Eight thriller films that set the blueprint for modern thrillers

Published 3 minutes ago, Collider names eight thriller movie masterpieces that became blueprints for the genre.

The piece argues that only a select few thrillers surpass expectations and redefine what the form can do, pairing suspense and tension with distinctive innovations. It highlights Perfect Blue’s reality‑bending portrait of mental decline and its influence on anime and live‑action filmmakers; The Matrix’s genre‑shattering visual effects and virtual‑reality themes; and Get Out’s blend of slow‑burn suspense with social commentary. The roundup also cites The Godfather as the template for mob sagas, Jaws as the inventor of the modern summer thriller and the first film to earn $100 million, The Sixth Sense as the gold standard for twist endings, Alien for redefining space as horror, and The Dark Knight for elevating the superhero movie into a serious crime thriller and setting a benchmark for villain performance.

The article profiles these eight films and describes how each supplied storytelling tools, themes, or stylistic blueprints that countless later thrillers would adopt, presenting them as enduring masterpieces that continue to influence modern genre filmmaking.

Key Topics

Culture, Perfect Blue, The Matrix, Get Out, The Godfather, Jaws