The Dry
2021 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 854 votes
Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. 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.
Timecrimes
2007 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 1,496 votes
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
A Streetcar Named Desire
1951 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,495 votes
A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace — but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Apt Pupil
1998 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 737 votes
One day in 1984, Todd Bowden, a brilliant high school boy fascinated by the history of Nazism, stumbles across an old man whose appearance resembles that of Kurt Dussander, a wanted Nazi war criminal. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Nowhere
2023 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 1,597 votes
A young pregnant woman named Mia escapes from a country at war by hiding in a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Cursed
2021 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 436 votes
In the late 19th century, a brutal land baron slaughters a Roma clan, unleashing a curse on his family and village. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Night Comes For Us
2018 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 829 votes
After sparing a girl's life during a massacre, an elite Triad assassin is targeted by an onslaught of murderous gangsters. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
2020 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 2,236 votes
Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2010
1984 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 1,092 votes
While planet Earth poises on the brink of nuclear self-destruction, a team of Russian and American scientists aboard the Leonov hurtles to a rendezvous with the still-orbiting Discovery spacecraft and its sole known survivor, the homicidal computer HAL. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Not Without My Daughter
1991 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 340 votes
An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Boy Kills World
2024 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 857 votes
When his family is murdered, a deaf-mute named Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Awake
2007 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 1,586 votes
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Conspiracy Theory
1997 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 1,683 votes
A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Infiltrator
2016 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 1,839 votes
A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Hush
2016 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 4,896 votes
A deaf woman is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Rainmaker
1997 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 1,513 votes
Fresh out of law school and desperate for work, idealistic rookie Rudy Baylor takes on a powerful insurance company accused of denying a dying boy’s claim. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Wave
2015 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 1,426 votes
Although theorised, no one is really ready when a mountain pass above the scenic and narrow Geiranger fjord in Norway collapses and creates a tsunami over 300 feet high. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Big Sleep
1946 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,176 votes
Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Man Who Knew Too Much
1956 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,575 votes
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
To Live and Die in L.A.
1985 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 804 votes
When his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.