6 of the Most Suspenseful Movies I’ve Ever Seen
And how to cultivate tension in your own work.
I recently saw a few lauded horror movies that didn’t scare me as much as I expected them to. Good acting, okay story, creepy imagery, maybe even a jump scare or two…but they left me feeling eh. And then I watched You’ll Never Find Me (recommended by thriller writer extraordinaire
) and felt: Yes! This is what I’ve been looking for!This Australian indie film, written and co-directed by a woman (which I note to lift up women in this male-dominated realm), follows a depressed-seeming man in an RV park who opens his door during a raging storm to find a shivering woman asking to use his phone. The setting and plot are deceptively simple, but the tension rises almost at once: Who is she, really? And who is he? Is one of them lying, even dangerous, and if so, who? The psychological suspense is supported by imagery—a quick shot of a tool, for example, made me feel a flash of fear more intense than all those other tepid horror movies combined. (You’ll have to watch to know why!)
The most engaging horror and thriller movies, the ones that make it impossible to look away, involve a high level of suspense. The stakes may be small—and in fact, the more human-sized they are, the more heightened they can feel. I think about this in my own work: What underlying tensions exist in the characters’ relationships? How can they be even more fraught? What are people hiding? What do they want but are not saying? I frequently look to movies for inspiration, so I wanted to share a few more that use suspense and tension in especially skilled and inventive ways:
THE INVITATION (the 2015 movie, not the 2022 one!) (directed by a woman): A man receives a dinner party invitation from his estranged ex-wife. From the start, a strong sense of dread suffuses the proceedings. Is the protagonist just being paranoid, or is there something odd going on with his ex-wife’s new friends? This movie is the very definition of a slow burn, with an ending that more than delivers.
BERLIN SYNDROME (directed and co-written by a woman): Highly recommend going into this one as blind as possible—try to avoid even the short description if you can. Suffice it to say, the mood switch from sweet to terrifying is masterfully done.
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE: I guess this one is in the Cloverfield franchise, but it stands well on its own. A woman wakes up in a bunker, and a man (John Goodman!) tells her something horrific has happened outside and won’t let her leave. But—she wonders as she discovers creepy clues about his background—is he telling the truth? This movie reminds me of a play, especially with a certain reveal that throws everything off-balance.
WATCHER (directed and co-written by a woman): An American woman moves to Bucharest for her husband’s job, where she notices a man watching her in a nearby building. As he begins to follow her, her husband and friends question her fear: Is she really being stalked, or is she just being paranoid?
WHIPLASH:
kindly reminded me of this one—which was actually one of my early inspirations for THE WRITING RETREAT! A young drummer at a music conservatory enters into a inspiring but destructive mentorship with his sociopathic-seeming instructor. Who will break first? The last scene of this movie will stick with me forever.What suspenseful movies have inspired you? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
IN OTHER NEWS…
People recently shared the cover, description, and an excerpt of my next book, THE LAST SESSION, coming April 2025! I’m really excited about this one; I got to use my knowledge as a social worker, and also explore some of my own deepest, darkest fears…
I recently reread Kelly Link’s short story Two Houses (from her collection GET IN TROUBLE) and can’t stop thinking about it. It’s sci fi and horror and has one of the most interesting and maddening twists I’ve ever read. I then listened to a Monsters She Wrote podcast episode about it and found it even more brilliant. If you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think!
I currently have some creative coaching slots open, if you would like to work with me! I may not have as much availability as I start working on book #3 in earnest, so do reach out now if interested!
Hi Julia! Does the Kelly Link podcast episode have spoilers for the story Two Houses?