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53 Of The Best Thriller Movies To Watch In 2025
Thrillers that will keep you on edge
Thriller movies are reserved for the bravest of movie lovers, delivering more than just blood and gore—they offer conflict, unexpected twists, and a gripping tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
These films often make you question yourself, your loved ones, and even your reality. From Zoë Kravitz’s stunning directorial debut Blink Twice, featuring Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie, to 2024’s and 2025's biggest hits so far including The Gorge (Anya Taylor-Joy), Conclave (Stanley Tucci), and Stay Online, which documents the realities of live in Ukraine, this list of films is packed with gripping plotlines that will leave you biting your nails.
These films are the best thrillers to keep you on the edge of your seat as we continue into 2025. With intense plots, twists, and heart-pounding suspense, they’re a must-watch.
The Gorge (2025)
The Gorge follows a young woman, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who embarks on a dangerous journey through a remote, mysterious canyon known for its deadly allure. As she uncovers long-hidden secrets, she becomes entangled in a web of psychological and supernatural forces, where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur. With danger on every corner, survival becomes a race against time.
Presence (2025)
Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris Payne (Chris Sullivan) are a couple navigating the complexities of parenting two teens while facing personal and family challenges. In search of a fresh start, they relocate to a new home, but soon discover that their new life is far from peaceful. Their daughter, Chloe (Callina Liang), is grieving the loss of a close friend, while their son, Ty (Eddy Maday), struggles with a volatile temper. However, the family's turmoil is further exacerbated by an eerie, unexplained force in the house, a 'presence' that threatens to unravel their already fragile bonds.
Conclave (2024)
Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci star in this tense political thriller set within the Vatican, where 115 cardinals gather to elect a new pope following the sudden death of the former pope.. As secrets and scandals unravel, alliances form and tensions rise, revealing the disturbing depths of power, faith, and ambition within the church and among. With a shocking twist, the film challenges traditional church norms and explores the fragile dynamics within the higher rankings of the church.
Stay Online (2025)
Stay Online follows Liza Zaitseva, a young woman volunteering in Kyiv, who is given one of the many laptops donated to support Ukraine’s war effort. When she receives a mysterious video call from a young boy searching for his missing father, who disappeared during the Russian invasion of Bucha, she reluctantly agrees to help. Embarking on a dangerous path, she is forced to risk the lives of her own loved ones' in search of answers.
Blink Twice (2024)
Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, Blink Twice, featuring Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie, will have you thinking twice about your next holiday destination.
The premise sees a Frida, a cocktail waitress, being invited to a tech billionaire's (Slater King, played by Tatum) private island and everything seems too good to be true until strange things start happening, which ultimately leads to Frida fighting for her survival.
Warning - this film contains strong scenes and themes of violence and sexual assault.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
If you were left disturbed and unnerved by Javier Bardem's portrayal as José Menendez in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, then Bardem's award-winning performance in No Country For Old Men will no doubt leave you feeling the same.
The western thriller film follows the fallout of a grisly drug deal gone wrong. When hunter Llewelyn Moss comes across the cash left behind from the deal, the hunter becomes the hunted when a ruthless killer named Chigurh goes on a mission to kill Moss and retrieve the money.
Mother's Instinct (2023)
Anne Hathaway (Céline) and Jessica Chastain (Alice) star as mothers who bond over their families neighbouring one another, the friendship between their young sons, Max and Theo, and the joys of motherhood.
Their close bond is put to the test when tragedy strikes following the death of Céline's son, Max. The mothers' once comforting bond takes a sinister turn for the worst in this psychological thriller.
Don't Move (2024)
While grieving the loss of her son, Iris decides to visit the site of her son's death in the countryside. Making the mistake of trusting a stranger named Richard, who attacks Iris with a stun device, leaving her just 20 minutes to run, fight and hide, until her body becomes completely paralysed. With her perseverance put to the test, Iris must do everything in her power to avoid a brutal fate.
