Reel Fives Movie Rankings Aggregator: Best Thriller Movies of All Time

Scene from The Silence of the Lambs (1991), all-time top thriller.

Welcome to our Reel Fives pre-launch movie rankings for the best thriller movies of all time. After an extensive online search we found 54 published rankings for thriller movies. Reel Fives has taken all of those rankings and aggregated them into definitive rankings for the top 100 thriller movies of all time. For each ranked list of top movies for the thriller film genre we found online, we have taken the top five ranked thriller films. The original sources of rankings on top thriller movies are included at the bottom of this post and include rankings of the best thriller movies created by movie experts as well as thriller movie rankings from polling sites, such as ranker.com.

Thrillers take audiences on a psychological rollercoaster ride for a few hours. While the action is important, the psychological aspect is just as important. The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the all-time best thriller movie, follows FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she talks to serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to catch another serial killer. The winner of five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Leading Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Lead Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director, and Best Writing) focuses on Clarice’s forced vulnerability to get Dr. Lecter to talk to her. Se7en (1995), ranked second, chronicles detectives William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) hunt for a serial killer who commits murders motivated by the seven deadly sins. The serial killer leaves hints along the way antagonizing the detectives. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), ranked third, is why showers are considered terrifying up to this day. The use of shadows in the film helps move the film along during Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and Sam Loomis’s (John Gavin) stay at the Bates Motel known for a its psychotic manager Norman Bates. The top thriller movies play mind games with audiences to create an exciting film.

Thrillers use different perspectives to engage audiences and misdirect their minds. Shutter Island (2010), ranked sixth, delves deep into a hospital for the criminally insane. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is unsure of who is worse: the criminals or their doctors who tortured them. Rule on of Fight Club: do not talk about fight club. Fight Club (1999), ranked eighth, revolves around a secretive group that provides therapy for men who need to fight and not talk. The club spirals out of control faster than the men could have predicted and changes those men. The Unusual Suspects (1995) ranked tenth, won two Oscars including Best Supporting Actor for Kevin Spacey and Best Screenplay for Christopher McQuarrie. The film attempts to figure out how 27 people died on a boat through questioning five suspects who have all wronged the criminal Keyser Söze, except no one knows who he is. It tells the story through a non-linear plot and presents what is considered one of the greatest surprise endings in film history. These thrillers show how perspectives can frame a film and make it thrilling.

We found the first half of the list to have more in common with the ghost rankings and the second half to have more action elements. Considering this larger list, the genre has a wide range. From criminal thrillers like The Departed (2010, ranked 389^th) to horror film like Rosemary’s Baby (1968, ranked 21^st), the thriller genre is more about an exciting plotline than following genre standards. We like that this genre is driven by great plotlines because it gives it so much room for growth. The thriller genre has so many ways to go and the top movies show those different directions.

