What is a thriller exactly? Unlike the sci-fi or comedy genres, a film can fit into this corner of cinema if it manages to keep viewers on the edges of their seats with intense thrills and palpable suspense. As long as the movie is able to build tension, it’s fair game. Of course, there are plenty of subgenres within, which filmmakers use to craft excellent thrillers, from war-time stories like “The Hurt Locker” to social allegories like “Parasite” to pretty much all of Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography.
But what are the best thrillers to watch if you want to expand your moviegoing palate? To get to the bottom of that question, Stacker compiled data from Metacritic to create a ranking of the top 100 thriller films ever made, according to critics. To be considered for this list, films had to be defined by Metacritic as “thrillers,” and had to feature at least seven reviews from major critics or publications. Ties were broken internally from Metacritic.
No matter what you’re in the mood to watch, there’s a good chance something in this list will encourage you to get drawn into the often bloody, always exciting storytelling that this genre has to offer. Without further ado, here are the top 100 thriller movies of all time.