6 Thrillers That Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat the Whole Movie
Misery
After a serious car crash during a blizzard, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse/crazed fan Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Annie nurses Paul back to health in her remote cabin, where her obsession takes a dark turn.
I will always put Misery at the top of any thrillers list. The majority of the film takes place in a single bedroom, yet the twists and turns are unmatched. It’s also an incredibly quotable movie – Annie may be the film’s villain, but her intensity is laugh-out-loud funny at times. She’s an ol' dirty birdy, but you better start showing her some appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!
The Call
Halle Berry plays a badass 911 operator who takes a call from a kidnapped teen (Abigail Breslin), and turns the girl into a partner in helping to save her life.
This movie always comes to mind when I think of films that, literally, keep me at the edge of my seat. As a matter of fact, I have seen it several times, and my heart rate is off the charts every rewatch, too. The third act of the film really takes a turn, which some critics didn’t like, but I love every minute of it – in fact, the very last line of the film is one of the most satisfying I can remember. True Vigilante Shit!
Gone Girl
You can’t make a list of the best thrillers without a mention of Gone Girl. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) present a portrait of a blissful marriage to the public. Then Amy goes missing on the couple's fifth wedding anniversary, and Nick becomes the prime suspect. A media frenzy causes the Dunnes' image of a perfect union to crumble, leading to questions about who Nick and Amy truly are.
The Gift
I absolutely love Jason Bateman. He plays a similar type of character in everything I’ve seen him in, but my gosh, it’s a great one. He’s calm under pressure, he’s snarky, he has a dry wit: he’s everything you want in a Thriller Star.
The Gift is a story of a married couple, Simon (Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), whose happy life together is thrown into a terrifying tailspin. This one isn’t just a thriller: it’s a thriller/mystery, with a plot twist at the end that will leave you grateful you are anyone but Simon.
Get Out
Get Out follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a black man who is navigating a new relationship with his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams). On a weekend trip to meet Rose’s parents, Chris uncovers several dark secrets about her family, resulting in a long and bloody journey to escape. It is often cited by critics as one of the best films of the 21st century, and for good reason. It’s an unsettling, even disturbing, thriller with a heaping side of thought-provoking social commentary.
Missing
Missing was released in January 2023, so it’s the newest film on our list. When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June (Storm Reid) searches for answers from their home in Los Angeles. June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it's too late.
The movie is categorized as a “screenlife” film, which describes a genre of visual storytelling where all the events are shown on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen. To quote RogerEbert.com in their Missing review: “It’s like watching Lydia Tár conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, only with FaceTime and Venmo and Spotify.” If that doesn’t sell you on the movie, nothing will!