Top 10 Thrillers

I've had this post in my drafts for ages (a year or more!) but just didn't feel inspired to write it. So last year (April 2025) I wrote a post called Teen Thrillers instead. You can see it here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2025/04/teen-thrillers.html

Now it's over a year since I did that post and I'm feeling more inspired. So here are my Top 10 thriller films! :) 

Please note that the post contains spoilers. 

Trigger warning: Some of the films mention sensitive themes.  

Note: Sorry for the different text! It got messed up and I'm trying to sort it out. :)  

 

1. Disclosure (1994)

Disclosure is based on the book by Michael Crichton (probably best known for Jurassic Park),. Computer specialist Tom Sanders (Michael Douglas) works for the company Digicom. He's married to Susan Hendler (played by British actress Caroline Goodall) and they have two kids. They're planning to merge with a larger company but there are problems with the CD-ROM (remember those?!) production line they're working on, headed by Tom. 

Since he's a dedicated worker, Tom believes he's in line for a promotion but is shocked when it instead goes to new arrival Meredith Johnson (played by Demi Moore), who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. During a late-night meeting, Meredith attempts to seduce Tom but is angered when he refuses to sleep with her. The next day he is blindsided when he finds out that she is accusing him of attempted rape. However, he is determined to fight the claims and save his reputation, job and family. 

I featured this in my 2017 post Bollywood/Hollywood Thrillers, alongside Aitraaz, the Bollywood film it inspired: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/09/bollywoodhollywood-thrillers.html

Here's a clip from the film:  

 

Michael Douglas was in several erotic thrillers during the 80s and 90s- Fatal Attraction (see below), Basic Instinct and Disclosure. My favourite out of the 3 is Disclosure and then I like Fatal Attraction after that. I just don't find Basic Instinct as good, though I do like it. Sharon Stone was also in Sliver, which I like. 

Sleeping with the Enemy (see below) is also classed as an erotic thriller, although it doesn't seem quite in the same style to me. Other films in the genre include Single White Female (see below), A Kiss Before Dying (the 1991 version), Poison Ivy and The Crush (both of which I featured in last year's Teen Thrillers post) and Malice.

I saw A Kiss Before Dying last year and liked it. I may have seen it before, a long time ago but don't remember. I first saw Malice years ago and couldn't remember the title, only a few basic details of the story and that it starred Nicole Kidman. But it's been on again in the past couple of years.

2. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Young wife Laura (played by Julia Roberts) seems to have a great life, married to charming Martin (played by Irish actor Patrick Bergin) and living by the sea in a house with picturesque views. But in reality she is trapped in an abusive marriage and plotting her escape. 

When a sailing trip offers her an opportunity, she fakes her own death and leaves for another state to start a new life and maybe find new love. But can she really leave her old life behind?

This is a classic thriller with a sympathetic main character. Women trapped in abusive marriages are sadly all too common in real life. (I know it happens to men too but is less talked about.)

As mentioned above, Sleeping With the Enemy is classed as an erotic thriller but it seems different to others, such as Disclosure and Fatal Attraction. It's not as centred around sex, although it explores the themes of Laura being forced into it with her husband versus becoming close to a new man.  

 

3. Fatal Attraction (1987)

Dan Gallagher (played by Michael Douglas) is happily married to Beth (Anne Archer) and they have a daughter, Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen). However, when he meets Alex Forrest (played by Glenn Close) at a work event, Dan is drawn to her. 

When his family goes out of town for the weekend, he ends up sleeping with Alex. He believes that it's just a one-off thing and that he can go back to family life with no consequences. But it turns out that he is very much mistaken...

Alex isn't prepared to let Dan go so easily and things become more complicated when she tells him that she's pregnant. Dan realises  that Alex is deeply troubled and that his family may be in danger. 

 

Fatal Attraction became a 90s classic and introduced the term "bunny boiler" to popular culture! While Alex is portrayed as the "villain", Dan himself is far from perfect, especially because it's clear that Alex has mental health issues. But back in the 80s, mental health was less talked about. He thought that he could just get involved with Alex and then just drop her when he'd got what he wanted. Not to mention casually cheat on his wife.

A part that's uncomfortable is the fact that Dan knows Alex is pregnant (presumably with his child) and yet he still tries to kill her (and his unborn baby) in the process. 

In 2023 they made a TV series of this, starring Joshua Jackson as Dan, Lizzy Caplan as Alex and Amanda Peet as Beth. I saw the first couple of episodes when it originally came out, as they showed them for free on Sky but then you could only watch the rest of the series on Paramount+. However, I  watched the whole thing a couple of months ago. 

It's quite good, although it has some differences to the original. It's centred around Dan being released from prison on parole, 15 years after bing convicted of Alex’s murder. He claims that he didn’t kill her, despite having plead guilty. The storyline then sees Dan trying to prove his innocence, while flashing back to the past and what really happened. It's set in modern times, so the original events took place in 2008.

The series looks at issues like mental health, sexism and privilege, themes which were a lot less explored back in the 1980s. I did fell that it was a bit drawn out and to honest, the ending didn’t really make sense to me. It was also a bit confusing at times when it switched between the timelines. I would have preferred it they'd put the dates on the screen, lol.

