama, mystery
    3.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1974 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1974

  20. 20
    Jaws1975 · Steven Spielberg · United States · thriller, horror, adventure
    3.52

    Empire 500 (2008) #5 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  21. 21
    One Battle After Another2025 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, thriller, action
    3.50

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2025 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2026 · Film Comment year-end poll 2025 #1

  22. 22
    The French Connection1971 · William Friedkin · United States · crime, action, thriller
    3.44

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1971 · AFI 100 (2007) #93 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #10

  23. 23
    The Departed2006 · Martin Scorsese · United States / Hong Kong, China · drama, thriller, crime
    3.41

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2006 · Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 2006 #1

  24. 24
    The English Patient1996 · Anthony Minghella · United Kingdom / United States · romance, war, drama
    3.38

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1996 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1997 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1997 #5

  25. 25
    Anatomy of a Fall2023 · Justine Triet · France · thriller, crime, drama
    3.33

    Palme d'Or winner 2023 · César Best Film winner 2024 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2023 #3

  26. 26
    Oppenheimer2023 · Christopher Nolan · United States / United Kingdom · biography, thriller, drama
    3.23

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2023 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2024 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2024 #1

  27. 27
    Blue Velvet1986 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, drama
    3.13

    Hoberman's annual top 10 1986 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85

  28. 28
    Argo2012 · Ben Affleck · United States · thriller, drama, biography
    3.07

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2012 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2013 · Ebert's annual top 10 2012 #1

  29. 29
    A Clockwork Orange1971 · Stanley Kubrick · United Kingdom / United States · drama, crime, thriller
    3.06

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1971 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243

  30. 30
    Fargo1996 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States / United Kingdom · crime, drama, film-noir
    3.02

    Ebert's annual top 10 1996 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1996 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1996

  31. 31
    Barton Fink1991 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States / United Kingdom · film-noir, comedy, drama
    2.98

    Palme d'Or winner 1991 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1992 #5

  32. 32
    L.A. Confidential1997 · Curtis Hanson · United States · crime, film-noir, mystery
    2.82

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1998 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1997 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1997

  33. 33
    Rear Window1954 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · crime, mystery, thriller
    2.79

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1955 #5 · AFI 100 (2007) #48

  34. 34
    The Shape of Water2017 · Guillermo del Toro · United States / Mexico · thriller, fantasy, drama
    2.77

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2017 · Venice Golden Lion winner 2017 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2018 #3

  35. 35
    Joker2019 · Todd Phillips · United States · crime, thriller, drama
    2.75

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #1 · Venice Golden Lion winner 2019 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2019

  36. 36
    Z1969 · Costa-Gavras · France · drama, thriller
    2.72

    Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1969 #1

  37. 37
    All the President's Men1976 · Alan J. Pakula · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    2.60

    Siskel's annual top 10 1976 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1976 · AFI 100 (2007) #77

  38. 38
    The Birds1963 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · adventure, horror, mystery
    2.58

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1963 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #4

  39. 39
    The Night of the Hunter1955 · Charles Laughton · United States · film-noir, thriller, crime
    2.54

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #25 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Empire 500 (2008) #71

  40. 40
    Blade Runner1982 · Ridley Scott · United States / Hong Kong, China · thriller, film-noir, sci-fi
    2.51

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #54 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · Empire 500 (2008) #20

  41. 41
    Oldboy2003 · Park Chan-wook · South Korea / Japan · drama, thriller, mystery
    2.38

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2004 · Kehr's annual top 10 2005 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2004 #6

  42. 42
    Inglourious Basterds2009 · Quentin Tarantino · Germany / United States · war, drama, adventure
    2.36

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2009 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2009 · Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #7

  43. 43
    Rebecca1940 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · mystery, drama, romance
    2.35

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1940 · National Film Registry (inducted 2018) · Empire 500 (2008) #318

  44. 44
    The Irishman2019 · Martin Scorsese · United States · crime, drama, biography
    2.33

    Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2019

  45. 45
    Come and See1985 · Elem Klimov · Soviet Union · drama, war, thriller
    2.31

