Here are the best A24 thriller movies including my favourites, award winners, critically acclaimed and cult favourites.
WYALAN star rating explained:
- 5 stars – Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend as a must watch
- 4 stars – Enjoyed and would watch again in the future
- 3 stars – Glad I watched it once, but I’ll probably never watch it again
- 2 stars – Watched to the end, but I wouldn’t watch it again
- 1 star – DNF (did not finish)
Award-Winning
Ex Machina (2015) – [Sci-Fi/Thriller/Philosophical]
For fans of: Her, Blade Runner 2049, Annihilation
Alex Garland’s directorial debut won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and earned a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film. Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander explore the boundaries of consciousness and control in a sleek AI chamber piece. The tension builds through dialogue, design, and dread.
The Lighthouse (2019) – [Psychological Thriller/Horror]
For fans of: The Shining, Eraserhead, The Witch
Robert Eggers’ black-and-white descent into madness earned an Oscar nomination for cinematography and won multiple critics’ awards. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson spar in isolation, myth, and madness. The visuals are hypnotic, the performances feral. WYALAN Rating – 3/5
The Iron Claw (2023) – [Drama/Thriller/Biopic]
For fans of: Foxcatcher, Warrior, The Wrestler
Sean Durkin’s wrestling family saga won Best Ensemble at the Gotham Awards and earned Zac Efron critical acclaim for his transformative lead role. The Von Erich dynasty unfolds with intensity, grief, and physicality. A24’s highest-grossing film to date. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) – [Satirical Thriller/Whodunnit]
For fans of: Scream, Euphoria, The Bling Ring
A Gen Z party turns deadly in Halina Reijn’s genre-savvy slasher, which won Best Screenplay at the SXSW Film Awards. Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, and Maria Bakalova lead a cast of influencers and frenemies. The satire is sharp, the pacing relentless.
More best A24 lists:
Best A24 Films ~ Best A24 Horror Movies ~ Best A24 Romance Movies ~ Best A24 Documentaries
~ Best A24 Comedy Movies
Critically Acclaimed
Good Time (2017) – [Crime/Thriller]
For fans of: Dog Day Afternoon, Drive, Nightcrawler
Robert Pattinson races through New York’s underbelly in the Safdie Brothers’ breakout hit. Cannes-premiered and praised for its kinetic style and claustrophobic urgency. The score by Oneohtrix Point Never won Best Soundtrack at Cannes.
Uncut Gems (2019) – [Crime/Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: Heat, Punch-Drunk Love, Margin Call
Adam Sandler’s career-defining performance as a compulsive jeweller earned him multiple critics’ awards and an Independent Spirit nomination. The Safdie Brothers orchestrate chaos with precision and panic. Every scene pulses with risk. WYALAN Rating – 4.5/5
Green Room (2016) – [Horror/Thriller]
For fans of: Assault on Precinct 13, Eden Lake, The Strangers
Jeremy Saulnier’s punk siege thriller stars Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart in a brutal standoff with neo-Nazis. TIFF-premiered and praised for its tension and violence. The claustrophobia is suffocating, the stakes lethal.
Enemy (2014) – [Psychological Thriller/Surreal]
For fans of: Mulholland Drive, The Double, Solaris
Denis Villeneuve directs Jake Gyllenhaal in a dual role that spirals into identity confusion and spider symbolism. TIFF-premiered and widely praised for its atmosphere and ambiguity. The ending still sparks debate. WYALAN Rating – 3/5
It Comes At Night (2017) – [Post-Apocalyptic Thriller]
For fans of: The Road, The Witch, 10 Cloverfield Lane
Joel Edgerton and Kelvin Harrison Jr. anchor this paranoia-laced survival story. Trey Edward Shults crafts dread through silence, shadows, and suspicion. Critics praised its mood and restraint.
Pearl (2022) – [Psychological Horror/Slasher]
For fans of: Carrie, Repulsion, Sunset Boulevard
Mia Goth’s performance as a fame-hungry farm girl earned widespread acclaim and a Gotham Award nomination. Ti West’s technicolor prequel to X blends melodrama with menace. The monologue alone became an instant classic.
