Which thriller movies are worth your time?
Well, that’s why Watch With Us is here to point you in the direction of the best thrillers on every platform.
If you’re an HBO Max user and a thriller fan, you’re in luck — the Warner Bros. Discovery platform has some of the most critically acclaimed thrillers in movie history.
From Fritz Lang‘s masterpiece M to the Oscar-nominated modern classic Get Out, these thrillers are some of the best in the genre.
Check out our list of the ones you should definitely stream in July 2025.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the Best New Movies on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More, the Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now, the Must-Watch Movies on HBO Max Right Now and the Must-See Movies on Netflix Right Now.
‘The Double’ (2013)
Writer, comedian and director Richard Ayoade helms this darkly comic thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska. Loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella of the same name, The Double delves into themes of identity, isolation and duality. It follows Simon James (Eisenberg), a timid and overlooked man, and his charismatic, confident doppelgänger, James Simon (also Eisenberg), who begins to take over his life.
The movie blends dark humor and psychological tension as James interferes in Simon’s personal and professional life, leading to an intense confrontation. The film’s atmospheric setting, dynamic cinematography and haunting score contribute to a sense of unease and anticipation — and Eisenberg’s dual performance is remarkable.
‘Get Out’ (2017)
Possibly one of the best and most impactful movies of the 2010s, Get Out combines suspense and horror elements with intricately plotted details and intelligent social commentary. The movie follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black man who visits the family estate of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). What initially seems like a warm welcome quickly descends into a nightmare as Chris begins to uncover unsettling secrets about the Armitage family and their mysterious guests.
You’ll be on the edge of your seat in every scene — except for when you’re laughing at writer-director Jordan Peele‘s brilliant dialogue. With layered performances from Kaluuya, Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Lil Rel Howery and more, Get Out is a movie that sticks with you.
‘Kimi’ (2022)
Master of thrills Steven Soderbergh directs this Zoë Kravitz gem, which explores themes of surveillance and technology that feel more relevant with each passing year. Kravitz plays Angela Childs, a tech worker grappling with agoraphobia during a pandemic, who discovers evidence of a violent crime while analyzing data streams from a smart device. Struggling with both her personal fears and her skeptical work superiors, Angela decides to seek justice — a choice that draws her into a web of danger and conspiracy.
Kimi has a tightly woven narrative that fills the movie with tension and a sense of high stakes. The character-driven story makes it engaging, while the themes make the viewer reflect on the consequences of technology in our personal lives. If you liked Soderbergh’s recent hit Black Bag, this is a must-watch.
‘M’ (1931)
Fritz Lang‘s M is one of the most seminal, influential thrillers ever made. (If you ever took a film class in college, it may well have been on the syllabus.) Don’t let the German language or the black-and-white cinematography scare you off — M is as engaging and exciting as any current Hollywood blockbuster. The story revolves around Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), a serial killer who preys on children in Berlin. When the police fail to capture him, the criminals of the city take matters into their own hands.
Lorre’s portrayal of Beckert is both haunting and surprisingly sympathetic, adding layers to the character. It’s a visually striking examination of humanity’s darkest impulses that will stun you.
‘Parasite’ (2019)
What made Parasite so special that it became the first non-English-language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture? Perhaps it’s the relatable story of a family trying desperately to stay afloat, combined with a considerably less relatable story of the twisted steps they’ll take to get there. Perhaps it’s the brilliant class commentary, the comedic performances that you don’t need to speak Korean to laugh at or the confident direction from Bong Joon-ho.
The Kim family’s lives take a turn when they cunningly infiltrate the wealthy Park family’s household, securing various jobs under false pretenses. The cast members — Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam — brilliantly shift between humor and tension as the Kims become more entangled in the Parks’ lives. It’s an unforgettable comedic thriller.
‘No Sudden Move’ (2021)
Curt (Don Cheadle) and Ronald (Benicio del Toro) are small-time gangsters in 1950s Detroit who are hired to intimidate a General Motors executive so he can give them a mysterious document. After some hiccups and one unexpected death, the two men are successful. Unfortunately, they quickly realize the document they now possess is far more valuable — and dangerous — than they could’ve imagined. Now on the run from the cops as well as their fellow gangsters, they must try to find a way out of the mess they’re in without losing their lives.
No Sudden Move is perhaps the only thriller whose plot hinges on a car part. That’s the movie’s MacGuffin, but whether it’s a catalytic converter or a 24-karat diamond, it’s merely the excuse for these characters to run around shooting at each other.
It’s all great fun, and that’s due to Steven Soderbergh’s stylish direction and the effective performances by Cheadle, del Toro and Jon Hamm. No Sudden Move is a throwback thriller with a modern polish, and it runs as smoothly as the Buicks and Cadillacs the robbers drive to avoid getting caught.
‘The Swimming Pool’ (1969)
Is there a summer thriller more appropriate than The Swimming Pool, which is set in or around a private pool in the French countryside? The late ‘60s movie stars Alain Delon as Jean-Paul, a writer who is spending his vacation with his longtime girlfriend, Marianne (Romy Schneider). Their romantic bliss is disturbed by the arrival of Harry (Maurice Ronet), Jean-Paul’s old friend and ex-lover of Marianne, and his teenage daughter, Penelope (Jane Birkin).