    Letterboxd Top 250 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #104

  46. 46
    Missing1982 · Costa-Gavras · United States · drama, biography, thriller
    2.28

    Palme d'Or winner 1982 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1982 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  47. 47
    Traffic2000 · Steven Soderbergh · United States / Germany / Mexico · crime, drama, thriller
    2.28

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2001 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2000 · Film Comment year-end poll 2000 #16

  48. 48
    Elephant2003 · Gus Van Sant · United States · drama, thriller
    2.26

    Palme d'Or winner 2003 · Film Comment year-end poll 2003 #3 · Hoberman's annual top 10 2003 #9

  49. 49
    A Prophet2009 · Jacques Audiard · France / Italy · drama, crime, thriller
    2.25

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2009 · César Best Film winner 2010 · Film Comment year-end poll 2010 #5

  50. 50
    A History of Violence2005 · David Cronenberg · Germany / United States · thriller, crime, drama
    2.24

    Film Comment year-end poll 2005 #1 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2005 #2 · Hoberman's annual top 10 2005 #1

  51. 51
    Get Out2017 · Jordan Peele · United States / Japan · horror, mystery, comedy
    2.21

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #95 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2017 #4

  52. 52
    Poor Things2023 · Yorgos Lanthimos · United States / United Kingdom / Ireland · thriller, fantasy, sci-fi
    2.18

    Venice Golden Lion winner 2023 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2023 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2024 #4

  53. 53
    The Dark Knight2008 · Christopher Nolan · United States / United Kingdom · action, film-noir, thriller
    2.18

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #15 · Letterboxd Top 250 #25

  54. 54
    North by Northwest1959 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · crime, thriller, mystery
    2.15

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #45 · AFI 100 (2007) #55 · AFI 100 (1998) #40

  55. 55
    Once Upon a Time in America1984 · Sergio Leone · United States / Italy / France · crime, drama, thriller
    2.14

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1984 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157

  56. 56
    Miller's Crossing1990 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · film-noir, crime, drama
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #3 · TIME All-TIME 100

  57. 57
    The Crying Game1992 · Neil Jordan · United Kingdom / Japan / Ireland · drama, romance, thriller
    2.10

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1992 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #4 · BFI Top 100 British films #26

  58. 58
    The Aviator2004 · Martin Scorsese · United States · biography, drama, thriller
    2.06

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2005 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2004 · Film Comment year-end poll 2004 #12

  59. 59
    Crash1996 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United Kingdom · drama, thriller
    2.05

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1996 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #225 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1997 #2

  60. 60
    Dog Day Afternoon1975 · Sidney Lumet · United States · crime, action, drama
    2.04

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #5 · National Film Registry (inducted 2009)

  61. 61
    Gravity2013 · Alfonso Cuarón · United States / United Kingdom · drama, thriller, adventure
    1.96

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2013 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2013 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2013 #4

  62. 62
    Mystic River2003 · Clint Eastwood · United States / Australia · mystery, thriller, crime
    1.95

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2004 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2003 #2 · Kehr's annual top 10 2003 #1

  63. 63
    Elle2016 · Paul Verhoeven · France / Germany / Belgium · thriller
    1.88

    César Best Film winner 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2016 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2016 #3

  64. 64
    The Exorcist1973 · William Friedkin · United States · horror, mystery, drama
    1.87

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1973 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #10 · Siskel's annual top 10 1973 #3

  65. 65
    JFK1991 · Oliver Stone · United States · drama, crime, mystery
    1.86

    Ebert's annual top 10 1991 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1991 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1992 #9

  66. 66
    Suspicion1941 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · mystery, romance, thriller
    1.84

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1947 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1941 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  67. 67
    The Return2003 · Andrey Zvyagintsev · Russia · drama, thriller
    1.83

    Venice Golden Lion winner 2003 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2004 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #360

  68. 68
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind1977 · Steven Spielberg · United States · sci-fi, adventure, drama
    1.83

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1978 #4 · Empire 500 (2008) #59 · AFI 100 (1998) #64

