Thrillers are performing exceptionally well in theaters and on streaming platforms in 2025, showing that audiences crave stories that really grab their attention. Films like Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest have sparked a lot of online conversation, offering a shared experience that’s becoming less common. These movies challenge viewers to think, encouraging them to solve mysteries and predict what will happen next. This success isn’t surprising – thrillers build suspense and offer a sense of resolution that’s often missing in today’s unpredictable world.
Even though people love a good thriller, many excellent films in the genre never get the attention they deserve. This is often due to issues with how movies are distributed and promoted. A fantastic thriller might fail because of poor marketing or get lost among newer releases online. International thrillers face an even bigger challenge, as they usually don’t have the funds to compete with domestic films. As a result, many great stories are only discovered by dedicated fans who go looking for them, and end up being forgotten by most viewers.
7) Malice
The 1990s were full of stylish, over-the-top thrillers, and Malice is arguably the best example of that now-forgotten genre. The film stars Bill Pullman as Andy Safian, a college dean whose life falls apart when he rents a room to Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin), a surgeon with an enormous ego and a truly memorable villainous streak. What starts as a story about a family and a houseguest quickly turns into a complicated mystery involving medical errors and murder, constantly keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. The script was refined by Aaron Sorkin, and his talent for witty, fast-paced dialogue is clear throughout, adding a layer of sophistication to the film’s dark themes. Ultimately, Malice fully embraces its own wildness, and Alec Baldwin’s chillingly confident performance is at its center.
6) The Gift
Joel Edgerton’s first time directing, the film The Gift, is a smart thriller that cleverly uses the feeling of social awkwardness to create tension. The story centers on Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) who move to Los Angeles hoping for a new beginning, but their past resurfaces when they encounter Gordo (Joel Edgerton), an old high school acquaintance who won’t leave them alone. Gordo’s actions escalate from uncomfortable to unsettling, but the film avoids typical horror tropes. Instead, it subtly reveals the darkness hidden beneath Simon’s seemingly friendly facade, making viewers question who is truly the victim. Bateman delivers a surprisingly effective performance, using his natural charm to conceal a damaging personality that wreaks havoc without obvious aggression.
5) Nocturnal Animals
Tom Ford, known for his fashion designs, showed his talent as a filmmaker with Nocturnal Animals, a visually stunning but unsettling story. The film cleverly weaves together two storylines: we see gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) reading a disturbing novel sent by her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), and we’re immersed in the novel’s violent plot. The editing jumps back and forth between Susan’s unhappy life and the book’s terrifying story, where a man named Tony (also Jake Gyllenhaal) is tormented by the cruel Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) on a desolate highway. This highway sequence is incredibly suspenseful and physically gripping. Ford uses the events in the novel to reflect the pain and emotional damage of Susan and Edward’s failed relationship, suggesting that heartbreak can have devastating effects.
4) Border
Swedish films are often serious and somber, but Border is a unique mix of unsettling, romantic, and strangely beautiful. The film centers on Tina (Eva Melander), a customs officer who has a distinctive appearance and an unusual gift: she can smell if someone is lying. This makes her great at her job, but it also leaves her feeling alone. Her life changes when she meets Vore (Eero Milonoff), a man who shares her unusual traits and a strong connection to the natural world. Though the story includes a dark investigation into a child abuse ring, the heart of the film is the strange and compelling relationship between Tina and Vore. Border masterfully combines the realism of a crime thriller with the fantastical elements of a dark fairy tale, asking viewers to find beauty in what is unexpected and different.
3) I Saw the Devil
Most revenge thrillers offer a sense of release or satisfaction, but the film I Saw the Devil doesn’t. The movie, directed by Kim Jee-woon, follows Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), a secret agent whose fiancée is horrifically murdered by serial killer Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik). Instead of simply killing the murderer, Soo-hyun chooses to become as ruthless as him, initiating a brutal and ongoing cycle of capture and torture that takes place across the country. While extremely violent, every act in I Saw the Devil is carefully crafted to show how the protagonist loses his own humanity. Choi Min-sik gives a disturbingly compelling performance as the villain, ensuring that the hero’s fall from grace feels tragic, not victorious.
2) Burning
Adapting the work of Haruki Murakami is notoriously challenging, but the film Burning brilliantly captures the dreamlike quality of his stories. The movie centers on Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), a struggling writer facing financial difficulties, who reconnects with a childhood friend, Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), just before she goes on a trip to Africa. Upon her return, she introduces him to Ben (Steven Yeun), a wealthy and mysterious man who has a peculiar hobby: burning down empty greenhouses. What makes Burning so compelling is that it doesn’t offer easy explanations. Instead, it creates a deeply unsettling mood through themes of class conflict and the stark differences in the characters’ lives. Steven Yeun delivers a standout performance as a villain who is frightening not because of what he does, but because of his profound boredom – a feeling many viewers will find surprisingly relatable.
1) The Vanishing
Unlike most thrillers that build suspense with a chase, the original Dutch film The Vanishing (Spoorloos) creates tension through a slow, agonizing wait. The story begins when Saskia Wagter disappears from a gas station while on holiday with her boyfriend, Rex Hofman. Rex spends the next three years desperately searching for her, and eventually connects with the man who took her, Raymond Lemorne. What makes The Vanishing unique is that it immediately reveals the kidnapper’s identity, portraying him as an ordinary man rather than a menacing villain. The film is famous for its incredibly shocking ending, which provides a resolution to the mystery that is even more disturbing than if Saskia had simply died.
What’s a hidden gem thriller movie you’d recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-12-09 23:42