Tensions soon rise as Jean-Paul becomes jealous of Harry, Penelope flirts with Jean-Paul and Marianne becomes fed up with all of them. When someone dies, the survivors must figure out who is responsible and who will be the next victim.
The Swimming Pool is a slow-burn thriller that takes its time setting up its central mystery and leaving it for the viewer to solve. The killer is pretty obvious, but his or her intentions aren’t, and the beauty of The Swimming Pool is how it forces you to judge a set of characters who are neither completely good nor irredeemably evil.
‘Caddo Lake’ (2024)
Ellie (Eliza Scanlen) is vacationing with her family at Caddo Lake near the Texas/Louisiana border when her stepsister, Anna (Caroline Falk), disappears. Meanwhile, Paris (Dylan O’Brien) is investigating why his mother drove off a bridge near the lake. At first, Ellie and Paris have nothing to do with each other, but as they try to solve their mysteries, they separately realize the answer to all their problems lies in Caddo Lake.
A thriller with some sci-fi elements, Caddo Lake has a twisty plot that is almost too complex to follow. But it manages to make sense in the end, and it’s the rare thriller that’s surprisingly moving. Caddo Lake is produced by M. Night Shyamalan, so that should give you a hint about what you should expect.
‘Trap’ (2024)
Cooper (Josh Hartnett) seems like your ordinary, everyday guy. A firefighter and devoted dad, he takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a pop concert in Philadelphia. Something’s slightly off about the whole thing, though, and he discovers that it’s an elaborate ploy by the FBI to catch a serial killer named “The Butcher.” That’s a big problem for Cooper because he’s The Butcher, and he’ll do anything to keep his double life a secret.
Director M. Night Shyamalan takes his irresistible premise and runs with it throughout Trap, placing Cooper in one tense situation after another as he tries to find a way to escape the intricate trap the authorities have set for him. Hartnett is effective as the charismatic killer, who always tries to do what’s best for his kid, even when he’s trying to kill people to get away. Coop may be a killer, but no one can convict him of being a bad dad.
‘The Guilty’ (2018)
Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is a disgraced police officer assigned to work a late-night shift answering emergency phone calls. One night, he receives a bizarre call from a woman, who gradually reveals she’s been abducted and is in a white van. The call ends, but so begins a terrifying night as Asger tries desperately to find the woman and save her before it’s too late.
Remade 3 years later with Jake Gyllenhaal, the original is better in almost every way. Director Gustav Möller expertly interweaves the central mystery of the missing woman with the gradual revelations about Ager’s personal life, which plays a big part in the film’s climax. The Guilty is a terrific thriller about how one man’s heroic actions force him to come to terms with his less-than-heroic past.
‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)
In 1890s New England, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) arrives at an isolated lighthouse for what’s supposed to be a short stint as a “wickie” before leaving. But the days seem endless due to the harsh weather and harsher supervision by Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe), who orders him to do menial tasks. Soon, the two men are at war with one another, and Winslow’s sanity begins to unravel. Will the two men kill each other? Or will the raging sea drown them before they even have a chance?
Robert Eggers (Nosferatu) specializes in atmospheric, esoteric nightmares, and The Lighthouse is arguably his best attempt at conveying an ancient, almost mystical sense of fear and dread. He also crafts a tense thriller by effectively exploiting his single location — the titular lighthouse — and letting his two talented actors let their freak flags fly. The Lighthouse is a beautiful nightmare, one that you won’t want to wake up from anytime soon.
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ (2024)
Lou (Kristen Stewart) is wasting her life in a small New Mexico town until bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brien) walks into her gym one day. The two begin a passionate love affair, but their dreams of running away to Las Vegas together are sidelined when Lou becomes involved in a family affair that leaves one person dead. With the cops closing in and Lou’s crime boss father (Ed Harris) angry that his criminal empire could be exposed, the two lovers must think fast before time runs out for both of them.
Directed by Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding is a superb crime noir movie with a thrilling plot line that is never predictable. Stewart and O’Brien are believable as an odd couple who risk everything to be with one another, and Harris gets some nice moments to shine as a father who loves his daughter, but loves his illegal business even more. There’s a “WTF?” moment at the end that is never explained, but that only enhances the movie’s weird, gonzo appeal.
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Jonathan Demme’s masterful thriller creeped people out in 1991 and is still scary today, but its real power lies in the oddly intimate relationship between Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. She needs his help to capture Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a serial killer who likes to wear the skin of his victims. But Lecter’s help comes with a price — he wants to know everything about Clarice, including the traumatic event that still haunts her. Can Clarice trust a sociopathic serial killer to end Buffalo Bill’s reign of terror for good?
Hopkins is only on screen for 16 minutes in The Silence of the Lambs, but he dominates the movie with his seductive, sophisticated monster. Foster has a trickier role, but she turns her character’s vulnerability into an asset. Tiny in stature and underestimated by her male coworkers, Clarice is the only one smart enough to piece together clues that lead to Buffalo Bill. The movie is one of the best thrillers ever made and fully deserved its five Oscars.