  69. 69
    Zodiac2007 · David Fincher · United States · thriller, crime, drama
    1.82

    Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #3 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2007 #5 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #19

  70. 70
    Die Hard1988 · John McTiernan · United States · action, thriller, crime
    1.81

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1989 #1 · Empire 500 (2008) #29 · National Film Registry (inducted 2017)

  71. 71
    Notorious1946 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · thriller, film-noir, drama
    1.81

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #133 · TIME All-TIME 100 · National Film Registry (inducted 2006)

  72. 72
    Burning2018 · Lee Chang-dong · South Korea / Japan · thriller, drama
    1.74

    Film Comment year-end poll 2018 #2 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2018 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #10

  73. 73
    M1931 · Fritz Lang · Germany / Weimar Republic · thriller, film-noir, drama
    1.66

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #36 · Letterboxd Top 250 #175 · Empire 500 (2008) #212

  74. 74
    Wild at Heart1990 · David Lynch · United States · crime, drama, romance
    1.61

    Palme d'Or winner 1990 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  75. 75
    The Lives of Others2006 · Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck · Germany · drama, thriller
    1.60

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2007 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #11 · Letterboxd Top 250 #169

  76. 76
    Eyes Wide Shut1999 · Stanley Kubrick · United Kingdom / United States · mystery, drama, thriller
    1.59

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1999 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #8 · Criterion Collection spine #1290

  77. 77
    The Shining1980 · Stanley Kubrick · United Kingdom / United States · horror, drama, mystery
    1.59

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #88 · Empire 500 (2008) #52 · National Film Registry (inducted 2018)

  78. 78
    Dogville2003 · Lars von Trier · France / Germany / United Kingdom · drama, thriller, mystery
    1.51

    Hoberman's annual top 10 2004 #2 · Kehr's annual top 10 2004 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2004 #9

  79. 79
    The Ghost Writer2010 · Roman Polanski · France / United Kingdom / Germany · drama, crime, thriller
    1.50

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2011 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2010 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 2010 #10

  80. 80
    Conclave2024 · Edward Berger · United Kingdom / United States · thriller, drama, mystery
    1.50

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2025 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2025 #3

  81. 81
    The Sixth Sense1999 · M. Night Shyamalan · United States · horror, thriller, drama
    1.48

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1999 · AFI 100 (2007) #89 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #10

  82. 82
    The Revenant2015 · Alejandro González Iñárritu · United States · western, adventure, thriller
    1.45

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2016 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2015

  83. 83
    The Post2017 · Steven Spielberg · United States · thriller, drama, biography
    1.44

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2018 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2018 #6

  84. 84
    Lust, Caution2007 · Ang Lee · China / Taiwan, China / United States · crime, thriller, drama
    1.43

    Venice Golden Lion winner 2007 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #4

  85. 85
    Eastern Promises2007 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United Kingdom / United States · crime, drama, mystery
    1.42

    TIFF People's Choice winner 2007 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #6 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #8

  86. 86
    The Manchurian Candidate1962 · John Frankenheimer · United States · film-noir, thriller, drama
    1.42

    TIME All-TIME 100 · AFI 100 (1998) #67 · National Film Registry (inducted 1994)

  87. 87
    The Matrix1999 · Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski · United States / Australia · thriller, action, sci-fi
    1.41

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #122 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #6 · Empire 500 (2008) #39

  88. 88
    Dead Ringers1988 · David Cronenberg · Canada · drama, horror, thriller
    1.41

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #3 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1988 #3 · Kehr's annual top 10 1988 #4

  89. 89
    Rosemary's Baby1968 · Roman Polanski · United States · horror, drama, thriller
    1.40

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #78 · National Film Registry (inducted 2014)

  90. 90
    Pacifiction2022 · Albert Serra · Spain / France / Germany · drama, thriller
    1.39

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2022 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2023 #5

  91. 91
    Confessions2010 · Tetsuya Nakashima · Japan · drama, thriller
    1.38

    Japan Academy Prize winner 2011 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 2010 #2

