Thriller films blend suspenseful storytelling with elements of mystery and tension.
Kyle, a shy college student finds himself and three of his friends trapped in an old western ghost town by a pack of ferocious wolves and has to overcome his personal fears to confront the wolves and lead his friends to safety.
Director: John Rebel
Writers: Paul Hart-Wilden (screenplay), Asabi Lee (screenplay)
Stars: Alicia Ziegler, Levi Fiehler, Max Adler
A person in a beaten up dirty old Chrysler kidnaps little girls and kills them. When a school bus driver’s only daughter is kidnaped right in front of her, she begins a desperate chase to get her daughter back alive. The special effects leave something to be desired, but the the car is a rather scary effect. Entertaining and exciting, but unremarkable made for TV (USA) movie.
Rated R; Violence and Adult Themes.
Director: Christopher Cain
Stars: Joanna Cassidy, Marcie Leeds, Gary Carlos Cervantes
”Wasteland is set in a world ravaged by a deadly virus and within that world is Scott Miller, a man who, against the odds, is trying to carve out some sort of life. The deadly infection that has ravaged the globe has almost totally wiped out the human race and Scott must spend his days finding water, food etc. Whilst trying to find uninfected people by radio, he must also avoid the many dangers that lurk in the outside world, while he waits for the return of the love of his life, Beth.”
Starring:
Shameer Seepersand
Jessica Messenger
Mark Drake
Rachel Benson
Gavin Harrison
Directed by:
Tom Wadlow
A young couple play a role-playing game at bars – with her letting herself get nearly picked up by another man, only for him to step in, have an instant connection with this “stranger” and head off for private session. This interplay works well, however some small tensions see the root of this game start to develop into something else. The Girlfriend Game (2015) – An erotic thriller about a twisted game a couple plays at bars.
This is well played out and I liked that the film ended with the point where the couple both sort of know this but at the same time are holding to their hurts a little too, so although we do not get to see where things go from here, I liked the point it chose to end, and the manner in which it did it. Another thing that the film does well is to look very slick and stylish. In particular the use of LA locations is very good – whether it be the bars, the busy curbsides, or the spacious houses with their large windows and cool pools; everything is typically neon with professional production values giving the place a real feel of a hot city at night. – bob the moo
Director: Armen Antranikian
Screenplay: Nick Antosca
Stars: Christopher Abbott, Spencer Treat Clark, Ryan Eggold
An underhanded company man is offered assistance by a secret organization that immerses him in forces beyond his control. Shot on 35mm anamorphic film. THE CANDIDATE seems to have garnered a lot of praise on this page being a dark exploration of human nature set against the background of corporate capitalism!
Ever hated somebody so much that you wanted them dead? It is the basic idea that makes “The Candidate” so undeniably interesting. This rich, multi-layered short film plays with the basic morality battles that we find ourselves dealing with every day. The hate that the main character feels is thick and delicious. We allow ourselves to like this man because we’ve been there too! We want him to succeed because he’s worked hard and he deserves to win. And yet, shouldn’t we feel bad?
I don’t know why I like it so much, honestly. I love twists, first of all. I love this genre. But this film totally ‘got’ me. It’s so seductive. It hooked me in and led me delicately along and spit me out at the end with my mind reeling at the implications.
It’s an extremely well-crafted film where everything just works. The stylized writing, nuanced performances, beautiful cinematography… the technical quality of the film is difficult to criticize. But it’s really the handling of the story that deserves the most praise. The film is well-paced, well-structured, gets your imagination going…. and the twist is masterfully executed.
Director: David Karlak
Writers: Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton
Stars: Robert Picardo, Tom Gulager, Meghan Markle
Support on Official page
Hackers film Algorithm (2014) deals with a freelance computer hacker who discovers a mysterious government computer program. It’s difficult choice for a hacker – running a secret government contractor’s powerful software or the lives of his friends.
I actually took a leap of faith when I decided to watch this film even after noticing a very low IMDb rating. That was worth it. Gone are the days of creating conventional out-of-the-world and unrealistic thriller movies. That is the job of a director and writer: you don’t take your audience to some fantasy world in order to give them superficial, meaningless entertainment only. A good writer brings his audience closer to reality while engaging and educating them at the same time. Dialogues in the film, especially the thoughts of Will narrated during the film, were……. sublime. Another factor is: ending a film which is always the trickiest part. THAT is where the director (who is also the writer) proved himself brilliant. – Asqureshi
Very low IMDB rating would suggest that this hacker film is not worth of your time. For a hacker film with its overriding theme of “the NSA is watching everything”, some of the technology in play should have been focused on more, but overall it is definately worth your time so at least give it a chance. It’s smart, well shot and best of all is free to stream on youtube. For those who are into film trivia, there is a reference to classic hacker film War Games (1983) at 1:15:22. The screen to the left shows the menu with the games WOPR offers to play in the hacker film War Games. There is also a nod to ‘Ink’, a popular low-budget indie film. If you’d like to support the effort, get the Blu-ray for $9.99 in the U.S. with free shipping! thehackermovie.com
Director: Jon Schiefer
Writer: Jon Schiefer
Stars: Raphael Barker, Keith Barletta, Julie Ceballos
The Astronaut is set in the not too distant future when the first American astronaut prepares to set foot on the planet Mars. The world is watching this event live on television. Everything is a success, or so the world thinks, and he is treated as a hero upon his return. Later, it is discovered that the mission was a failure and as the astronaut was on Mars he died of an undetermined condition either due to toxic poisoning due to conditions on Mars or some unknown bacteria native to Mars. To avoid having the space program cancelled, officials substitute a lookalike for an astronaut who died on a Mars mission.
