Thriller movies are an absolute treat to watch! Constantly topping the charts in Hollywood, they are loved by everyone. After all, the taste of thrill and danger from the comfort of our seats is delicious! Most people can’t have enough, so they rewatch their favorites. However, with each rewatch, the fun dries up and fans are left wanting for more. There is an easy fix! Exploring good thriller movies that aren’t very popular. Some films, due to no fault of their own, just don’t catch up with the popular imagination and remain obscure. We intend to change that! We explore 5 obscure thriller movies that deserve more spotlight.
1. Searching (2018)
This is one hidden gem that was absolutely immersive to watch. A father who undertakes a frantic search to find his missing daughter. The film explores themes of parenthood, teenage, and a whole host of other things. The plot at a first glance may seem rather unoriginal, but what sets this film apart is the fact that the film is shown through computer screens, cell phone messages, and video screens. While this novel twist of an idea could easily be a stupid gimmick, the makers did it right and made an original film with a not-so-original storyline. Watch it for the originality that this film offers which would be a completely novel experience and might I add, a thrilling one!
2. Imperium (2016)
Granted, this film has Daniel Radcliffe in the lead and some people would find it uneasy to separate him from his role as Harry Potter, yet we recommend giving this film a chance. This is an especially thrilling movie that builds up slowly, but the tension remains in the entirety of the film. Radcliffe plays an FBI agent who is tasked to infiltrate a white supremacist group and take them down. The film is at first slow-paced but the tension and drama build slowly and as he gets engulfed deeper into the pit of danger and is surrounded by hostile men the more fun it gets!
3. ’71 (2014)
This film opened to rave reviews and was quite promising. Alas, it did not catch the people’s attention and remained rather obscure. It is a historical drama, based on the operation of the British army in Ireland in the early 1970s. The film depicts troops moving from town to town when 1 solder is left behind. This one is scared and fights and runs to safety. The film explores themes of what constitutes allies and what are enemies. Taking a deeper dive into the realities of this world, it is quite layered. All in all, this is a very thrilling film and makes for a very enjoyable watch.
4. Blue Ruin (2013)
The revenge thriller sub-genre is quite popular and time-tested. It explores the human psyche and makes for an enjoyable watch. The same is the case with this film. A young man goes back to his childhood town to take revenge. The man however is clumsy and botches up a lot of his crime, which makes for dark humor. The film remains gripping and tense throughout its length. The director Jeremy Saulnier does an amazing job to keep us on the edges of our seats. Violence is aplenty, but so is humor. The film has a lot of strong performances, the chief of which is by the protagonist. Finally, what makes this an absolute watch is the gripping storyline.
5. Killing Them Softly (2012)
Even the stardom of Brad Pitt could not save this film. The fault lies with the expectation of the audience, who are accustomed to particular kinds of thriller films. Pitt plays a mob hitman who is hired to take care of a botched-up job by 2 low-level criminals. This is not the usual, fast-paced, in-your-face action film but is quiet, subtler, and slow. Nevertheless, it offers a new kind of take on thriller films, which is enjoyable in its own right. Brilliant films, which are unconventional, usually suffer due to audiences who have fixed expectations and are generally wary of new styles.