You can read more about it here:  https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/fatal-attraction-tv-series-review-joshua-jackson-lizzy-caplan/

Big spoiler below:

 

If you've seen the film, you'll know that while Dan tries to drown Alex in the bath, it's actually Beth who kills her and it takes place in Dan and Beth's house. But in the TV series, Alex is killed in her own home and her body isn't actually found until later. Dan is the prime suspect but there are others who have motives for killing her.

4. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)

Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is married to Michael (Matt McCoy), they have a daughter, Emma (Madeline Zima) and she is expecting their second child. But when she goes to a routine antenatal check-up, she is sexually assaulted by her doctor, Dr. Victor Mott (John de Lancie). Traumatised, she reports him to the police and it comes out that he has done the same to other woman. When his crimes come to light, Dr. Mott kills himself.

After the baby is born, Claire advertises for a nanny for him. Peyton Flanders (played by Rebecca De Mornay) seems perfect for the job and soon settles in. However, Peyton has a secret- she is the widow of Dr. Mott. She was pregnant at the time of his death and after suffering a miscarriage which led to her not being able to have any more children, she is determined to get revenge on the woman she considers responsible- Claire.

 

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a classic thriller with the message that you should be careful who you let into your home, especially when it comes to them being around your children. But it also looks at how difficult it can be for mothers (especially with young babies to balance childcare and work, an issue that is still vert relevant today.

Ernie Hudson is good in his role as Solomon, a gardener/handyman with learning difficulties who is employed by the Bartels  and is one of the first to see right through Peyton. 

There is now a remake of this. I haven't seen it but would like to. Here's the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0SFXzNMthc

 

5. Single White Female (1992)

When career girl Alison aka Allie (Bridget Fonda) finds out that her fiance has cheated on her, she throws him out. Not only is her relationship over but she also needs to find a new roommate, so she places a personal ad- SWF (Single White Female Seeks Same).

Hedra aka Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) seems like the perfect match and soon moves in. However, as time goes on, Hedy's behaviour becomes increasingly strange and Allie starts to think that her new roommate is obsessed with her. 

 

This is a good film that has a similar message to The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (see above)- be careful who you let into your home!

They  recently did a stage version of this in the UK starring Kym Marsh as Hedy and Lisa Faulkner as Allie.

Also, Jenna Ortega and Taylor Russell are set to star in a remake called Single Female. I had wondered if they would still call it "Single White Female" in today’s climate (although they obviously kept that name for the stage version!). Both Jenna and Taylor have mixed heritage (Mexican and Puerto Rican, and black Jamaican and white European Canadian respectively). 

While I don't think the original movie is racist, I think it's an example of someone feeling more comfortable with people who are like them and perhaps making certain assumptions about people who are different to you. An example of unconscious prejudice maybe?

 

6. Hush (1998)

Young couple Helen (Gywneth Paltrow) and Jackson Baring (Jonathan Schaech) live in New York and happily dating. At Christmas they go to Jackson’s hometown in Kentucky to stay at his family farm Kilronan and meet his mum Martha (played by Jessica Lange). Martha is somewhat overbearing and not pleased that her son lives so far away. She wants him to come back home and help run the farm, a lifestyle which Helen is not interested in.

Soon after the trip Helen discovers that she's pregnant and she and Jackson get married. They plan to raise the baby in New York.  However, a disturbing incident where a man breaks into their apartment and attacks Helen, makes them reconsider how safe it is to raise a child in the city. After a visit from Martha who says she will have to sell Kilronan because it's become too much for her to manage on her own, the couple agree to move to Kentucky for a while to help  out.

But once back in Kentucky, Helen finds it increasingly hard to cope with Martha and her controlling, odd behaviour, especially when it comes to Helen's pregnancy and the baby. She starts to wonder if Martha’s plans for the future and the family legacy don't include her in them. 

 

Hush is a good thriller with a classic "evil mother in law" storyline! Jessica Lange fits the role well and you can feel the creeping sense of unease as Martha manipulates things around Helen. I like the "showdown" at the end. 

 

7. One Hour Photo (2002)

Mild mannered Sy Parrish (played by the late Robin Williams in a departure from the more light hearted, comedic roles that he was known for) works at a photo technician at the one hour photo lab in Savmart (a supermarket/superstore). He leads a solitary life, not connecting with many people outside of his work.

The Yorkin family have been coming to Savmart to have their photos developed for a long time and Sy considers them his favourite customers. He looks at Nina (Connie Nielsen), Will (Michael Vartan and their son Jake (Dylan Smith), who has nicknamed him "Sy the Photo Guy", as a kind of a surrogate family. 

But as time goes on, he becomes increasingly obsessed, leading him to move beyond the role of Sy the Photo Guy and attempt to get closer to the family. When he learns that the Yorkins aren't as perfect as he believed, things spiral even further out of control. 

 

One Hour Photo has a different feel to the other films on the list. It's quite gentle paced at first but the tension slowly builds as you discover that Sy is not what he first appears. Robin Williams is good in the role, proving his versatility as an actor.