I think the remarkable thing about this movie is the excellent performances by Monte Markham and Susan Clark so early in both their careers. No accident that this was a winner with Harve Bennett (Star Trek fame) as producer. The story line was great and has been duplicated since but never as well as in this original.The only drawback is the fact that I have not been able to find a copy of this anywhere. Someone is missing the boat bigtime. This is a real goodie!
Director: Robert Michael
Starring: Jackie Cooper, Monte Markham, Richard Anderson, Robert Lansing
This is Not a Test tells the story of a rural road in the western US where the policeman sets up a roadblock and stops all traffic. When several cars and a big truck have stopped, he tells everyone why: a nuclear attack on the US appears to be underway, and since they have the truck there, their best chance at survival is to use it as a bomb shelter. Time is short and tensions in the small group quickly rise.
Futuristic Atomic-age film noir, shot, composed and scored professionally, albeit with a lower budget. It was made back in 1962 and serves as amazing portrayal of paranoia of an impending USSR nuclear missile attack on America and how it effected a number of motorists and a deputy sheriff stranded in the dark and cold California desert.
Directed by Fredric Gadette
Starring Seamon Glass, Aubrey Martin, Thayer Roberts
A neon-noir set in the underbelly of Seoul. The main character Sam was abandoned by his mother as a baby and now works as an underground bare knuckle fighter, an underground that is corrupt and leads to confrontation with the mob bosses ruling it. Sam was abandoned at birth by his Mother in a coin locker . His life has been one of extreme violence and isolation. After a brutal near death experience Sam IL is forced to contemplate his past whilst accepting the non-existence of his future. His path to revenge is an acceptance of death that offers no salvation or redemption.
South Korea is home to the neo-noir / revenge thriller. Dark, broody and brimming with violence, this well made, hugely engaging short feels like a breathe of fresh air in the short film arena, but be warned….this isn’t a short for the faint hearted!
Directed by / written by: Simon Halsall, Matthew Halsall
Starring: Kim Min Jung
Two old friends, Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen, are driving south into Mexico for a one week fishing trip. They’d been there once before as young men and there’s some nostalgia attached to the trip though family man Bowen admits early on that he already misses his wife and kids. When they see a car broken down by the side of the road, they offer its occupant a lift. It doesn’t take long before they realize they’ve picked up the notorious Emmett Myers, who is desperately trying to evade authorities and get to Mexico. He’s left a trail of good Samaritans who have given him a lift and are now dead. While the police chase them down, Collins and Bowen will be driven to the breaking point by the madman.
Talman gives a terrific performance as Myers, a real nasty piece of work with a bum eye so you never know if he’s asleep or awake. He holds the men hostage, bullies and provokes them, even uses them as target practice. We’ve seen many similar plots over the years but I thought this was a fresh and unpredictable. Lupino’s direction really suits the material, the tension builds throughout, and Talman is unforgettable. If you like thrillers track this one down! – Infofreak
Directed by Ida Lupino
Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Watch Classic Movie Detour about a piano player who follows his girlfriend from New York to Hollywood. Not having much money, he decides to hitchhike across the country. In Arizona, he gets a ride from a man named Charles Haskell, a gambler and a bookie who happens to been headed to L.A. himself. When Haskell dies of natural causes, Al decides to take his identity. His bigger mistake is giving a ride to another hitchhiker, Vera, a pretty tough cookie who had previously encountered the real Haskell when he gave her a ride. She draws him into a crazy scheme.
Edgar Ulmer’s dime store-doom classic casts it’s spell irrespective of showtime, but a good 3am screening will convert almost any detractor, and fortify it’s reputation as one of the sub-genre’s purest distillations – and most perversely entertaining triumphs. The lack of budget helps the story, everything appears dark and grim fitting the tone of the story. Also they had an excellent director (Edgar G. Ulmer) and a great script by Martin Goldsmith. Also Neal was very good as Roberts and Savage is exceptional as Vera (there’s a scene where she explodes at Roberts in a car which is truly scary). It’s also all wrapped up in a tight economical 69 minutes. This has deservedly been a cult movie for many years.
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Starring: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake
Chris Cross is a mousy, but trusted bank teller married to a relentless nag. His only joy is the painting he does on weekends – until he accidentally meets beautiful “Kitty”. Her boyfriend Johnny convinces her to take him for everything he’s got when they mistakenly believe that he is a rich and successful artist. In order to keep her in the style to which she is rapidly becoming accustomed he has to come up with ways to put his hands on ever larger amounts of money. But no matter what he does, it’s not enough for Kitty and Johnny, who keep pushing until even they are in over their heads.
