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.)
Article continues belowThe Best Thriller Movies of 2026 Out Now
'Dead Man's Wire'
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'
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, 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'
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'
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'
Release date: March 20
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'
Release date: April 17
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 features original music by Jack Antonoff and Charli xcx.
'Over Your Dead Body'
Release date: April 24
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.
The Best Thrillers of 2026 Coming Soon
'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 in their youth. When they discover that their father is responsible for injuring their mother and themselves, the twins find themselves torn between revenge and forgiveness.
'Pressure'
Release date: May 29
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis, Henry Ashton, and Chris Messina
Why it's worth seeing: If you ever assumed a weather forecast couldn’t be heart-stopping, you’d be wrong. Pressure centers on one of history’s most consequential meteorologists: James Stagg (Andrew Scott), who convinced General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) to move up the Allied Troops’s D-Day invasion. If you’re looking for a World War II thriller to enjoy with your friends and your history buff dad alike, this is the summer movie for you.
'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.
'The Death of Robin Hood'
Release date: June 19
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Bill Skarsgård, Jodie Comer, Noah Jupe, and Murray Bartlett
Why it's worth seeing: Robin Hood is back, and he isn’t a hot cartoon fox anymore. This time around, he’s (played by Hugh Jackman) getting the gritty A24 anti-hero treatment. Here’s hoping Jackman brings some Logan-esque Wolverine energy to this darker take on the legendary outlaw.
'Digger'
Release date: October 2
Starring: Tom Cruise, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D'Arcy
Why it’s worth seeing: Thank goodness for blockbuster stars like Tom Cruise, whose mission remains saving the movies and ensuring fans see original features in cinema seats. He stars in the latest epic from Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu. The details are scarce, but it's said to be a wild ride about a billionaire (Cruise) tasked with thwarting his company's grave environmental impact before it's too late.
'Verity'
Release date: October 2
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Brady Wagner, Irina Dvorovenko, K. K. Moggie, Michael Abbott Jr., and Alex Cooper
Why it’s worth seeing: Perhaps you're familiar with Colleen Hoover's best-selling romance novels, but her most popular and best book may very well be this thriller. Like It Ends With Us, Regretting You, and Reminders of Him, before it, the mystery is receiving the big-screen treatment this fall. Dakota Johnson stars as Lowen, a writer tapped by the husband (Josh Hartnett) of the legendary author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) to finish her manuscript when she falls ill. Inevitably, secrets surface and twists abound.
'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.
'Her Private Hell'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Diego Calva, Kristine Froseth, and Havana Rose Liu
Why it’s worth seeing: Danish bad-boy filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn has cast all the It girls and boys in Hollywood for his highly anticipated latest. His first feature in 10 years looks stylish as ever, but much is being kept under wraps. All we know about the plot is that it's set in a near future where a dangerous mist has engulfed a metropolis. It follows a young woman (Sophie Thatcher) in search of her missing father, and how her path crosses with an American soldier looking for his daughter.