One of the messages I take from the film is that appearances can be deceptive. It also looks at the subject of boundaries and how we can feel closer to people than we really are. This can leads us to build up certain ideas and fantasies about them that we later find out aren't real. Although hopefully most people don't react as extremely as Sy when they have their illusions shattered!

8. Obsessed (2009) 

Derek (played by British actor Idris Elba) is successful in his career and happy married to his former assistant (played by  Destiny's Child member and solo singer tuned actress) Beyoncé Knowles with a young son Kyle

Lisa takes a shine to Derek, mistaking his friendliness for more. He rejects her advances and makes it clear that he's not interested in sleeping with her or anything more. However, Lisa is unwilling to take no for an answer and continues to pursue Derek, causing issues in his marriage.

At first, Sharon suspects that Derek is having an affair but when things escalate, she starts to believe that he is telling the truth an is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect her family from Lisa.

This doesn’t have the best reviews and has been compared unfavourably to Fatal Attraction (see No. 3). While I agree that it doesn’t compare, it's still entertaining, so I've included it!

Some people took issue with the fact that the potential racial undertone wasn't explored but personally, as someone who is mixed race, I'm, glad that they didn't put that in. Sometimes you just want to watch a film for entertainment and have a break from heavier issues. And I'm sure there are plenty of movies which explore themes like that (i.e. Lakeview Terrace which is referenced on the Obsessed Wikipedia page).

All that aside, Obsessed is an enjoyable thriller.

 

9. Disturbia (2007)

Troubled teen Kale (played by Shia LaBeouf) is put under house arrest after an incident with a teacher at his school. He ha been going through a hard time after the death of his father, who died in a car accident while Kale was driving. Now wearing an ankle monitor and proximity sensor, and stuck in his room with his TV and gaming access taken away by his mum Julie (Carrie Anne Moss) as a punishment, is boredom leads him to start spying on his neighbours.

While at first Kale finds the neighbourhood goings on entertaining (and is intrigued by a girl who recently moved in), things take a dark turn when he starts to suspect that one of his neighbours  -Mr. Turner (David Morse)-  may be a serial killer. With the help of his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) and the new neighbour (and new love interest) Ashley (Sarah Roemer), Kale tries to find out his suspicions are true.

 

Disturbia is partly based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic mystery thriller Rear Window and also puts me in mind of Fright Night (the original is one of my fave vampire films), due to the spying on your mysterious neighbour part! I saw Rear Window nearly two years ago (I think it was the first time I'd actually seen it) and enjoyed it. 

Disturbia builds up the suspense and keeps you guessing about whether Kale is right or not, until near the end.  

 

10. American Gigolo (1980)

Gigolo/male escort Julian Kaye (played by a young Richard Gere in his breakout role) is popular with his clients ans his job allows him to live a luxury lifestyle in Beverly Hiss, California. After spending time with a client, he meets Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton) in a hotel bar. The two form a connection and begin to develop a relationship beyond client and escort, despite the fact that Michelle is married to a prominent senator.

Things start to unravel for Julian when one of his clients Judy Rheineman (Patty Carr/Patricia Carr) is found dead and he is accused of her murder. Julian was previously hired by Judy’s husband to sleep with her but was not with her on the night she killed. However, the client he was with with a the time refuses to help him with his alibi, because then husband would found that she was with Julian.

Julian begins to suspect that he's being framed and with the police closing in on him, sets out to clear his name. But who can he trust?

 

Despite this being the oldest film on the list, it's the one that I saw most recently for the first time (a couple of years or so ago). It's classed as a neo-noir crime drama thriller, although it also fits the erotic thriller category, due to the subject matter. 

The song Call Me by American rock band Blondie was the theme for American Gigolo. It was released as a single in 1980 and was a hit worldwide.

The subject of male prostitution is an interesting (and controversial) one. While Julian primarily sleeps with women, there is an overlap wit the gay community and it's implied that he has been involved with male clients before. I also want to note that there is a homophobic slur used in the film.

Julian's job enables him to live a good lifestyle and gives him access to places he probably wouldn't be in otherwise. But he doesn't seem o have any close relationships in his personal life (until he meets Michelle), so it seems like quite a lonely life. 

While the film sees a resolution to who killed Judy Rheineman, the ending is somewhat ambiguous when it comes to Julian’s fate. In 2022 they made a TV series of this starring Jon Bernthal as Julian and Gretchen Mol. Similar to the new series of Fatal Attraction (see above), it centres around Julian being released from prison after serving 15 years for the murder he was framed for. He's now been exonerated and is on a mission to find out who set him up.

The series premiered on American TV network SHOWTIME and I think it's mainly on streaming services now. It wasn't as successful as the film and was cancelled after one season but I'd like to see it sometime. 

Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU3PylNRhJE 

And watch a 5 min clip from the series premiere here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oIvs3K455s 

 

Hope you enjoyed the post! :) Which thrillers make your Top 10? 

 

Want more films? Check out these posts:

Top 10 Vampire Films: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2011/04/top-10-vampire-films.html 

My Top 10 Films: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-top-10-films.html

Top 10 True Movies: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2016/05/top-10-true-movies.html