Mr. Brooks
2007 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 1,915 votes
A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego. 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 2026-08-04 · 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.
Cop Land
1997 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 1,831 votes
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
In the Mouth of Madness
1995 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 1,952 votes
An insurance investigator visits a small town while looking into the strange disappearance of a popular horror novelist. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Backdraft
1991 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 1,599 votes
Two feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kiss the Girls
1997 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 1,931 votes
Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Valkyrie
2008 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 4,148 votes
Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Caddo Lake
2024 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 542 votes
When an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, forever altering a broken family’s history. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2009 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 3,266 votes
Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Layer Cake
2004 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 2,415 votes
When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin... This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kiss of the Dragon
2001 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 1,378 votes
Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Killer
1989 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 918 votes
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Name of the Rose
1986 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 3,354 votes
14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
District B13
2004 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 2,028 votes
Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Forever Purge
2021 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 2,710 votes
All the rules are broken as a sect of lawless marauders decides that the annual Purge does not stop at daybreak and instead should never end as they chase a group of immigrants who they want to punish because of their harsh historical past. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Missing
2023 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,310 votes
When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s search for answers is hindered by international red tape. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Miss Sloane
2016 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,004 votes
An ambitious lobbyist faces off against the powerful gun lobby in an attempt to pass gun control legislation. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Colors
1988 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 552 votes
A confident young cop is shown the ropes by a veteran partner in the dangerous gang-controlled barrios of Los Angeles, where the gang culture is enforced by the colors the members wear. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
U.S. Marshals
1998 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 1,840 votes
U.S. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Antichrist
2009 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 2,876 votes
A grieving couple retreats to their cabin 'Eden' in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Godzilla
1954 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,128 votes
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.