The Platform
2019 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 7,912 votes
A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Curated by SceneIt · United States
Tense Movies
This SceneIt list helps you quickly choose thrillers with sustained tension and strong audience response. Results are selected for the United States and balance audience response with practical watchability.
Updated 2026-08-03 · Ratings from TMDB
How we chose these titles
We rank eligible titles using TMDB audience ratings, vote confidence, relevance to the theme, and current popularity. Ratings can change as new votes are added.
Panic Room
2002 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 5,486 votes
Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Running Man
1987 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 2,902 votes
By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Rambo: Last Blood
2019 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 4,278 votes
After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela, the granddaughter of his housekeeper María, disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Super 8
2011 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 7,176 votes
In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
RED 2
2013 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 4,372 votes
Retired C.I.A. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Purge: Anarchy
2014 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 6,770 votes
One night per year, the government sanctions a 12-hour period in which citizens can commit any crime they wish -- including murder -- without fear of punishment or imprisonment. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Us
2019 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 8,186 votes
Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Elysium
2013 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 9,689 votes
In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Den of Thieves
2018 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 3,459 votes
A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Abigail
2024 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 2,139 votes
A group of criminals kidnap a teenage ballet dancer, the daughter of a notorious gang leader, in order to obtain a ransom of $50 million, but over time, they discover that she is not just an ordinary girl. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Captain Phillips
2013 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 7,591 votes
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Amores Perros
2000 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 2,967 votes
A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
2019 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 5,735 votes
In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse Pinkman must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Extraction
2020 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 6,700 votes
A hardened gun-for-hire's latest mission becomes a soul-searching race to survive when he's sent into Bangladesh to rescue a drug lord's kidnapped son. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Boss Level
2021 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 1,970 votes
A former special forces agent is trapped in a time loop and relives his death over and over again. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Hard Target
1993 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 1,369 votes
When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Omen
1976 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,446 votes
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Carrie
1976 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 4,367 votes
Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from her classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Book of Eli
2010 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 6,784 votes
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.