Are you in the mood for a good suspense flick that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Look no further than Amazon Prime Video. The streaming service has an impressive collection of suspenseful movies that are sure to get your heart racing.
From classic Hitchcock thrillers to modern psychological mind-benders, there’s something for every suspense fan. I’ve scoured through Prime Video’s vast library to bring you the top 20 must-watch suspense movies available to stream right now. So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and get ready for a wild ride!
1. Rear Window (1954)
Kicking off our list is the quintessential Hitchcock suspense classic, Rear Window. This masterpiece stars Jimmy Stewart as a photographer confined to his apartment after an injury. To pass the time, he takes to spying on his neighbors through his rear window. But things take a dark turn when he becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Rear Window is a slow-burn that builds tension through voyeuristic camerawork and expert pacing. It’s a prime example of Hitchcock’s unparalleled ability to wring suspense out of a simple premise. If you haven’t seen this essential thriller, now’s the perfect time.
2. Memento (2000)
Next up is Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending neo-noir, Memento. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man with anterograde amnesia on a quest to find his wife’s killer. The film is presented in two intertwining narratives – one in color, told in reverse chronological order, and the other in black and white, moving forward.
Memento keeps you constantly guessing as you try to piece together the fragmented plot along with the unreliable narrator. It’s a uniquely structured and endlessly rewatchable thriller that cements Nolan as a master of the craft.
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs is the only horror/thriller to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars, and for good reason. Jodie Foster is brilliant as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee tasked with interviewing the infamous cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (a chilling Anthony Hopkins) to gain insight into the mind of a serial killer.
Director Jonathan Demme crafts an unsettling and unforgettable thriller that gets under your skin and stays there. Foster and Hopkins are electric in their quid pro quo tête-à-têtes. With its feminist themes and psychological depth, Silence remains the gold standard for suspense over 30 years later.
4. Shutter Island (2010)
Martin Scorsese takes on the psychological thriller genre with Shutter Island, and knocks it out of the park. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a U.S. Marshal investigating the disappearance of a patient at an isolated mental hospital. But not everything is as it seems.
Scorsese keeps you perpetually off-balance as reality blurs with delusion. The film’s twisty plot and Gothic atmosphere make for a suspenseful and haunting experience. DiCaprio gives a powerhouse performance as his character begins to question his own sanity in a house of mirrors.
5. A Simple Favor (2018)
Who says suspense can’t be stylish and fun? A Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick as a mommy vlogger who befriends the glamorous and enigmatic Emily (Blake Lively). But when Emily suddenly goes missing, Kendrick must unravel the mystery of her disappearance.
Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) deftly balances dark comedy with genuine suspense and surprises. Kendrick and Lively have crackling chemistry in this twisty, campy thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. Pour a martini and enjoy the ride.
6. Uncut Gems (2019)
The Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems is a uniquely Jewish take on the suspense thriller that will leave you breathless. Adam Sandler gives a career-best performance as a gambling addict jeweler who makes a high-stakes bet to pay off his debts.
Uncut Gems is relentlessly tense, plunging you into the high-pressure world of New York’s Diamond District. The Safdies masterfully ratchet up the tension, stress, and anxiety to almost unbearable levels. You’ll need a stiff drink after this adrenaline rush of a movie.
7. The Handmaiden (2016)
Acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) puts his own provocative spin on the erotic psychological thriller with The Handmaiden. Set in 1930s colonial Korea and inspired by Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, the film follows a conwoman who poses as a maid to swindle a Japanese heiress.
The Handmaiden is a sumptuous and sensual suspense film full of shocking twists and turns. Park’s meticulous craft is on full display, from the gorgeous cinematography to the perfectly calibrated performances. It’s a uniquely captivating thriller that subverts expectations at every turn.
8. Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher‘s adaptation of Gillian Flynn‘s bestselling novel Gone Girl is a razor-sharp and gripping suspense thriller. When Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, suspicion falls on her husband Nick (Ben Affleck). But there’s much more to this story than meets the eye.
Fincher is in top form here, crafting a slick and twisted mystery full of dark secrets. Pike is mesmerizing as the enigmatic Amy, while Affleck perfectly captures the mounting dread and paranoia. With its biting social commentary and shocking revelations, Gone Girl is a modern suspense classic.
9. Blow the Man Down (2019)
Blow the Man Down is an atmospheric seaside noir set in a small fishing village in Maine. After two sisters accidentally kill a man in self-defense, they attempt to cover it up, only to uncover the town’s dark underbelly of crime and corruption.
This suspenseful slow-burn is full of colorful characters and surprising twists. Directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy infuse the film with a distinct sense of place, making the town itself feel like a character. With its unique tone and setting, Blow the Man Down is an underseen gem waiting to be discovered.
10. The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers‘ hallucinatory period piece The Lighthouse traps you on a remote New England island with two lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) as they descend into madness. Shot in eerie black and white, the film is a claustrophobic pressure cooker of suspense.
Dafoe and Pattinson give tour-de-force performances, bouncing off each other with manic intensity. Eggers sustains an almost unbearable sense of dread and unease as reality slips away. Steeped in mythology and maritime lore, The Lighthouse is a hypnotic and haunting experience you won’t soon forget.
