River's Edge
1986 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 319 votes
A group of high-school friends must come to terms with the fact that one of them, Samson, killed another, Jamie. 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 2026-08-05 · 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.
The Baader Meinhof Complex
2008 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 660 votes
When German police viciously quell a protest against the shah of Iran, popular journalist Ulrike Meinhof rebels against her dishonest marriage, walks away from her children and joins radical anarchist Andreas Baader. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
1927 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 345 votes
London. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Colors of Evil: Red
2024 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 311 votes
When a girl's body is found on a beach in Poland's Tricity, a prosecutor teams up with the victim's mother on an impassioned quest for the truth. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kill Your Darlings
2013 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 1,419 votes
A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Miracle Mile
1989 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 325 votes
After 30 years of searching, Harry has finally met the girl of his dreams. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Coma
1978 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 465 votes
When relatively healthy patients begin having 'complications' during simple operations and ending up in comas, a concerned doctor defies her male superiors when she suspects a secret plot. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
April and the Extraordinary World
2015 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 362 votes
It's 1941, but France is trapped in the 19th Century, governed by steam and Napoleon V. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Play Misty for Me
1971 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 578 votes
A brief fling between a late-night radio disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening turn when another woman enters the picture. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Spacewalker
2017 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 356 votes
March 1965. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Quiet Earth
1985 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 642 votes
After a top-secret experiment misfires, a scientist may be the only man left alive in the world. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Stray Dog
1949 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 365 votes
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
1970 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 843 votes
An American writer living in Rome witnesses an attempted murder that is connected to an ongoing killing spree in the city and conducts his own investigation, despite him and his girlfriend being targeted by the killer. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
F/X
1986 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 511 votes
A movies special effects man is hired by a government agency to help stage the assassination of a well known gangster. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Stepford Wives
1975 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 375 votes
Joanna Eberhart comes to the town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Nothing but the Truth
2008 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 564 votes
When reporter Rachel Armstrong writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Outrage
2010 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 462 votes
When a tough yakuza gangster is betrayed by his bosses, it means all out war. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Cold in July
2014 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 832 votes
While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Train
1964 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 384 votes
As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim is desperate to take all of France's greatest paintings to Germany. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kill the Messenger
2014 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 933 votes
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.