If You’re Not Into Horror Movies, But Want To Get Into The Spooky Vibes This Fall, Let Me Recommend 13 Of My Favorite Thrillers

I love horror and horror movies. So, many of my favorite films fall under the horror umbrella. That being said, sometimes I want something a little creepy, a little mysterious, or a little spooky, without wanting to be scared…

Miramax

For that, I usually turn to a thriller. They deliver on suspense without typically being scary. The problem with thrillers is that sometimes I feel like bad/not scary horror movies are just released as thrillers to make up for the fact that they’re just horror movies that missed the mark.

Thrillers are their own entity and deserve to be recognized as such. I’ve done the heavy lifting of finding some great thrillers, so here are 13 of my favorites to start you off in the genre:

1.Se7en

I wanted to start this list off with my favorite thriller, and a movie that is likely in my top five movies of all time. If you only watch one movie from this list, please let it be this one. This story revolves around two detectives, played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, who try to solve a string of murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. This one is dark and can sometimes be pretty grizzly, but it isn’t scary. It is suspenseful for sure, but if you don’t like movies to scare you, you’ll be safe with this one. Plus, the ending is chilling and dark and so so good.

2.Prisoners

This one is a tough watch due to the subject matter. Here, you watch heartbroken families and a grieving father do what he can to find his missing daughter and bring justice to her kidnappers. Strong performances by Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano make the story feel so real. I don’t usually find movies too sad, but this one had me struggling at moments. That being said, if you like a good sad movie, check this one out. It more than delivers on suspense. As a fair warning, some scenes get quite intense, and this one has some gore.

3.The Prestige

This one comes from visionary director Christopher Nolan (famous for films like Interstellar and Inception). It is a period piece set in London and follows two competing magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) as they battle for supremacy and the ultimate trick. This one has sci-fi elements and, in typical Nolan fashion, tries to warp reality and the sense of the world as we understand it. The Prestige can be a tad confusing if you aren’t paying attention, but I promise it’s worth setting your phone down for this one.

4.The Game

Man, this one is a puzzle. I can’t say too much about it without revealing the brilliant ending, but I’ll give it a try. It delivers maximum suspense without relying on gore. It comes from the same writer/director as Se7en and is so different but so good in its own right. I feel like I never hear anyone talk about The Game, and I think it’s finally time to find some fans for it.

5.Shutter Island

Shutter Island takes place in a remote New England mental hospital in 1954. It delivers all the creepy chills you would expect from a place like that in the 1950s. It follows Leonardo DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels as he tries to locate a missing patient. While on this search, we learn about Teddy’s troubled past. The ending here is such a twist and will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about our characters and their world. Shutter Island can definitely be creepy at times, but I wouldn’t say it should be too scary for the horror-averse.

6.Collateral

Collateral is a simple premise. A taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) picks up a passenger (Tom Cruise), but that passenger has nefarious business to attend to. The driver ends up getting roped into the mess and has to navigate the dark underbelly of the city, all the while being just another civilian like you or me. The stakes are high the whole movie, and I wasn’t bored for a second.

7.No Country for Old Men

Two men in a tense conversation inside a store; one wears a plaid shirt and the other has shoulder-length hair and a jacket

This one is worth the watch for Mr. Anton Chigurh alone. Chigurh is one of the most chilling villains in modern movie history. He’s not explicitly scary in the same way that a villain like Darth Vader or Freddy Krueger is; instead, he is scary in his realism. The way that he follows his strict morals while committing crimes allows you to see his twisted form of justice. There is a scene in this one involving an air vent that literally felt like it lasted a lifetime. I couldn’t stop holding my breath until the scene had ended. This one is top-tier suspense.

8.Train to Busan

I feel like this is a movie that skirts the line between horror and thriller. Train to Busan, to me at least, is more of a thriller, however. Despite being centered around a zombie outbreak, it isn’t scary. Instead, it delivers stress, tension, some gore, and many other aspects of horror, without the fear. The story here is also excellent, and the characters are hugely important to the story. The group you meet and travel through the story with is so developed and complex, showing how many different types of people would act if an outbreak were truly to occur. Check this one out, but just be warned; the ending may make you cry.

9.The Departed

It should come as no shock that Martin Scorsese was able to hit this one out of the park. He’s working with a genre he is comfortable with, in mob/organized crime films, but adds the extra hit of thrills to this to truly make it a thriller. This one is a peak law enforcement/police mystery thriller with so many layers. There are moles, undercover cops, double-crossing, and lies. Plus, the stakes are all so high the whole movie. It truly feels like something could go wrong, and everything could unravel at any moment. The Departed is almost three hours long, but I promise it doesn’t feel it. This one will keep you glued to the edge of that seat.

10.Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run a is German film that has the set up like a thriller version of Groundhog Day. You will see the same day over and again but each time you do, you gain more details. Ultimately, the very present clock in each iteration of the day creates the thrilling environment in this movie. The visuals, camera work, and soundtrack all contribute to the feeling of stress here.

11.Training Day

Another police thriller here. A brilliant performance by Denzel Washington (as if he would ever not be perfect) brings his character to life and keeps you on your toes the whole movie. To see someone manipulate and lie so effortlessly is chilling. If you’re into law enforcement movies and mysteries of that nature, I totally recommend this one. Plus, Training Day is 0% scary and 100% thrilling, so if you’re looking for a truly non-scary thriller, Training Day is perfect.

12.The Devil’s Advocate

I might be biased on this one because I’ll watch almost anything that has ’90s Keanu Reeves, but I love this creepy little sleeper hit. I went into this one with very low expectations and ended up absolutely loving it. It is creepy and unsettling without being scary. The creepy parts also just happen with no warning, which makes them super chilling. The ending is kind of bonkers too. Is this a cinematic masterpiece? No. But, man it’s fun.

13.And Parasite

How could I leave the 2019 Best Picture winner off this list? Coming from the mind of Bong Joon Ho, Parasite is a brilliant piece of cinema. What is so powerful about this thriller is how realistic it is. The first half of this movie doesn’t read like a thriller at all. Then, about halfway into the runtime, the old housekeeper shows up, and oh boy, do things go off the wall. The second half of the movie is fast-paced, suspenseful, and thrilling.

There are so many good thrillers out there that are truly exceptional. What is your favorite thriller movie? Let me know in the comments!

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