Another toughy--Tattooedjedi's Favorite Suspense Thrillers!!May 17 '00 Write an essay on this topic.This is another real tough category for me. For me there is a real fine line between mystery, suspense and horror. Sometimes these kind of movies blend genres. They can start out being a straightforward horror film, and turn into a mystery by films end. It can be a completely gory film, that keeps me on the edge of my seat guessing who the killer is, or what's going to happen. If it has done that, I consider the film more of a thriller then a horror film. So, with that said, below is my personal list of ten favorite thriller/suspense movies. These may not be THE BEST films of all time (all though some might consider a few of them as just that), but they are my FAVORITE films in this particular genre. These films are listed in no particular order, by the way. Let's get this scare list underway: 10) The Silence of the Lambs Anthony Hopkins is nothing short of brilliant as he portrays Dr. Hannibal Lechter, the brutal, yet intelligent cannibal in this movie. Jodie Foster is Clarissa, the detective assigned to solve a series of brutal mass murders. This dark and eerie thriller is worthy of each and every accolade it received. Brutal and graphic and intense is the name of the game here. 9) Unlawful Entry Ray Liotta stars as the cop who becomes obsessed with Madeline Stowe. Kurt Russel stars as Stowe's husband who tries to stop Liotta from getting the best of him. The classic, suspenseful interplay between the two of them works time and time again. Even though this film is a bit contrived, I still find it suspenseful, and enjoyable and fun to watch, time and time again. 8) Rear Window The classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, that stars a wheel chair bound James Stewart, who rapidly becomes a bit of a voyeur, and sees something he shouldn't have. The overall mood and ambiance set by Hitchcock is so scary, you can cut it with a knife. (Pardon the pun) 7) Firestarter This 1980's film, adapted from the novel written by Stephen King features a very young Drew Barrymore as a little girl with a very supernatural power. Something within her allows her to start fires. David Keith, in his strongest role ever, plays Drew's dad, with a great deal of heroism. Heather Locklear also has a key cameo in this film. 6) Basic Instinct I still recall the first time I saw this film. It literally kept me riveted right up until the end. Sharon Stone's performance goes very far beyond the infamous 'spread leg' scene in this film. She is warped and twisted as she plays opposite yet another fine performance in a thriller by Michael Douglas. The car chase on the California free way as the road twists and turns is really something to see, and to be thrilled by. 5) 8mm A lot of people do not like this movie. I, however find it to be a fine gothic thriller. Nicolas Cage is a detective hired by a rich old woman to decipher whether or not a snuff film she found is real. The film takes many bizarre and evil twists and turns along the way. It features a great supporting performance by Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini, as well as a terrific one from Joaquin Phoenix as Max Hollywood. This is a dark and evil film, that I thought worked very well as a dark thriller. 4) The Usual Suspects Kevin Spacey and the question, 'Just Who is Keyser Soze?' What more needs to be said? This film is a complete classic. An intense, nail biter is what this great mystery film is. It is laden with fine performances, and a story that takes so many twists and turns, that its really hard to figure out what the ultimate climax will be. 3) Scream The film which re-invented horror in the 1990's. Wes Craven crafted this suspenseful horror film, which features a killer running around in a costume inspired by the Eduard Munch painting. This film features a unique, impressive self-mocking brand of humor, that really added to the film. Looking past that though, what else can be found here, is an intense, tightly woven thriller, that had me on the edge of my seat guessing the first time I saw it. Excellent performances by Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich help make this film a modern day classic. 2) Se7en One of the darkest, most intense films you will ever see. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are two detectives investigating a series of serial killings in which the murder is apparently carrying out the seven deadly sins. The two must try and thwart the killer before he completes his masterpiece of seven killings. The unbilled performance by Kevin Spacey is evil, dark and unbelievably scary. The climax of this film came totally unexpected and was extremely dark. Even after you know the full story, this movie holds up to repeated viewings. 1) The Sixth Sense A thriller in every sense of the word. This movie is the tightest woven piece of celluloid this Jedi has ever viewed. All the dramatic elements, all the visual extras can not prepare you enough for the inborn secret of this movie. Bruce Willis gives the performance of his career here, as he plays the psychiatrist trying to figure out exactly what it is that is menacing young Haley Joel Osment. This film needs to viewed over and over, just so that you can take in all that is going on. Layer upon layer of clues exists if you know where to look. This is a film that is not only a suspenseful thriller, but it is a complete masterpiece of modern day film making. Well that was not easy. But there you have it. My ten favorite suspense/thrillers of all time. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions as to what you think of my list. Like i said, some of these may not be the BEST of all time, they are just my favorites. As always, thanks for reading.  |
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