X (2022) – [Slasher/Thriller]
For fans of: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Boogie Nights, Grindhouse
A porn crew filming in rural Texas faces unexpected horror in Ti West’s stylish genre homage. Goth and Jenna Ortega lead a cast that balances camp and carnage. Critics praised its execution and subversion.
Men (2022) – [Surreal Horror/Thriller]
For fans of: Mother!, The Wicker Man, Possession
Alex Garland’s folk-horror descent stars Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear in a village of uncanny menace. Visually bold and thematically divisive, it premiered at Cannes and sparked intense debate. The final act is unforgettable.
Medusa Deluxe (2023) – [Mystery/Thriller/Comedy]
For fans of: Knives Out, Blow-Up, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
A murder rocks a competitive hairdressing contest in Thomas Hardiman’s one-shot stylised debut. BIFA-nominated and praised for its originality and visual flair. The curls are sharp, the dialogue sharper.
Cult Favourites
Under the Silver Lake (2019) – [Neo-Noir/Conspiracy Thriller]
For fans of: Inherent Vice, Mulholland Drive, The Big Lebowski
Andrew Garfield wanders Los Angeles in search of a missing woman and a hidden code beneath pop culture. David Robert Mitchell’s divisive follow-up to It Follows premiered at Cannes and built a cult following. The rabbit holes are endless.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2017) – [Psychological Horror/Thriller]
For fans of: The Others, The Innocents, Saint Maud
Oz Perkins’ slow-burn chiller stars Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts in a wintry boarding school with sinister secrets. The film gained cult status for its atmosphere and ambiguity. A haunting score and elliptical structure deepen the dread.
The Monster (2016) – [Creature Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: The Babadook, A Quiet Place, The Relic
Zoe Kazan plays a mother stranded with her daughter on a forest road stalked by a beast. Bryan Bertino’s emotional horror blends creature terror with family trauma. Underseen but deeply affecting.
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2018) – [Mystery/Drama/Thriller]
For fans of: The Secret Window, The Butterfly Effect, The End of the Tour
Logan Lerman plays a reclusive author whose life unravels across three timelines. The film divided critics but found a niche audience drawn to its melancholic tone. Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler add emotional weight.
Mojave (2016) – [Psychological Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: The Talented Mr. Ripley, No Country for Old Men, The Sunset Limited
Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund face off in a desert-set existential duel. William Monahan’s script is philosophical, theatrical, and polarising. Cult viewers admire its ambition.
False Positive (2021) – [Psychological Thriller/Horror]
For fans of: Rosemary’s Baby, The Invitation, Swallow
Ilana Glazer co-wrote and stars in this stylised pregnancy thriller with Pierce Brosnan as a sinister fertility doctor. Premiered at Tribeca and praised for its feminist horror lens. The tone is glossy, the paranoia sharp.
Dark Places (2015) – [Mystery/Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Zodiac
Charlize Theron investigates her family’s murder decades later in this adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel. The mood is bleak, the mystery layered. Critics were mixed, but fans of Flynn’s work embraced it.
Cut Bank (2015) – [Crime Thriller/Noir]
For fans of: Fargo, A Simple Plan, Wind River
Liam Hemsworth, John Malkovich, and Billy Bob Thornton star in this small-town murder mystery with noir twists. The plot spirals through greed, deception, and rural menace. A sleeper entry in A24’s crime catalogue.
The Captive (2014) – [Psychological Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: Prisoners, Mystic River, The Pledge
Ryan Reynolds plays a father searching for his kidnapped daughter in Atom Egoyan’s icy thriller. Cannes-premiered but received mixed reviews. The tension is slow, the atmosphere chilling.
The Kill Team (2019) – [War Thriller/Drama]
For fans of: Jarhead, The Report, Eye in the Sky
Nat Wolff stars as a soldier grappling with morality in a unit accused of war crimes. Based on true events and directed by Dan Krauss, the film explores complicity and conscience. Intense and quietly devastating.
Sharper (2023) – [Crime Thriller/Con Artist]
For fans of: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bad Education, The Gift
Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, and Justice Smith weave a web of deception in this sleek Apple TV+ thriller. Directed by Benjamin Caron (Andor), the film unfolds in chapters, each revealing a new layer of manipulation. Critics praised its style and structure, though its reception remained divisive.