The Best Thriller Movies of All Time
The definitive thriller watchlist, ranked by the people who actually watched them — over 335K ratings sit behind this page. The Dark Knight takes the top spot at 8.5, followed by Parasite and Pulp Fiction. Start at number one and work down; there is no filler in the first twenty.
20 titles · average score 8.3 ·
The top 5 picks
- 1
The Dark Knight (2008)
★ 8.5 · 36,413 ratingsBatman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership…
- 2
Parasite (2019)
★ 8.5 · 21,104 ratingsAll unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 3
Pulp Fiction (1994)
★ 8.5 · 30,654 ratingsA burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip…
- 4
Fight Club (1999)
★ 8.4 · 32,646 ratingsA ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an…
- 5
Psycho (1960)
★ 8.4 · 11,162 ratingsWhen larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.
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How this list is ranked
Nothing on this page is hand-picked to hit a word count. We pull films matching this list's criteria from TMDB, require a real audience behind each score, and rank by that score — 20 titles averaging 8.3. The page rebuilds daily, so new releases appear here as soon as enough people have rated them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best thriller movie ever made?
By audience score, The Dark Knight (2008) — 8.5 from 36K ratings. Parasite, Pulp Fiction and Fight Club round out the top of the list.
Where should I start with thriller movies?
Start at number one and work down. The first ten on this page are the genre's consensus picks; below that the list gets more varied and is a good place to find something you have not seen.
Is this list updated?
Yes — it rebuilds every day from TMDB, so newly released movies appear as soon as enough people have rated them. You do not need an account to browse it, and there is no paywall on anything at MovieAI.