Thelma
2017 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 1,154 votes
A college student starts to experience extreme seizures. 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.
Sleep Tight
2011 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,233 votes
César, an unhappy concierge, maintains a peculiar relationship with the very diverse inhabitants of the upper-class apartment building where he works in Barcelona. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Elevator to the Gallows
1958 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 713 votes
A self-assured businessman murders his employer, husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Tunnel
2016 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 656 votes
A man is on his way home when the poorly constructed tunnel he is driving through collapses, leaving him trapped leaving himself for the unexpected whilst emergency services struggle to help. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Lost Bullet
2020 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 939 votes
A small time delinquent, turned police mechanic for a go fast task force, is forced to defend his innocence when his mentor is killed by dirty cops. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Cracks
2009 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 443 votes
Jealousy flares after the headmistress of an elite boarding school for girls becomes obsessed with a new student. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Siege of Jadotville
2016 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 950 votes
Irish Commandant Pat Quinlan leads a stand off with troops against French and Belgian Mercenaries in the Congo during the early 1960s. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Paradise
2023 · TMDB 6.5/10 · 726 votes
A man sees the dark side of the time-manipulating biotech company he works for when a crushing debt forces his wife to give up 40 years of her own life. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Place
2017 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,256 votes
The fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure who they believe possesses the power to grant any wish, in return for which they must carry out a task he assigns them. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Salton Sea
2002 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 369 votes
After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
A Man Escaped
1956 · TMDB 7.9/10 · 623 votes
A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from prison. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Breaking Surface
2020 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 450 votes
Two Swedish/Norwegian half sisters go on a winter diving trip in Northern Norway, when they get trapped after a rockslide. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
We Die Young
2019 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 357 votes
Lucas, a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother won't follow the same path. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Batman: Year One
2011 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 1,059 votes
A wealthy playboy named Bruce Wayne and a Chicago cop named Jim Gordon both return to Gotham City where their lives unexpectedly intersect. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Michael Collins
1996 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 526 votes
Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
No Tears for the Dead
2014 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 305 votes
A hitman accidentally kills a little girl. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Lady from Shanghai
1947 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 732 votes
A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Seconds
1966 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 444 votes
An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity; one that comes with its own price. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
A Bay of Blood
1971 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 437 votes
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Broken Embraces
2009 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 723 votes
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.