::THRILLING TV MOVIES::
by Schwenkstar | created - 24 Aug 2015 | updated - 20 May 2018 | PublicTV movies are usually sub-par in comparison to their feature film brethren, but every once in a while a TV production rises above its television constraints and spins a thrilling yarn that would rival any cinematic endeavor.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
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1. Das Millionenspiel (1970 TV Movie)
96 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A candidate in a game show is hunted by three men. He will get a Million DMark, if he survives for a week; the hunters will get the money, if they can kill the candidate. The audience of ... See full summary »
Director: Tom Toelle | Stars: Jörg Pleva, Suzanne Roquette, Dieter Thomas Heck, Theo Fink
Votes: 1,290
MY TWO CENTS: Falls into the same, small, specialized sub-genre of thrillers where humans hunt other humans on a televised game show just as in THE RUNNING MAN, THE 10TH VICTIM, LE PRIX DU DANGER, and SERIES 7 (yes, *four* other times); happily, this one is the best of the bunch. Admittedly slightly dated in some aspects, the "cinéma vérité" documentary style lends an air of authenticity to the proceedings that gives it a raw, visceral punch. In addition, the faux commercials are wonderfully satirical.
MY RATING: 8
2. A Howling in the Woods (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 100 min | Thriller
A disillusioned housewife on a vacation in the woods is disturbed by her husband continually trying to get her to come home and, more ominously, a mysterious howling at night.
Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, John Rubinstein, Vera Miles
Votes: 532
MY TWO CENTS: A delightful mystery with many enigmatic elements, the chief being the titular howling in the woods. The answer which weaves together all the cryptic questions is satisfactory, though not the shocker we want; though I'll take a good-not-great revelation over an underwhelming one any day of the week.
MY RATING: 7
3. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,361
MY TWO CENTS: The iconic TV movie which launched the career of Steven Spielberg. If you were to watch only one film on this list, let it be this one; it is the definition of a thriller.
MY RATING: 9
4. The Night Stalker (1972 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 74 min | Horror, Mystery
An abrasive Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigates a series of murders committed by a vampire.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker
Votes: 7,376
MY TWO CENTS: Darren McGavin is delightful in this television film which ultimately led to a TV series with the same name and star. Followed by a sequel which, while good in its own right, mimics the first too closely and lacks the "bite" of this one.
MY RATING: 7
5. The Stone Tape (1972 TV Movie)
90 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A research team from an electronics company moves into an old Victorian house to start work on finding a new recording medium. When team member Jill Greeley witnesses a ghost, team director... See full summary »
Director: Peter Sasdy | Stars: Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Iain Cuthbertson, Michael Bates
Votes: 1,881
MY TWO CENTS: The sci-fi elements interspersed with the horror elements is somewhat wonky, but the ghost story is certainly unique and the atmosphere is chilling.
MY RATING: 7
6. A Cold Night's Death (1973 TV Movie)
74 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two scientists suspect that there is someone other than their research primates inhabiting their polar station.
Director: Jerrold Freedman | Stars: Robert Culp, Eli Wallach, Michael C. Gwynne, Vic Perrin
Votes: 1,080
MY TWO CENTS: What a setting: two scientists snowbound in an outpost in the middle of the arctic wasteland; think THE THING and you won't be too far off with what atmosphere is created. A wonderful air of mystery and dread, though the revelation is not the shocker we want (as is often the case).
MY RATING: 7
7. Dying Room Only (1973 TV Movie)
74 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stranded at a roadside diner in the desert, a woman searches for her husband who has mysteriously disappeared from property.
Director: Philip Leacock | Stars: Cloris Leachman, Ross Martin, Ned Beatty, Dana Elcar
Votes: 560
MY TWO CENTS: Wonderful, tricky thriller that served as the inspiration for the feature film BREAKDOWN with Kurt Russel; endlessly surprising.
MY RATING: 8
8. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973 TV Movie)
Unrated | 74 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.
Director: John Newland | Stars: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, Barbara Anderson, William Demarest
Votes: 4,113
MY TWO CENTS: Much better than Guillermo del Toro's remake given it's restraint and the ambiguity of "is-it-in-her-head-or-is-it-real" the film walks. The effects are good (for a 70s television production) but the film lacks the scares it seems to be trying to conjure up. Regardless, this creature-feature is quite unique.
