Matador
1986 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 300 votes
A conflicted youth confesses to crimes he didn't commit while a man and woman aroused by death become obsessed with each other. 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.
Chained
2012 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 543 votes
A serial killer kidnaps a young boy after murdering his mother, then raises him to be his accomplice. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Polytechnique
2009 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 704 votes
A dramatization of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, on December 9, 1989, where 14 female engineering students were murdered (and 13 were wounded) by a 25 year old psychotic misogynist armed with a semi-automatic weapon. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Custody
2018 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 736 votes
Miriam and Antoine have recently separated. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Salvador
1986 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 417 votes
In 1980, an American journalist covering the Salvadoran Civil War becomes entangled with both the leftist guerrilla groups and the right-wing military dictatorship while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 451 votes
This animated short revolves around the events causing an electrical systems failure on the west coast of the US. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
May God Save Us
2016 · TMDB 6.8/10 · 509 votes
Madrid, summer 2011. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Thinning
2016 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 382 votes
In a post-apocalyptic future where population control is dictated by a high-school aptitude test, two students discover the test is smoke and mirrors hiding a larger conspiracy. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Point Blank
2010 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 509 votes
Samuel Pierret is a nurse who saves the wrong guy – a thief whose henchmen take Samuel's pregnant wife hostage to force him to spring their boss from the hospital. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
I'm Not Scared
2003 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 970 votes
In a tiny community enclosed by wheat fields, the adults shelter indoors, while six children venture out on their bikes across the scorched, deserted countryside. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Just the Two of Us
2023 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 340 votes
When Blanche meets Grégoire, she thinks she has found the one. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Confession of Murder
2012 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 332 votes
A serial killer reappears 15 years after his murder spree with a book detailing his crimes. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Azumi
2003 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 369 votes
In war-torn Japan, the Tokugawa Shogun, desperate to restore peace to his people, orders the assassination of the hostile warlords. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kajaki
2014 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 322 votes
British soldiers guarding the Kajaki Dam set out to rescue a three-man team after one of them loses a leg to a landmine. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Common Wealth
2000 · TMDB 6.9/10 · 356 votes
After finding an enormous amount of money hidden in a dead man's apartment, real estate agent Julia must face the wrath of the very peculiar inhabitants of the apartment building, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the money. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Kontroll
2003 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 303 votes
A subway enforcement officer working in the oppressively gray Budapest metro gets a chance at love — but first he needs to find out why passengers are jumping — or being pushed — to their deaths onto the tracks. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Big Bad Wolves
2013 · TMDB 6.6/10 · 428 votes
The twisted paths of three very different men brutally collide due to a chain of unspeakable murders: a grieving father who has been doomed to seek vengeance and a police detective who boldly crosses the narrow boundary between law and crime meet a religion teacher suspected of being the murderer. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Sightless
2020 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 426 votes
After an attack renders her blind, Ellen withdraws from the world to recover. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Sabotage
1937 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 373 votes
Karl Anton Verloc and his wife own a small cinema in a quiet London suburb where they live seemingly happily. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Fast & Furious
2009 · TMDB 6.7/10 · 7,904 votes
When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.