Listmania!
Obscure Movie Thrillers I Liked
By an Amazon.com customer
B. MonkeyB. Monkey
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $3.12
A Lady thief wants a new, safer life and falls for a teacher. Very entertaining.
Mauvais Sang (Bad Blood) [VHS]Mauvais Sang (Bad Blood) [VHS]
Buy used from: $9.84
Juliette Binoche in a stylish, unusual thriller set a few years in the (then) future. A young man steals a vaccine for an aids-like disease ravaging the city. One of my favorite French films.
Lemming (Original French Version - With English Subtitles)Lemming (Original French Version - With English Subtitles)
Buy new: $22.49 / Used from: $3.00
Bizarre and unpredictable thriller with a supernatural element.
Plain DirtyPlain Dirty
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.95
Finding gems like this make plowing through all the obscure junk worthwhile. It's a well written backwoods tale of a young woman who's husband, with the help of a friend, keeps her a prisoner when he finds she's been seeing another man.
LiebestraumLiebestraum
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $1.98
One of my favorite modern noir films. Director Mike Figgis films this like a horror movie. It's definitely unusual, though less effective in the second half when the story kicks in.
Other VoicesOther Voices
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $1.02
As this strange thriller progresses it becomes apparent that it's set in an alternate reality New York City that's getting increasingly out of control. Great final shot.
Separate LiesSeparate Lies
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $0.01
A tragic accident and it's cover-up unravel a happy marriage. Emily Watson plays the wife.
Light SleeperLight Sleeper
Buy used from: $4.92
Paul Schrader wrote and directed this tale of a nice guy in a bad business.
Act of Violence / Mystery Street (Film Noir Double Feature)Act of Violence / Mystery Street (Film Noir Double Feature)
Buy new: $18.99 / Used from: $11.90
Two nifty movies. Act of Violence: A man is relentlessly stalked by a crazed former war buddy out for revenge. Mystery Street: An early depiction of forensic science in a murder mystery film.
Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $0.75
A woman is stranded on an island with a man she soon realizes is unhinged. This starts as a routine thriller, but the story has some surprises.
Down in the ValleyDown in the Valley
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.87
Kind of like a 'Taxi Driver' out west. It even lifts that film's most famous scene. Steal from the best. Several Mazzy Star songs here.
Cast a Dark Shadow (B&W) [VHS]Cast a Dark Shadow (B&W) [VHS]
Buy used from: $3.50
Nifty British thriller.
Read My LipsRead My Lips
Buy used from: $1.90
Nifty French romantic thriller.
The Memory of a KillerThe Memory of a Killer
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $1.74
An assassin with alzheimer's disease.
Naked Obsession [VHS]Naked Obsession [VHS]
Buy used from: $14.99
A superior exploitation thriller with Maria Ford. Available, or used to be, unrated.
Beautiful PreyBeautiful Prey
Buy used from: $11.99
Probably the best in this erotic thriller series from Japan. A policewoman is slowly drawn into the S&M world. This film has a 13 minute tracking shoot that moves into a house, up the stairs and onto an exterior balcony.
Cry Danger [VHS]Cry Danger [VHS]
Buy used from: $4.80
Dick Powell made a lot of noir films. This is one the better ones. A brief affair and psychopaths lead to trouble.
Murder in Mind [VHS]Murder in Mind [VHS]
Buy used from: $3.23
Hypnosis is used to help a woman charged with her husband's murder recall the day of the crime. Soon she is unable to tell if what she is experiencing is real or imagined, or where she happens to be in time. Nifty mind-twister.
Hot Target [VHS]Hot Target [VHS]
Buy used from: $11.99
A married woman has an affair which, believe it or not, leads to trouble.
Red RoadRed Road
Buy used from: $8.59
A Psychological thriller about a woman who monitors a wall of TV screens and controls remote cameras at an elaborate street surveillance system in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dream LoverDream Lover
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.24
He meets a wonderful woman, marries her, and is very happy. That's not the end.
CaughtCaught
Buy used from: $6.95
'The Postman Always Rings Twice' in a fish market. I guess the title has a double meaning.
The Wrong Man [VHS]The Wrong Man [VHS]
Buy used from: $14.90
Yet another good B thriller not yet out on DVD. A nifty performance from John Lithgow.
Dead HeartDead Heart
Buy used from: $8.44
This is a good Australian murder mystery. A policeman's investigation takes him into a forbidden area of aboriginal culture.
Heaven (1998) [VHS]Heaven (1998) [VHS]
Buy used from: $0.44
A man on the skids is befriended by a transvestite who can see the future. A dark and violent tale that gets better as it goes.
Love Cheat Steal [VHS]Love Cheat Steal [VHS]
Buy used from: $4.99
Like a number of twisty thrillers this has one twist too many. But the movie comes out ahead despite that final misstep.
Under SuspicionUnder Suspicion
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $2.07
A former cop, now a seedy PI, is framed for murder. Nasty ending.
Showgirl Murders [VHS]Showgirl Murders [VHS]
Buy used from: $3.88
A new gal in town convinces a married couple (well, the husband anyway) to turn their money-loosing bar into a topless joint. Nifty noir with lots of nudity. Maria Ford is the femme fatale. Originally available in an unrated version.
RailroadedRailroaded
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $5.70
A cop is after a killer who framed an innocent man. Hardboiled noir with two tough dames. Yes, there is a cat fight.
Hitch HikeHitch Hike
Buy used from: $6.89
Tense Italian road thriller filmed in the USA, with lots of nudity from Corinne Clery ('The Story of O'.)
Bulletproof Heart (aka Killer) [VHS]Bulletproof Heart (aka Killer) [VHS]
Buy used from: $2.96
A Hitman falls for his female target, played by Mimi Rogers. Old idea, quirky execution.
Above SuspicionAbove Suspicion
Buy used from: $14.06
Twisty thriller with Christopher Reeve as a policeman put in a wheelchair by a bullet.
Perfect Lies [VHS]Perfect Lies [VHS]
Buy used from: $4.95
A gritty low budget film about a female private detective with a tough case and a drug problem.
DeadfallDeadfall
Buy used from: $2.38
About all I can recall of this is that it was kind of quirky and I liked it.