11. The Handmaiden (2016)
We’ve already covered Park Chan-wook’s erotic thriller The Handmaiden, but it’s so good it deserves a second mention. The less you know going in, the better, as the film takes you on a wild, unpredictable ride full of deception, desire, and danger.
With its lush visuals, meticulous plotting, and sizzling chemistry between its leads, The Handmaiden is an intoxicating suspense film that’s impossible to look away from. It’s a true masterclass in building and releasing tension. Just make sure the kids are in bed before pressing play on this one.
12. Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho‘s Best Picture-winning Parasite defies easy categorization, but suspense is undoubtedly a key ingredient. The less said about the plot the better, but it involves a poor family who ingratiate themselves into a wealthy household, only for things to go very, very wrong.
Bong masterfully blends dark comedy, social satire, and Hitchcockian suspense into a wholly unique and unpredictable thriller. The precision of his craft is astounding, from the meticulous production design to the pitch-perfect performances. Parasite keeps you on your toes and leaves you breathless by the end.
13. The Vanishing (1988)
The original Dutch version of The Vanishing (not the inferior American remake) is a chilling and unforgettable suspense film. When a young woman disappears without a trace, her boyfriend becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her, leading to a confrontation with a sociopath.
Director George Sluizer slowly tightens the screws of suspense, building to a horrifying climax that will haunt you long after the credits roll. With its existential themes and uncompromising ending, The Vanishing is a true one-of-a-kind thriller.
14. Burning (2018)
South Korean master Lee Chang-dong‘s Burning is a mesmerizing slow-burn mystery adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story. The film follows an aimless young man who becomes infatuated with a woman from his childhood, only for her to disappear after a trip with a wealthy new suitor.
Burning is a masterpiece of ambiguity and unease that gets under your skin. Lee sustains an almost unbearable tension through long, impeccably composed takes and a smoldering central performance by Steven Yeun. It’s a film that lingers in your mind long after, inviting endless interpretation.
15. The Gift (2015)
Actor Joel Edgerton proves himself a skilled director with his suspenseful feature debut The Gift. Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall star as a married couple whose lives are upended by the arrival of an old acquaintance (Edgerton) bearing mysterious gifts and a dark secret.
Edgerton keeps you guessing as he slowly peels back the layers of this twisty thriller. The performances are excellent, with Bateman playing against type as a man with a shady past. With its themes of buried trauma and revenge, The Gift is a gripping and thought-provoking suspense film.
16. Green Room (2015)
Jeremy Saulnier‘s Green Room is a brutally tense and efficient thriller. A punk band finds themselves trapped in the green room of a neo-Nazi club after witnessing a murder, forced to fight their way out against a group of violent skinheads led by a chilling Patrick Stewart.
Saulnier keeps the suspense ratcheted up to 11, staging some of the most intense and visceral set pieces in recent memory. The young cast, including Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, is terrific, while Stewart is unforgettable as the calm and calculating villain. Green Room is a lean, mean suspense machine.
17. The Invisible Man (2020)
Leigh Whannell‘s clever update of the classic Universal monster movie The Invisible Man turns it into a timely and terrifying suspense thriller. Elisabeth Moss stars as a woman who believes she is being stalked by her abusive ex-boyfriend… who also happens to be invisible.
Whannell uses negative space and unsettling camera angles to create a pervasive sense of dread, keeping you constantly scanning the frame. Moss is phenomenal as a woman pushed to the brink, anchoring the film’s themes of gaslighting and domestic abuse. The Invisible Man is a masterful exercise in suspense.
18. You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Lynne Ramsay‘s You Were Never Really Here is a haunting and hallucinatory suspense film. Joaquin Phoenix stars as a traumatized veteran who works as a mercenary to rescue trafficked girls, but his latest job sends him down a dark rabbit hole.
Ramsay’s impressionistic and immersive style puts you inside the fractured headspace of Phoenix’s character. The film is full of startling images and pulse-pounding suspense, anchored by Phoenix’s raw and committed performance. You Were Never Really Here is a singular and unforgettable experience.
19. mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky‘s polarizing mother! is a wild, surreal suspense film that’s guaranteed to get a reaction out of you. Jennifer Lawrence stars as a woman whose tranquil life with her poet husband (Javier Bardem) is disrupted by the arrival of mysterious guests.
Aronofsky slowly ratchets up the tension and unease before exploding into full-blown madness in the audacious final act. mother! is a film that demands to be experienced and interpreted, full of Biblical allegory and social commentary. Love it or hate it, you won’t be able to look away.
20. The Lighthouse (2019)
We end as we began, with another mention of Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. This hallucinatory two-hander traps you in a remote lighthouse with two men (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) as they descend into madness and paranoia.
Shot in eerie black and white and a nearly square aspect ratio, The Lighthouse is a claustrophobic pressure cooker of suspense. Dafoe and Pattinson give larger-than-life performances, bouncing off each other with manic intensity. Steeped in mythology and maritime lore, it’s a film that will haunt your dreams.
There you have it – the 20 best suspense movies you can stream right now on Amazon Prime Video. From slow-burn mysteries to pulse-pounding thrillers, these films represent the very best the genre has to offer.
So what are you waiting for? Dim the lights, grab some popcorn, and prepare to be on the edge of your seat. Happy streaming, suspense fans!
