The Greatest Suspense Movies

Ranker Film
Updated August 11, 2023 30.8K votes 2.4K voters 236.7K views
Over 2.4K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Greatest Suspense Movies
Voting Rules
Vote for your personal favorite Suspense films, regardless of how popular or successful they were at the box office.
Latest additions: Sympathy for the Devil, Oppenheimer, Holy Spider
Most divisive: Fail Safe

Here is a list of all the best suspense movies ever made, many of which are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Find out if your favorite suspense movies are currently streaming on these best dramas on Amazon Prime and Netflix lists. Take a look at this list of suspenseful movies!

This suspense movie list can be sorted by cast, year, director and more. This list of suspense films also contains suspense movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. This suspense films list can also be copied to start your own. This list, though, contains the best suspense movies of all time, as voted on by fans of the films This suspense movie list can be sorted by alphabetically, by director, by year and more, but is currently ordered from best to worst. Make sure to rock the vote, by voting up the best movies on this list.

List of suspense films includes suspense movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. Share what you voted on to see if your friends disagree.

These are the top films in the suspense genre, meaning that each and every one of these is a movie with at least a single element of the suspense genre in it. Be it the motifs of the suspense genre or just some of the most common archetypes.

If you're a fan of The Silence of the Lambs or The Sixth Sense, then vote them up so that the list reflects your preferences into account. The films on this list cover the most famous suspense movies of all time and are voted on by people who really care about suspense movie lists.

You can find the release information for any of the films listed below. It's often available in the data set, so you can even find the cast of some of these by clicking on the names of the suspense movies. List includes photos and suspense movie trailers next to the names of the movies.

List below includes The Assault, Hannibal and more movies. These are the best suspenseful movies as voted on by you, the people!

Whether you're at home and want to watch these suspense movies on DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max, or if you're seeing them in theatres for the first time, this is a list of good suspense movies that can be helpful in either situation to see where they all stack up. So from the latest, to the greatest suspense movies, here is the full suspense movies list, ordered from best to worst.

All sorts of directors have taken on Suspense movies. Examples include Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and Francis Ford Coppola.

Ranked by
  • The Silence of the Lambs
    1

    The Silence of the Lambs

    Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
    768 votes
    • Released: 1991
    • Directed by: Jonathan Demme
    The Silence of the Lambs, a gripping thriller, introduces audiences to FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). She's assigned an unnerving task: to extract information from the infamous and incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). The objective? To help apprehend another active serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), before he strikes again. This chilling narrative, directed by Jonathan Demme, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It interweaves suspense, crime solving and psychological manipulation, creating a film that is as thought-provoking as it is horrifying.

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  • Seven
    2

    Seven

    Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
    552 votes
    • Released: 1995
    • Directed by: David Fincher
    In Seven, Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a seasoned but weary crime fighter, partners with the young and impulsive Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) to investigate a series of grisly murders. Each murder uniquely represents one of the seven deadly sins - a chilling theme that pervades the movie. The film, directed by David Fincher, is dark and atmospheric, delivering an intense thriller that delves into the heart of human depravity. As the detectives unravel each horrifying crime, they are drawn deeper into a twisted killer's methodical madness. A critical success, this 1995 film won an MTV Movie Award for Best Movie.

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  • Psycho
    3

    Psycho

    Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
    492 votes
    • Released: 1960
    • Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
    In the chilling classic Psycho, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) absconds with stolen cash, seeking solace at the remote Bates Motel. The proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), is a peculiar young man dominated by his puritanical mother. Marion's disappearance triggers an investigation led by her sister, Lila (Vera Miles), and boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). Directed masterfully by Alfred Hitchcock, this iconic horror-thriller won several awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Leigh's performance. Psycho's suspense-filled plot twists and haunting score have left an indelible mark on cinematic history.

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  • The Sixth Sense
    4

    The Sixth Sense

    Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
    824 votes
    • Released: 1999
    • Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
    In the chilling drama The Sixth Sense, young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is burdened with an ability to see and interact with the deceased. Struggling to understand his unusual gift, he crosses paths with child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). The doctor, still reeling from a traumatic incident involving a former patient, invests himself in helping Cole cope with his terrifying experiences. This suspenseful thriller, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was lauded for its unexpected plot twist and earned six Academy Award nominations, solidifying its place as a standout in the supernatural genre.

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  • Alien
    5

    Alien

    Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt
    335 votes
    • Released: 1979
    • Directed by: Ridley Scott
    In Ridley Scott's 1979 movie Alien, the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, led by Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), encounter an unknown life form after being awakened from stasis to investigate a distress signal from a distant planet. This sci-fi horror film, known for its atmospheric tension and iconic creature design, takes the audience on a harrowing journey through the claustrophobic confines of a spaceship. As the alien organism infiltrates their ranks, survival becomes paramount, and no one is safe. The film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, testament to its groundbreaking cinematic visuals.

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  • The Usual Suspects
    6

    The Usual Suspects

    Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
    356 votes
    • Released: 1995
    • Directed by: Bryan Singer
    The Usual Suspects is a mystery-thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Five criminals, including Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), meet during a police lineup. Soon after, they are entangled in an intricate plot involving a legendary criminal mastermind named Keyser Söze. The movie won two Academy Awards, one for Best Original Screenplay and another for Best Supporting Actor (Spacey). Directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie, it's a film of deception, power plays, and secrets that constantly challenges its audience.

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