These are the best thriller films of all time according to Letterboxd

With the weekend now in touching distance, many of us will be looking for films to binge-watch for the ultimate lazy day.

It can be hard to find the perfect title among a sea of streaming services, but one social media platform can prove vital in curating your watchlist.

Letterboxd is a platform made by film fans, for film fans, where you can share your latest watches, review films, and much more.

As such, it’s the perfect place to find the perfect movie based on Letterboxd’s top-rated films in numerous genres, from horror films to comedy and heart-racing thrillers.

Here, we take a look at what Letterboxd users have deemed the best thriller films – discounting David Lynch’s iconic series Twin Peaks, which came out on top despite not being a movie.

But Twin Peaks aside (sorry, Agent Cooper), these are the top 10 thriller films of all time according to Letterboxd – get your watchlist at the ready.

10. Rear Window (1954)

Kicking off our top 10 we have Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Rear Window.

Starring silver screen icons James Stewart and Grace Kelly, it follows photojournalist L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies who is bound to a wheelchair after injuring his foot.

While stuck in his apartment recovering from his injuries, he observes his neighbours and believes he witnessed the murder of a young woman by costume jewellery salesman Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr).

9. Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan-wook appears on this list more than once, first entering the fray with the acclaimed 2003 thriller Oldboy.

Loosely adapted from the manga novel of the same name, it follows the story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) who is released from captivity after being abducted 15 years prior by an unknown assailant.

He is hellbent on seeking revenge against his captor, tracking him down with the help of young sushi chef Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung) who he falls in love with.

8. Perfect Blue (1997)

Inspiring creatives from Darren Aronofsky to Madonna, Perfect Blue is a terrifying animated thriller from Japanese director Satoshi Kon.

The plot centres on Mima Kirigoe (Junko Iwao) who leaves J-pop group CHAM! to pursue an acting career.

Soon after landing her first major film role, she becomes the victim of an obsessive fan stalking her, losing her grip on reality as a series of murders take place in the area.

7. The Handmaiden (2016)

Park Chan-wook’s erotic thriller The Handmaiden shocked unsuspecting viewers at the time of its release – and it’s easy to see why.

Set in 1930s Korea during a period of Japanese occupation, Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) is hired as the handmaiden to Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) by Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) who tasks Sook-hee with convincing Lady Hideko to marry him.

While living with Lady Hideko and her domineering uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong), the women begin to explore unexpected feelings toward one another.

6. Memories of Murder (2003)

A series of murders that went unsolved for 30 years inspired the plot of Bong Joon-ho’s gripping 2003 thriller Memories of Murder.

In the film, detectives Park Doo-man (Kang-ho Song) and Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) investigate a series of rapes and murders that take place in Hwaesong, South Korea, in the 1980s.

It is based on the real-life crimes of Lee Choon-jae who eventually confessed to killing 14 people in 2019 – 16 years after Memories of Murder was released.

Which thriller film do you think should be number one? Comment Now

5. Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes kicks off our top five.

It stars Eiji Okada, Kyōko Kishida, and Kōji Mitsui, and follows the story of amateur entomologist Niki Junpei (Okada) who travels to a rural coastal village to inspect tiger beetles.

He settles in the house of an unidentified window (Kishida) after missing his bus home, but soon realises his being stranded in the village is no accident.

4. The Dark Knight (2008)

Christopher Nolan’s Golden Globe-winning superhero flick The Dark Knight feels somewhat out of place, but it sits at number four on Letterboxd’s top-rated thriller films.

The Batman Begins sequel features an all-star cast including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and the late Heath Ledger in one of his most revered roles as The Joker.

Batman (Bale) teams up with police lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman) and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to tackle crime in Gotham City, but their efforts are cut short by anarchist criminal The Joker who plunges the city into chaos.

3. Le Trou (1963)

Jacques Becker directed French crime thriller Le Trou in 1960 based on José Giovanni’s 1957 book The Break.

The film begins with prisoner Claude Gaspard (Mark Michel) moving into the cell of Geo Cassine (Michel Constantin), Roland Darbant (Jean Keraudy), Manu Borelli (Philippe Leroy), and Vossellin (Raymond Meunier).

They let Claude in on a secret plant they have hatched which involves them literally digging out of prison to freedom.

2. Parasite (2019)

Many film fans have been revisiting the Oscar-winning hit Parasite following the release of Bong Joon-ho’s most recent release, Mickey 17.

Boasting a huge 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the revered 2019 thriller follows the struggling Kim family, including couple Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) and Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), their daughter Ki-jung (Park So-dam), and son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik).

When Ki-woo lands a lucrative job for the wealthy Park family, the Kims hatch a scheme to secure jobs from each family member while concealing their real identities.

1. High and Low (1963)

In the number one spot is Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, a Golden Globe nominee which has been highly influential in the police procedural genre.

High and Low tells the story of Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a businessman struggling for control over a major shoe company.

He plans to buy out the company with his life savings, but his plan is thrown into disarray when a group led by Ginjirо̄ Takeuchi (Yamazaki) mistakenly kidnap his chauffeur’s son to ransom him.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.