While thrillers have always been audience favorites, David Fincher's Se7en really shook up the genre when it was released in 1995. The film stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as detectives on the trail of a gruesome killer who murders victims based on the Seven Deadly Sins.
While it could have been a fairly straight-forward serial killer thriller, Se7en pulled no punches with its story. It brings the audience into this disturbing world and is not concerned with giving them easy answers or a happy ending. For fans of such dark thrillers, there are plenty of equally disturbing films that will undoubtedly be enjoyed.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Fincher has made a number of dark thrillers that seem somewhat akin to Se7en. However, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo feels like the most similar film from his body of work thus far. The movie is based on the popular novel about the investigation into a decades-old murder in Sweden.
Daniel Craig plays a journalist investigating the crime, while Rooney Mara gives a breakout performance as Lisbeth Salander, a hacker who helps him with the case. It is a tense, brutal, and eerie thriller beautifully handled by Fincher.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Coming out the same year as Se7en, The Usual Suspects is largely regarded right alongside that film as the best thrillers of the 1990s. The film tells that story of a group of criminals brought together by coincidence who then find themselves the targets of a powerful crime lord.
This film doesn't have the same grisly subject matter as Se7en, but it is told with the same foreboding tone. And like Se7en, it is best known for its shocking and impactful ending.
The Bone Collector (1999)
Though not as well-regarded as some of the other movies of this list, The Bone Collector is an underrated thriller worth seeking out. Denzel Washington plays a paraplegic detective who enlists a talented young cop (Angelina Jolie) to help track down a serial killer.
The film is a far more by-the-numbers serial killer story than Se7en. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with its tense feel and solid performances from the two leads.
Wind River (2017)
Stepping away from the MCU, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen teamed up for this crime thriller. Renner plays a hunter working on a native reservation where a young woman is found dead. He helps a young FBI agent (Olsen) investigate her death while seeking personal revenge.
Wind River uses its frozen landscape to great effect and keeps the audience guessing as the tension increases. Renner and Olsen are fantastic in the film, and when the pieces fall into place, it delivers an incredibly intense climax.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Like Se7en, the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a dark tale about the evil humanity is capable of. Josh Brolin plays a man who finds a suitcase of cash in the desert and decides to take it. This makes him the target for the relentless cold-blooded killer named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).
Bardem creates one of the most memorable and unsettling villains in cinema history. Chigurh fits right alongside Se7en's John Doe as a chilling madman who seems to justify his evil deeds so effortlessly.
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Another unforgettable movie villain who actually precedes John Doe is Hannibal Lecter in the brilliant thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Jodie Foster plays a young FBI agent assigned to the hunt for a serial killer. In order to get a sense of the killer's mind, she interviews imprisoned killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins).
Foster and Hopkins are brilliant in the film, and their scenes together are absolutely gripping. The hunt for the serial killer Buffalo Bill is just as effective and has the same feel of Se7en, with the police being one step behind the killer.
Memories Of Murder (2003)
Long before he made Oscar history with Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho delivered a brilliant crime drama based on the case of South Korea's first documented serial killer. The film follows the disorganized and corrupt investigation by police.
Like Se7en, the movie gives audiences a look at the procedural side of the case while leaving the killer in the dark. It also isn't concerned with delivering the kind of happy ending an audience might be expecting.
Insomnia (2002)
Christopher Nolan was still an up-and-coming filmmaker when he directed this intense crime film. Al Pacino plays a Los Angeles detective who is brought into a small Alaskan community to help investigate the murder of a young woman.
The search for the killer becomes complicated as the detective's own tortured psyche is used against him. Insomnia might not be as big and ambitious as Nolan's later work, but it is a captivating crime story featuring a great villain turn from Robin Williams.
Chaser (2008)
Chaser is another South Korean thriller that tells a gruesome and brutal serial killer tale. The film follows a pimp who goes on the search for some of his missing girls. He then finds himself going toe-to-toe with a deranged man who seems to always be one step ahead.
The film's cat-and-mouse story keeps viewers guessing the whole time. It also pulls no punches in its story, delivering some devastating moments that will leave the audience shaken. It all results in a gripping and gritty saga.
Prisoners (2013)
For those excited to check out Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune, his first Hollywood film Prisoners is an intense introduction to his impressive skills as a filmmaker. The film stars Hugh Jackman as a family man whose daughter goes missing and who takes extreme measures to find her.
Jackman gives one of his best performances, and the film's dark tale will have audiences on the edge of their seat the entire time. And the film's final moments are filled with tension that will have you holding your breath.