American Gangster (2007)
With a seriously starry cast, Ridley Scott-directed American Gangster is the nail-biting thriller that you need to add to your watch list. Starring Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington and Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film tells the story of chauffeur Frank Lucas, played by Washington, who works for one of Harlem's most notorious gangsters. After his boss dies, Lucas graduates from driver to crime lord, something that puts him on the radar of policeman, Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe. Without giving any spoilers away, the rest of the story has to be seen to be believed.
The Guest (2014)
If you're looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, The Guest is the one. The film tells the story of a soldier named David, played by Dan Stevens, who shows up at a family's house claiming to be their dead son's friend who fought with him in Afghanistan before his death. David is quickly welcomed into the Peterson's house, but suspicions rise for their teenage daughter Anna, played by Maika Monroe, who starts to get suspicious after a series of mysterious deaths rocks the family's sleepy town.
Emily The Criminal (2022)
In a performance that planted her firmly on the map in the eyes of many, The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza dazzled audiences and critics alike with her performance in Emily The Criminal. The film follows Plaza, who plays the titular Emily Benetto, a woman trying to pay back her student debt but struggling to do so thanks to her criminal record obstructing her ability to get a job. The result is that Emily has to resort to rather more uncouth measures to pay off her debt.
Miller's Girl (2024)
Jenna Ortega stars as Cairo Sweet, a young 18-year-old woman who schemes to have an affair with her much older teacher, Jonathan Miller (played by Martin Freeman) with the hopes of finally finding an interesting story for her university application.
Filled with tension, Miller's Girl examines the boundaries between student and teacher and the consequences of challenging power dynamics.
The Killer (2023)
Based on the French graphic novel series of the same name by Alexis ‘Matz’ Nolent, The Killer tells the story of an assassin, played by Michael Fassbender, who embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong. If that isn't reason enough to tune into the thriller, the film also stars Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, so what're you waiting for?
Road House (2024)
A remake of the 1989 movie starring Patrick Swayze, things are not all as they seem in this action thriller which sees Jake Gyllenhaal play a UFC fighter named Dalton who ends working as a bouncer in an unusual rough-and-tumble roadhouse in Florida.
Saltburn (2023)
It's one of the most talked-about films of recent years, but if you still haven't seen Emerald Fennell's second film, Saltburn, which takes inspiration from Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, then mark it as one to watch – if not for that naked Sophie Ellis-Bextor soundtracked dance scene.
The film tells the story of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who befriends the beautiful, wealthy and aristocratic Felix Catton while studying at Oxford. When Catton invites Quick to his family's estate, deftly named Saltburn, things quickly start to unravel for Quick and the circle of people he's elbowed his way to the heart of.
Foe (2023)
Set in a near-future world that has been baked by a climate apocalypse, Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior's family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger shows up at their door with a startling proposal.
Fair Play (2023)
Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor stars in this moody thriller which follows the slow but sinister unravelling of a couple's relationship when Emily, played by Dynevor, receives an unexpected promotion at a hedge fund company instead of her boyfriend (Alden Ehrenreich).
The premise of the film spotlights themes of love, ambition, feminism and jealousy and the dynamics of power imbalances in modern day heterosexual relationships.
I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)
Charlie Kaufman, the 2005 winner of the the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the brains behind one of Netflix’s most underrated thrillers.
Starring Jessie Buckley as Lucy, a young woman thinking about ending her relationship with her boyfriend Jake, played by Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things proves that nothing is ever really as it seems as the pair visit his parents on their secluded farm.
Before I Wake (2016)
When foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome eight-year-old Cody into their home, they’re unsurprised to learn that he’s terrified to fall asleep. They assume it’s like any natural fear that a child has, until suddenly their dead biological son suddenly appears in their living room.
The couple quickly learns that both Cody’s dreams and his nightmares can become real — and so begins their journey to uncover the truth behind his unusual ability.
The Good Nurse (2022)
While battling a serious health condition, overstretched ICU nurse and mum Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) uncovers one of the most sinister serial killers of all time, Charles Cullen, in this unnerving mystery drama.
The film is based on the true story of Cullen, who, between the 1990s and 2000s, killed at least 29 people while being employed as a nurse, although authorities believe that number to be closer to 400.
While Loughren's new colleague (Cullen) appears selfless and a huge help to her at first, unexplained deaths lead the silent killer to his fate.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
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