A lot of Fritz Lang’s American oeuvre is concentrated on the American justice system and various other crime related things, and this one is no different. Scarlet Street professes that nobody can ever ‘get away with murder’, and the fantastic climax to the movie shows this masterfully; much more so than many other films that have tried to convey the same message have. Scarlet Street is drenched with irony throughout (ironically, it took a non-American to make an ironic American film). This irony ensures that the film stays interesting, as the audience is never able to guess what’s around the corner. Scarlet Street is another Fritz Lang masterpiece. While not as mind blowing as Metropolis or as powerful as M; Scarlet Street fills a niche all of it’s own. I rate this film as a ‘must see’, and I can almost guarantee that you will not be disappointed after seeing it. – The_Void
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea
D.O.A. (1950) – Small-town accountant Frank Bigelow goes to San Francisco for a week’s fun prior to settling down with fiancée Paula. After a night on the town, he wakes up with more than just a hangover; doctors tell him he’s been given a “luminous toxin” with no antidote and has, at most, a week to live! Not knowing who did it or why, Bigelow embarks on a frantic odyssey to find his own murderer.
This film is the kind that doesn’t kid itself at all- it knows what it is and is pretty happy to have it that way. It’s filled with the classic tough-guy, ‘real-to-life’ dialog of the thriller, while staying a foot ahead of the audience. This is because the director, Rudolph Matte (the great cinematographer behind many a film-noir and Carl Dreyer’s masterpieces) has such a clever hand of the material. One wrong step and it could slip into being too hokey. In fact there is a camp factor in a couple of scenes; the subject matter almost slips into Naked Gun parody before stepping back up for air. But for the fans of mysteries of today would want to check this out, as it provides a twist on the usual logic of the sub-genre (if a genre at all). While not as ‘dark’ as other film-noir pictures, it still ranks very high in it storytelling, having a potent enough story to tell, and a slew of actors just pushing the limits of the B-movie style. – MisterWhiplash
Director: Rudolph Maté
Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler
Sex Madness (1938) – Philanthropist Paul Lorenz is one of the more public faces in the fight against behavior that spreads the many “social diseases”, such as syphilis and gonorrhea. An example of such behavior is going to or performing in burlesque shows, which promotes casual sex. Indeed, many in the audience at one burlesque show in New York have only sex on their mind, including young unmarried couple James and Jane, office colleagues Peggy and Betty (Peggy who is trying to seduce Betty), and Paul Lorenz’s son himself, Tom Lorenz, who is looking forward to an after show group sex party, which will include some of the girls from the show, such as Sheila Wayne, who has syphilis but treats it as casually as her sex. One of the show girls who won’t be attending the party is Millicent Hamilton. From a small town, good girl Millicent’s pre-engagement to her boyfriend Wendel Hope was interrupted when she won a beauty contest with a trip to New York. She found life in New York more difficult than she expected and a sexual encounter associated with trying to advance her show business career resulted in her also contracting syphilis. But Millicent is going to respected Dr. Hampton, who informs her that she can fully recover and eventually marry Wendel if she takes the slow, intensive but proven therapy. But when she leaves New York for home which means therapy with another doctor, Dr. Hampton warns her to beware of quacks who may promise a full, expensive miracle cure. When Millicent heads home, will she heed Dr. Hampton’s advice, or will she fall prey to the hope of a quick cure so that she can marry Wendel sooner?
A film ahead of its time when it was released in 1938, Sex Madness is a cautionary tale about mindless sex and its permanent consequences, as told through the experience of a woman who gives in to her carnal urges and later finds out that her one night of irresponsibility has given her a lasting “gift”: syphilis. The sexually transmitted disease is depicted as a horrible monster — incurable, disastrous and too high a price to pay for pleasure.
Director: Dwain Esper
Starring: Vivian McGill, Rose Tapley, Al Rigali
The story is about a couple on a Greek island which has an ancient sea monster nearby who requires human sacrifice. It’s a slow moving film with a limited amount of gore. There’s a couple of gore sequences that are shown underwater when the monster attacks and eats people, but there isn’t any extreme gore. There’s an emphasis placed on the films location, suspense and character development to engage the viewer instead of gore. This is actually a very well done low-budget horror flick with excellent scenery, suspense, nice soundtracks, some good atmosphere, and it’s very well directed and acted.
James Earl Jones gives the picture more credibility than it would otherwise achieve. Jones provides the climax, avenging Barbara against the monster. He blows up the cave & stays in it to die with the monster. Black men seem always to have to die in monster pictures but at least Jones goes out the central hero, not the minority sidekick who dies so that massah can live. The script’s storyline could easily have been handed over to the sister & brother team (Deborah Shelton & Martin Kove) but fortunately someone knew who was playing the only character anyone would ever care about. Jones is definitely the lead, despite that he did not have top billing in the original release, but only in retrospect when all the other actors are long forgotten. – weirdwildrealm
Directed by Richard Jefferies
Starring: James Earl Jones, José Ferrer, Lila Kedrova, Mary Louise Welle