The best films are transportive, and rarely can that be felt more viscerally than in a pulse-pounding thriller. When they’re pulled off well, thriller films evoke a memorable sense of suspense and antsy excitement in the room, whether you’re surrounded by fellow movie theatergoers or gripping the side of your living room couch.
One of the most exciting elements of the thriller is its flexibility. They can overlap with similarly engrossing genres like noir, action, and horror. Ultimately, what truly matters is the overall mood. If a thriller makes you lean forward as the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, then it’s done its job.
Because of how genre-defying they can be, there are a lot of great thrillers to look forward to in 2026—from a brand-new Matt Damon and Ben Affleck collaboration to an erotic sci-fi horror tale and a psychological musical drama. Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the best, most enticing thriller films coming out throughout the year. (And if you’re looking for movie recommendations to watch right now, check out our list of the best thrillers of 2025.)
‘Dead Man’s Wire’
(Image credit: Row K Entertainment)
Release date: January 9
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino
Why it’s worth seeing: If you’re already missing Bill Skarsgård’s return as Pennywise in It: Welcome to Derry, you can enjoy his unnerving character work in the true-crime-inspired movie Dead Man’s Wire. The Swedish actor stars as real-life criminal Tony Kiritsis, who kidnapped his bank mortgage holder in 1970s Indianapolis.
‘The Rip’
(Image credit: Claire Folger/Netflix)
Release date: January 16
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, Lina Esco, Néstor Carbonell, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler
Why it’s worth seeing: Nearly 30 years after co-writing and starring in Oscar darling Good Will Hunting together, lifelong best friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are still working together. Their latest reunion is the Netflix action thriller The Rip. The Joe Carnahan-directed film centers on a team of Miami cops who uncover millions in cash and must decipher who they can trust as newcomers stake their claim on it.
‘Send Help’
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Release date: January 30
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, and Emma Raimi
Why it’s worth seeing: Being stranded on a secluded island is a nightmare, but what if you were trapped there with someone you can’t stand? Such is the very unlucky case for Rachel McAdams’s Linda Liddle in this survival thriller, as a plane crash finds her harpooned along with her bro-y boss, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien). Directed by Sam Raimi, who’s known for his often bonkers horror joints, you can bet this movie about roles-reversed power dynamics—set in the gritty wilderness, no less—is about to get gnarly.
‘How to Make a Killing’
(Image credit: A24)
Release date: February 20
Starring: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Ed Harris, Topher Grace, Jessica Henwick, and Zach Woods
Why it’s worth seeing: Glen Powell’s movie star rise continues in How to Make a Killing. He stars as Becket Redfellow, the son of disowned heiress Mary. When his mother dies, Beckett decides to do whatever it takes to eliminate the seven relatives who stand between him and the inheritance that Mary always said he deserved…no matter the bloody cost.
‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Release date: April 10
Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy, and David Cronenberg
Why it’s worth seeing: Ready or Not’s irreverent blend of thrilling horror scares and black comedy made it a breakout hit when it premiered back in 2019. Samara Weaving’s central final girl, Grace, who escaped her in-laws’s plans to kill her for sport in the first film, is back to fight for her life once again in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. This time around, she finds herself kidnapped by The Lawyer (Elijah Wood), who represents the all-powerful High Council families. They’re once again determined to hunt her down, and Grace must team up with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) to survive their dangerous games.
‘Mother Mary’
(Image credit: A24)
Release date: April 2026
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, FKA twigs, Hunter Schafer, Alba Baptista, and Kaia Gerber
Why it’s worth seeing: An A24 psychosexual thriller starring Anne Hathaway as a pop star, and I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel as her estranged fashion designer confidante? If that doesn’t sound like indie prestige gold, then I don’t know what does. To make matters more exciting, Mother Mary is set to feature original music by Jack Antonoff and Charli xcx.
‘Is God Is’
Release date: May 15
Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown
Why it’s worth seeing: If you didn’t get a chance to catch playwright Aleshea Harris’s acclaimed Off-Broadway play Is God Is in 2018, good news: She’s directing a film version that’s coming to theaters in May. The movie stars Kara Young and Mallori Johnson as outcast twin sisters physically scarred at birth. When they discover that their father is responsible for injuring their mother and themselves, the twins find themselves torn between revenge and forgiveness.
‘Disclosure Day’
Release date: June 12
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Eve Hewson
Why it’s worth seeing: Not only does one of the all-time greats, Steven Spielberg, have a new release in 2026—he’s back on his alien beat. The upcoming film looks bigger than ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and even War of the Worlds. The film is largely shrouded in mystery, but it appears to follow different people who have made contact with extraterrestrials and are trying to understand why, as well as decide what to disclose to the public. If you’re looking for a summer blockbuster to throw on the calendar, this is it.
‘Whalefall’
Release date: October 16
Starring: Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd, Elisabeth Shue, and John Ortiz
Why it’s worth seeing: There’s an undeniable pleasure to grabbing your movie theater snack of choice and watching an A-lister battle the elements in blissful air conditioning. In 2026, your best chance to do that is the suspense thriller Whalefall, in which a scuba diver (Austin Abrams) is swallowed whole by a whale while searching for his late father’s (Josh Brolin) remains. Left with only an hour to escape, it’s bound to be a pulse-pounding fight for survival. Pinocchio wishes!
‘The Gallerist’
Release date: TBA
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Brühl, Ash Sarohia, and Charli xcx
Why it’s worth seeing: After helming the delightfully absurdist Harley Quinn film Birds of Prey in 2020, filmmaker Cathy Yan is back with the black-comedy thriller, The Gallerist. Set at the prestigious Miami Art Basel, it stars Natalie Portman as a gallerist attempting to sell a dead man’s body during the event.
‘Over Your Dead Body’
Release date: TBA
Starring: Samara Weaving, Jason Segel, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Keith Jardine, and Paul Guilfoyle
Why it’s worth seeing: Between Companion and Oh, Hi!, recent films about couples forced to confront their relationship issues during a secluded getaway are seemingly everywhere. That trend continues with Over Your Dead Body, in which Samara Weaving and Jason Segel play a couple who attempt to mend fences while on vacation. The twist? Each of them is plotting to kill the other.
‘SOULM8TE’
Release date: TBA
Starring: Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit, Oliver Cooper, Steve Chusak, Ossian Perret, Arty Froushan, and Emma Ramos
Why it’s worth seeing: If you also still take time out of your day to reminisce about a certain killer doll’s iconic dance moves, you’ll be happy to know that the M3GAN cinematic universe is getting bigger. Its latest entry is the sci-fi erotic horror film SOULM8TE, which follows a man who buys an android in hopes that it’ll help him cope with his wife’s death. Predictably, chaos ensues.