Thrillers are the kind of movies that anyone can’t deny because some people don’t like horror movies or romcoms, but when it comes to the thrills of a good film, the viewers get to delve into the psyche of our heroes and villains and it gives us deeper insight into why they do the things they do, and sometimes it can just be a film that changes how we think.
So, these are the 11 best women-led thriller movies you should watch right now.
11. I Care A Lot
Synopsis: Poised with sharklike self-assurance, Marla Grayson (Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike) is a professional, court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards whose assets she seizes and cunningly bilks through dubious but legal means. It’s a well-oiled racket that Marla and her business-partner and lover Fran (Eiza González) use with brutal efficiency on their latest “cherry,” Jennifer Peterson (two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest) — a wealthy retiree with no living heirs or family. But when their mark turns out to have an equally shady secret of her own and connections to a volatile gangster (Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage), Marla is forced to level up in a game only predators can play — one that’s neither fair, nor square.
10. Fresh
Synopsis: Fresh follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and – given her frustration with dating apps – takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway. Only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.
9. Shirley
Synopsis: Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds upends her meticulous routine and heightens tensions in her already tempestuous relationship with her philandering husband. The middle-aged couple, prone to ruthless barbs and copious afternoon cocktails, begins to toy mercilessly with the naïve young couple at their door.
8. I’m Your Woman
Synopsis: Suburban housewife Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) lives a seemingly easy life, supported by husband Eddie’s (Bill Heck) career as a thief. But when Eddie betrays his partners, Jean and her baby are forced to go on the run, and Eddie’s old friend Cal (Arinzé Kene) is tasked with the job of keeping them safe. After Cal mysteriously disappears, Jean befriends Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake), and the two women set out on a perilous journey into the heart of Eddie’s criminal underworld. A decidedly female take on crime dramas of the 1970s, I’m Your Woman is a tale of love, betrayal, motherhood, family and what it takes to claim your life as your own.
7. Last Night in Soho
Synopsis: In acclaimed director Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
6. Run
Synopsis: They say you can never escape a mother’s love… but for Chloe, that’s not a comfort — it’s a threat. There’s something unnatural, even sinister about the relationship between Chloe (newcomer Kiera Allen) and her mom, Diane (Sarah Paulson). Diane has raised her daughter in total isolation, controlling every move she’s made since birth, and there are secrets that Chloe’s only beginning to grasp. From the visionary writers, producers and director of the breakout film Searching, comes a suspense thriller that shows that when mom gets a little too close, you need to RUN.
5. Kimi
Synopsis: New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. present Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh’s original thriller KIMI, starring Zoë Kravitz. Alongside Kravitz (upcoming The Batman), the film stars Byron Bowers (No Sudden Move), Jaime Camil (Schmigadoon), Erika Christensen (Traffic), Derek DelGaudio (Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself), Robin Givens (Riverdale), Charles Halford (Logan Lucky), Devin Ratray (Side Effects), Jacob Vargas (The 33), with Rita Wilson (the Mamma Mia! films). Soderbergh, whose most recent film for the streamer was the star-studded No Sudden Move and who is next returning for Magic Mike’s Last Dance, directed KIMI from a script by acclaimed screenwriter David Koepp. Soderbergh’s frequent collaborator Michael Polaire and Koepp produced. Behind the scenes, Soderbergh was joined by his frequent collaborators, production designer Philip Messina (the Che films), costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (Logan Lucky, Behind the Candelabra), and composer Cliff Martinez (Contagion, Traffic).
4. Titane
Synopsis: From the ingenious mind of Julia Ducournau (RAW) comes Cannes Film Festival sensation and Palme d’Or winner, TITANE. Featuring dynamic and daring performances from Agathe Rousselle and Vincent Lindon, TITANE is a feverish and frequently jaw-dropping ride. With a titanium plate surgically fused to her skull following a car crash as a child, car model Alexia embarks on a wild and ultimately unpredictable journey that questions our assumptions about family, identity and love.
3. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Synopsis: Despite second thoughts about their relationship, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip with her new boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm with Jake’s mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis), the young woman begins to question the nature of everything she knew or understood about her boyfriend, herself, and the world. An exploration of regret, longing and the fragility of the human spirit, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is directed and written by Academy Award® winner Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Inspired by Iain Reid’s bestselling namesake novel.
2. Promising Young Woman
Synopsis: From visionary director Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman…until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.
1. The Invisible Man
Synopsis: What you can’t see can hurt you. Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy scientist, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding. But when her abusive ex suddenly dies, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel while she desperately tries to prove she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