MY RATING: 7
9. Der Springteufel (1974 TV Movie)
54 min | Thriller
Director: Heinz Schirk | Stars: Arno Assmann, Dieter Hallervorden, Hanna Seiffert, Klaus Dieter Söder
Votes: 105
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
10. Reflections of Murder (1974 TV Movie)
100 min | Horror, Thriller, Mystery
The wife and mistress of the abusive headmaster of a boy's school plot and carry out his murder. They dump his body in the murky swimming pool at the school and await for it to surface. ... See full summary »
Director: John Badham | Stars: Tuesday Weld, Joan Hackett, Sam Waterston, Lucille Benson
Votes: 376
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
11. Trilogy of Terror (1975 TV Movie)
Unrated | 72 min | Horror, Thriller
Three bizarre horror stories, all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing four tormented women.
Director: Dan Curtis | Stars: Robert Burton, John Karlen, George Gaynes, Jim Storm
Votes: 8,686
MY TWO CENTS: Anthology horror film which is noteworthy for its final segment where a Zuni doll terrorizes a woman in her apartment. Though this tale is memorable, the other two tales are relatively banal in nature.
MY RATING: 6
12. One of My Wives Is Missing (1976 TV Movie)
93 min | Mystery, Thriller
Daniel Corban's wife Elizabeth disappeared after they had a fight. Then she shows up, yet he insists that the woman isn't actually his wife.
Director: Glenn Jordan | Stars: Jack Klugman, Elizabeth Ashley, James Franciscus, Joel Fabiani
Votes: 667
MY TWO CENTS: Crackerjack suspense yarn form the writer of CHARADE that twist and turns constantly, confounding expectations right and left. This screenplay is a revelation... but if it wasn't for the horribly flat direction, this would have been a real winner! This one screams for a feature film remake!
MY RATING: 8.5
13. Dead of Night (1977 TV Movie)
76 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Three horror stories about a vintage car that transports its driver back to 1926, the mistress of an old Victorian mansion who is scared of a vampire and a mother tormented by her dead son who she has brought back to life.
Director: Dan Curtis | Stars: Ed Begley Jr., E.J. André, Ann Doran, Christina Hart
Votes: 1,625
MY TWO CENTS: Another horror anthology film ala TRILOGY OF TERROR which suffers the same problem: the final segment is delightfully creepy, but its preceding two segments are once again relatively banal.
MY RATING: 6
14. The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978)
300 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A young couple moves to a quiet New England village, only to soon find themselves mixed up in mysterious rituals.
Stars: Bette Davis, David Ackroyd, Rosanna Arquette, Rene Auberjonois
Votes: 1,382
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
15. Murder by Natural Causes (1979 TV Movie)
100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Allison, the unfaithful wife of a famous mentalist with a heart problem, wants her lover to try to kill her husband by scaring him to death, but the whole thing goes downhill.
Director: Robert Day | Stars: Richard Anderson, Katharine Ross, Hal Holbrook, Barry Bostwick
Votes: 867
MY TWO CENTS: Crackerjack psychological thriller with a bevy of twists that constantly surprise. Richard Levinson and William Link were a wonderful writing partnership, creating COLUOMBO and MURDER SHE WROTE, but this is their crowning achievement.
MY RATING: 8.5
16. The Plumber (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 76 min | Horror, Thriller
A young couple, living in a campus apartment complex, are repeatedly harassed by an eccentric plumber, who subjects them to a series of bizarre mind games while making unnecessary repairs to their bathroom.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Judy Morris, Ivar Kants, Robert Coleby, Candy Raymond
Votes: 2,580
MY TWO CENTS: Peter Weir directs this Australian TV movie that is both a psychological thriller and a dark comedy, causing the viewer to feel uncomfortably tense and strangely bemused in equal measures. A rather wonderful picture which needs to be rediscovered.
MY RATING: 8
17. Salem's Lot (1979)
PG | 100 min | Horror
A novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.
Stars: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia
Votes: 27,467
MY TWO CENTS: Incredibly popular and I still haven't gotten around to watching it...
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
18. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
In a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.
Director: Frank De Felitta | Stars: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith
Votes: 8,203
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
19. The Deadly Game (1982 TV Movie)
112 min | Thriller
Retired Lawyers amuse themselves by prosecuting, defending and judging a hapless traveler.
Director: George Schaefer | Stars: George Segal, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley, Emlyn Williams
Votes: 144
MY TWO CENTS: A stage-bound thriller with undertones of humor, this delightfully tense standoff is filled with wonderful performances by all involved that keeps the viewer entranced from beginning to end. Another gem that is sadly buried in obscurity.
MY RATING: 8.5
20. Rehearsal for Murder (1982 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A year after his fiancée's death, a playwright schedules a rehearsal for his new play, which proves to be a trap for her killer.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Robert Preston, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Macnee, Lawrence Pressman
Votes: 832
MY TWO CENTS: It's hard to surprise the viewer in a whodunit as we all know that the killer is the least likely suspect, but Richard Levinson and William Link have done the impossible - the revelation in the end is indeed a surprise! Mix in some terrific performances, namely from the great Robert Preston, and this is one of the better whodunits you'll see.