Top 100 Thriller Movies based on 54 published rankings
Percent of online top fives movies appear in shown
1 . The Silence of the Lambs (1991): 48.1%
2 . Se7en (1995): 29.6%
3 . Psycho (1960): 22.2%
4 . Memento (2000): 22.2%
5 . The Sixth Sense (1999): 20.3%
6 . Shutter Island (2010): 20.3%
7 . Rear Window (1954): 18.5%
8 . Fight Club (1999): 16.6%
9 . Inception (2010): 14.8%
10 . The Usual Suspects (1995): 14.8%
11 . North by Northwest (1959): 11.1%
12 . Pulp Fiction (1994): 7.40%
13 (tied). Jaws (1975): 7.40%
13 (tied). Black Swan (2010): 7.40%
15 . The Dark Knight (2008): 7.40%
16 . Taxi Driver (1976): 7.40%
17 . Zodiac (2007): 5.55%
18 . The Shining (1980): 5.55%
19 . The Third Man (1949): 5.55%
20 . Fatal Attraction (1987): 5.55%
21 (tied). Misery (1990): 5.55%
21 (tied). The Prestige (2006): 5.55%
21 (tied). L.A. Confidential (1997): 5.55%
21 (tied). Identity (2003): 5.55%
21 (tied). Rosemary’s Baby (1968): 5.55%
26 (tied). The Butterfly Effect (2004): 5.55%
26 (tied). Vertigo (1958): 5.55%
28 . The Conversation (1974): 5.55%
29 . Triangle (2009): 3.70%
30 . Jacob's Ladder (1990): 3.70%
31 (tied). The Godfather (1972): 3.70%
31 (tied). The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999): 3.70%
31 (tied). The Game (1997): 3.70%
34 (tied). The Maltese Falcon (1941): 3.70%
34 (tied). Marathon Man (1976): 3.70%
36 . The Machinist (2004): 3.70%
37 (tied). M (1931): 3.70%
37 (tied). The Dark Knight Rises (2012): 3.70%
39 (tied). Donnie Darko (2001): 3.70%
39 (tied). The Departed (2006): 3.70%
41 (tied). Repulsion (1965): 3.70%
41 (tied). No Country for Old Men (2007): 3.70%
43 (tied). The Village (2004): 1.85%
43 (tied). Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009): 1.85%
43 (tied). Hard Candy (2005): 1.85%
43 (tied). Inside Man (2006): 1.85%
43 (tied). Cape Fear (1991): 1.85%
43 (tied). The Number 23 (2007): 1.85%
43 (tied). The Wages of Fear (1953): 1.85%
43 (tied). The Red Dragon (2002): 1.85%
43 (tied). The Hidden (1987): 1.85%
43 (tied). Argo (2012): 1.85%
43 (tied). Prisoners (2013): 1.85%
43 (tied). Session 9 (2001): 1.85%
43 (tied). Alien (1979): 1.85%
43 (tied). The Moon-Spinners (1964): 1.85%
57 (tied). Hour of the Wolf (1968): 1.85%
57 (tied). Odds Against Tomorrow (1959): 1.85%
57 (tied). High Noon (1952): 1.85%
57 (tied). Les Diaboliques (1955): 1.85%
57 (tied). Cach? (2005): 1.85%
57 (tied). Citizen Kane (1941): 1.85%
57 (tied). Halloween (1978): 1.85%
57 (tied). Double Indemnity (1944): 1.85%
57 (tied). The French Connection (1971): 1.85%
57 (tied). Chinatown (1974): 1.85%
67 (tied). Gravity (2013): 1.85%
67 (tied). Red Eye (2005): 1.85%
67 (tied). What Lies Beneath (2000): 1.85%
67 (tied). The Seventh Victim (1943): 1.85%
67 (tied). The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920): 1.85%
67 (tied). Heat (1995): 1.85%
67 (tied). Copycat (1995): 1.85%
67 (tied). The Manchurian Candidate (1962): 1.85%
67 (tied). The Exorcist (1973): 1.85%
67 (tied). Now You See Me (2013): 1.85%
67 (tied). The Pledge (2001): 1.85%
78 (tied). Klute (1971): 1.85%
78 (tied). Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): 1.85%
78 (tied). Wait Until Dark (1967): 1.85%
78 (tied). The Challenging (1980): 1.85%
78 (tied). A Tale of Two Sisters (2003): 1.85%
78 (tied). Laura (1944): 1.85%
78 (tied). Don’t Look Now (1973): 1.85%
78 (tied). African Queen (1951): 1.85%
78 (tied). Peeping Tom (1960): 1.85%
87 (tied). Pan's Labyrinth (2006): 1.85%
87 (tied). Devil (2010): 1.85%
87 (tied). Reservoir Dogs (1992): 1.85%
87 (tied). Open Your Eyes (1997): 1.85%
87 (tied). The Innocents (1961): 1.85%
87 (tied). Coherence (2013): 1.85%
87 (tied). Exam (2009): 1.85%
87 (tied). The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974): 1.85%
87 (tied). Angel Heart (1987): 1.85%
87 (tied). Gothika (2003): 1.85%
87 (tied). The Matrix (1999): 1.85%
87 (tied). Dr. No (1962): 1.85%
87 (tied). The Parallax View (1974): 1.85%
100 . Fargo (1996): 0%


Thriller Movie Ranking Sources
Film School WTF	List of top 100 (link)
Ranker	List of top 236 (link)
Rotten Tomatoes	List of top 100 (link)
Good Movies List	List of top 50 (link)
Film Crave	List of top 500 (link)
American Film Institute	List of top 100 (link)
Smashing Lists	List of top 10 (link)
Flavorwire	List of top 25 (link)
List Challenges	List of top 100 (link)
Film Affinity	List of top 100 (link)
Ranker	List of top 250 (link)
IGN	List of top 25 (link)
India Today	List of top 30 (link)
List Challenges	List of top 120 (link)
Taste of Cinema	List of top 25 (link)
Top Yaps	List of top 10 (link)
Flick Chart	List of top 7673 (link)
Istanbul Films	List of top 50 (link)
Aspect	List of top 20 (link)
Curiosity Human	List of top 10 (link)
ListVerse	List of top 10 (link)
Idea Herald	List of top 5 (link)
Made Man	List of top 5 (link)
Top 10 For	List of top 10 (link)
Metacritic	List of top 2006 (link)
A Knowledge Archive	List of top 5 (link)
ListVerse	List of top 15 (link)
MacGuffins	List of top 10 (link)
Azcentral	List of top 10 (link)
Neozinfo	List of top 10 (link)
Your Success Now	List of top 7 (link)
Hub Pages	List of top 5 (link)
Funny Or Die	List of top 5 (link)
Flick Chart	List of top 1558 (link)
What Culture	List of top 20 (link)
Cassie Carnage's House of Horror	List of top 13 (link)
ListVerse	List of top 10 (link)
ARY News	List of top 5 (link)
Made Man	List of top 5 (link)
Psych Mechanics	List of top 10 (link)
Menz Mag	List of top 10 (link)
Scatter Web	List of top 10 (link)
Movie Geek's Blog	List of top 5 (link)
GEVA	List of top 5 (link)
Lord of the Nerds	List of top 5 (link)
BookMyShow Blog	List of top 5 (link)
Film Racket	List of top 10 (link)
Cinema Forensic	List of top 10 (link)
Cinema Forensic	List of top 10 (link)
Crebs Park	List of top 41 (link)
Movie Film Review	List of top 100 (link)
Entertainment.ie	List of top 10 (link)
All Time Best	List of top 10 (link)