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Few cinematic delights beat really good suspense. A tense thriller can be almost physically painful, as you shift restlessly in your chair, gripping the armrests, unable to look away. It’s fun in the way that a very high rollercoaster is fun.
Redditors got together onr/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss the most suspenseful movies ever. They chose crime movies, horrors, and post-apocalyptic sci-fi – many of which happen to featureJake Gyllenhaal. While far from a definitive ranking, their picks include some solid recommendations for thriller fans.
Updated on August 08, 2025, by Hannah Saab:
David Fincherhas confirmedthat his beloved 1995 classic,Se7en, is getting a 4k remaster. The suspenseful crime thriller is a favorite on Reddit, and is among the most nail-biting movies recommended by users on the platform.
12’Green Room' (2015)
A punk rock band called the Ain’t Rights performs a gig at a remote bar outside Portland, Oregon. To their horror, they find out that neo-Nazis frequent the joint. Witnessing a shocking act of violence, the bandmates become trapped backstage, held hostage by the bar’s owner, Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart), and his gang. As the body count rises, the Ain’t Rights must use their wits and resourcefulness to survive the night.
RELATED:Gripping Thriller Movies That Have Tremendous Re-Watch Value
“I still haven’t seen a movie as totally gripping asGreen Room. I found myself constantly forgetting to breathe that movie was so terrifying,” saidLostInStatic. “When it ended I thought only 45 minutes had gone by. What a ridiculously well-paced movie,” addedAllocatedData.
Watch on Max
11’Brothers' (2009)
Tobey Maguirestars inBrothersas Sam Cahill, a Marine captain presumed dead in Afghanistan. His brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), steps in to help care for Sam’s wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and their two daughters: but then Sam returns home. The emotional scars of war lead to a series of heart-wrenching situations that test the bonds of brotherhood and the family’s resilience.
“I have never been more on the edge of my seat than towards the end of that film,” saidZacPensol. “It all comes to a head in an incredibly intense scene where I seriously had no idea what direction it was going to go. It’s so incredibly rare to experience that in movies these days.”
Watch on Starz
10’The Wailing' (2016)
The Wailingis a South Korean horrordirected byNa Hong-jin. The story unfolds in a quiet rural village plagued by a mysterious illness that causes people to become homicidal. A bumbling police officer named Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) takes it upon himself to investigate after his daughter falls ill. The townsfolk blame a reclusive Japanese stranger (Jun Kunimura) living in the woods, and a shaman tells Jong-goo that the disease might be the work of a malevolent spirit.
The film received rave reviews and has been compared toThe ExorcistandBong Joon-ho’sMemories of Murder. It’s a slow burn but rewards viewers who stick with it. “The Wailingis a masterpiece,” saidartemispsimply.
Watch on Prime Video
9’Good Time' (2017)
Directed by theSafdie Brothers,Good Timeis a gritty and fast-paced crime thriller that follows the desperate efforts of Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) to free his developmentally disabled brother, Nick (Benny Safdie), from police custody after a botched bank robbery. The film takes place over one night as Connie races through the streets of New York City, navigating a series of high-stakes and dangerous encounters.
RELATED:Dramatic Robert Pattinson Performances to See
Pattinson received critical acclaim for his performance, with many reviewers declaring it his best work. “[Good Time] made me physically anxious. I couldn’t sit still,” oneRedditorsaid. “Just keeps ratcheting up until the very end,” repliedzeydey. “I was thinking I had no idea where this was going and I loved it,” saidBisonVermersch.
Watch on Paramount+
8’Nocturnal Animals' (2016)
Nocturnal Animalswas the second feature film directed by fashion designerTom Ford. Art gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) receives a manuscript from her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). The movie then cuts between her story and the revenge narrative in the novel, and the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur.
Thefilm is visually striking, the narrative structure is intriguing, and the lead performances are top-notch, as one would expect. It’s impressive how many solid thrillers Gyllenhaal starred in the 2010s. In particular,Hollow_Kingpraised “the car scene,” describing it as “uncomfortable and intense.”
Watch on Netflix
7’The Raid: Redemption' (2011)
Gareth Evansdirected this action-packed Indonesian thriller about a SWAT team’s ill-fated mission to take down a crime lord named Tama (Ray Sahetapy). It takes place in a rundown high-rise apartment building that serves as Tama’s stronghold. As the team fights their way up the building’s floors, they encounter brutal resistance from Tama’s heavily armed and well-trained henchmen.
The film has been praised for its fight choreography, courtesy of starsIko UwaisandYayan Ruhian, but one Redditor also found it to be highly suspenseful.“The Raid: Redemptionfelt more like a 90-minute exercise in white-knuckle tension and desperation,“ithinkther41amsaid.
6’A Quiet Place' (2018)
InA Quiet Place, the Abbott family attempt to survive in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by creatures that hunt by sound. The family members communicate through sign language and take every precaution to minimize noise, as even the slightest sound could attract the monsters.
RELATED:Horror Films That Play on the Senses
The film is brilliant in how it uses this premise to build tension. For example, directorJohn Krasinskiwracks the viewer’s nerves with just a simple shot of an exposed nail in a floorboard. “A Quiet Placereally had me on the edge of my seat and stressed out too. I absolutely enjoyed that damn movie.” “It was a really good film. Definitely a fun experience,” repliedEnoughItem.
5’The Chaser' (2008)
The Chaseris another film fromThe Wailingdirector Na Hong-jin, this time anail-biting international crime thrillerabout a former detective turned pimp named Joong-ho (Kim Yoon-seok). Joong-ho discovers that a vicious murderer has kidnapped one of the women who work for him, so he sets out to save her before it’s too late.
The film is lean, mean, and morally gray: there are no heroes here. It works because it’s so story- and character-driven. There’s no action simply for action’s sake. Na keeps the audience off guard, throwing them only scraps of information here and constantly misdirecting them. “+1 forThe Chaser. Such a crazy movie,” saidFunkiDimons.
Watch on Tubi
4’The Departed' (2006)
The DepartedisMartin Scorsese’s crime epic about loyalty and deceit in the Boston underworld. The story revolves around two men living double lives — Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop, and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a mole inside the police department. Both men work to infiltrate opposite sides of the law: Billy attempts to gather evidence on the notorious Irish mob boss, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), while Colin feeds insider information to Costello, aiding the mob’s activities.
“The movie holds suspense the entire way through and the pacing is Scorsese at his most frenetic. It’s unbelievable that it works so damn well,” saidPirateDaveZomg. AnotherRedditoralso praised it but suggested that viewers also check outInfernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film on whichThe Departedwas based. “I thinkInfernal Affairs[in] hindsight was a better movie,” they said.
3’Prisoners' (2013)
After his daughter and her friend go missing, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) takes matters into his own hands, kidnapping the prime suspect, a young man with an intellectual disability named Alex (Paul Dano). Meanwhile, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) pursues multiple leads and tries to solve both cases.
RELATED:The Best Kidnapping Movies, According to Reddit
Prisonersis one of two fantastic thrillersDenis Villeneuvereleased in 2013, the other being the surreal and thought-provokingEnemy. Gyllenhaal is on top form in both. “Prisoners[…] had me on the edge of my seat,” saidLitchedSwetters.