  92. 92
    The Secret Agent2025 · Kleber Mendonça Filho · Brazil / France / Germany · drama, thriller
    1.38

    Film Comment year-end poll 2025 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2025 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2025 #4

  93. 93
    The Day of the Jackal1973 · Fred Zinnemann · France / United Kingdom / United States · drama, thriller
    1.38

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1973 #4 · BFI Top 100 British films #74 · Siskel's annual top 10 1973 #5

  94. 94
    Alien1979 · Ridley Scott · United States / United Kingdom · horror, sci-fi, thriller
    1.37

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #146 · Empire 500 (2008) #33 · National Film Registry (inducted 2002)

  95. 95
    The Godfather Part III1990 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    1.37

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1990 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #4 · Empire 500 (2008) #282

  96. 96
    Stranger by the Lake2013 · Alain Guiraudie · France · drama, thriller
    1.36

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2013 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #6

  97. 97
    The Butcher1970 · Claude Chabrol · France / Italy · thriller, drama
    1.35

    Ebert's annual top 10 1972 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1972 #3 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  98. 98
    Paranoid Park2007 · Gus Van Sant · United States / France · drama, thriller
    1.33

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2007 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2008 #7

  99. 99
    Eraserhead1977 · David Lynch · United States · horror, thriller, drama
    1.33

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · National Film Registry (inducted 2004) · Empire 500 (2008) #192

  100. 100
    Mean Streets1973 · Martin Scorsese · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    1.33

    National Film Registry (inducted 1997) · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #377

The list above is what twenty-plus authoritative lists, awards and polls converge on when asked to name the best thriller movies ever made — and its top rewards a second look. The Godfather (1972), the highest-scoring film in this entire library, leads the page; Parasite (2019), the genre's newest canon entry, sits within its top handful; and the strongest entry from the classical era is Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949). A genre with a reputation for cheap sensation turns out to be where the canon keeps some of its heaviest weights.

Suspense as engineering

On paper the thriller barely exists. The scholar Martin Rubin called the label "highly problematic," and the standard definition — a broad genre that excites by suspense, stretching the distance between the audience and something it senses is inevitable — describes a technique, not an iconography: no hats, no horses, no haunted castle. The form predates cinema, running through gothic novels, Victorian sensation fiction and Poe's detective stories; on screen it surfaces in the chase films of the early 1900s and D. W. Griffith's cross-cutting, then settles into classical shape in the mid-1930s alongside the spy picture, the detective film and what would become film noir. Because its only fixed asset is technique, the thriller belongs to directors more completely than any other genre: when suspense is the content, direction is the subject.

Hitchcock, and everyone orbiting him

Which is why one director towers here. Alfred Hitchcock built the genre's grammar twice — first in the five spy thrillers he directed between 1934 and 1938, then in the 1950s run that gave us Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and Psycho (1960). Twenty-eight of his films carry the thriller tag in this library; eight of them make this top 100, more than any other filmmaker, with Vertigo — a film that topped the Sight & Sound poll itself — ranked highest. Around him the canon spreads outward: Francis Ford Coppola appears five times, the 1970s conspiracy cycle runs from his The Conversation (1974) through Roman Polanski's Chinatown (1974) to Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men (1976), and the serial-killer procedural passes from Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991) to David Fincher's Zodiac (2007).

How to read our list

Membership is data, not editorial taste: a film qualifies when the genre labels attached to it in Wikidata map into our pipeline's thriller bucket, and the qualifiers are ordered purely by composite score — the methodology behind every number is on the methodology page. The tag is generous, which is honest about the genre's blurriness: a crime epic like Goodfellas (1990) and a shark picture like Jaws (1975) sit beside the pure suspense machines, because that is how the world actually classifies them. And the canon is still moving — Get Out (2017) and Parasite itself are routinely filed as "social thrillers," the genre's newest mutation, while Anatomy of a Fall (2023) and Conclave (2024) have already scored their way in. What the ranking measures is accumulated canonical weight, not thrills per minute; the receipts behind each score are one click away on every film's page.