MY RATING: 7.5
21. Threads (1984 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 112 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The effects of a nuclear holocaust on the working class city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, David Brierly, Rita May
Votes: 20,064
MY TWO CENTS: Whoa. Ranks just behind Peter Watkin's THE WAR GAME as the most harrowing depiction of the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. This is not light viewing.
MY RATING: 8.5
22. Fortress (1985)
TV-MA | 88 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After being kidnapped for ransom by four criminals, a schoolteacher and her students flee into a cave and build fortifications in anticipation of a decisive battle with their captors.
Director: Arch Nicholson | Stars: Sean Garlick, Rachel Ward, Elaine Cusick, Laurie Moran
Votes: 3,543
MY TWO CENTS: An Aussie TV thriller that is memorable for its rather barbaric conclusion that has echoes of THE LORD OF FLIES - the ending may lose some viewers, though others will take hold of it as a scathingly satirical critique of the human condition.
MY RATING: 7
23. Guilty Conscience (1985 TV Movie)
Approved | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
While an unfaithful criminal lawyer considers killing his wife, his spouse develops some schemes of her own.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Blythe Danner, Swoosie Kurtz, Donegan Smith
Votes: 1,012
MY TWO CENTS: Richard Levinson and William Link are back with another twisty tale about a man attempting to pull off the perfect murder. Wonderful from beginning to end, constantly surprising with a fantastic central performance from Anthony Hopkins, but one must admit that the ending is underwhelming as it ends rather abruptly on a bizarre note.
MY RATING: 7.5
24. Vanishing Act (1986 TV Movie)
PG | 95 min | Mystery
A man honeymooning with his new wife in the Rockies reports his wife's disappearance to the police. Hours later, a strange woman escorted by the local priest claims to be his missing wife, despite the man's inability to recognize her.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Mike Farrell, Margot Kidder, Fred Gwynne, Graham Jarvis
Votes: 638
MY TWO CENTS: A remake of ONE OF MY WIVES IS MISSING (or another adaptation of its source play) that surpasses the former with superior direction and performances, but the screenplay lacks the effectiveness of Peter Stone's writing (especially in the climax). Someday, someone will take the best from both films and make the definitive version of this truly terrific tale.
MY RATING: 8
25. The Woman in Black (1989 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 102 min | Horror, Mystery
A lawyer travels to a small seaside town to settle the estate of a recently deceased woman, but soon becomes ensnared in something much more sinister.
Director: Herbert Wise | Stars: Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker, Pauline Moran
Votes: 6,128
MY TWO CENTS: A real chiller. Haunting, atmospheric, and wonderfully restrained making the shocks all the more effective.
MY RATING: 8
26. Fourth Story (1991 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Getting nowhere with LAPD, a wife hires a P.I. to find her missing husband. Does he want to be found? After the initial report, the P.I. continues, wanting to see more of the cute wife.
Director: Ivan Passer | Stars: Mark Harmon, Mimi Rogers, Paul Gleason, Michael Boatman
Votes: 551
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
27. Ghostwatch (1992 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
In a "live" broadcast on Halloween night, a BBC team investigate a reported poltergeist in an ordinary London home.
Director: Lesley Manning | Stars: Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith, Craig Charles
Votes: 5,938
MY TWO CENTS: Despite being slightly dated, this chiller is remains terrifying, with an ending that in some ways recall the horrifying finale of the Spanish film [REC]. This one is a shocker.
MY RATING: 8.5
28. The Guilty (1992– )
Not Rated | 197 min | Crime, Thriller
This the original British version of the 2000 American remake starring Bill Pullman.
Stars: Michael Kitchen, Sean Gallagher, Caroline Catz, Lee Ross
Votes: 208
MY TWO CENTS: Michael Kitchen gives a great performance as the slimy attorney and the twists are often clever, though strain credibility. Direction is fairly flat, unfortunately, especially in comparison to the feature film remake by Anthony Waller, though characterizations are more complex in this version.
MY RATING: 7
29. Citizen X (1995 TV Movie)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
During the 1980s, Soviet authorities hunt for a serial killer who picks his victims in railway stations and commuter trains and lures them into the woods.
Director: Chris Gerolmo | Stars: Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Max von Sydow, Jeffrey DeMunn
Votes: 22,292
MY TWO CENTS: A fascinating topic that explores how a serial killer was tragically ignored for years due to the blindness of an oppressive government. Unfortunately, the direction is flat (as the case with most TV movies) and holds it back from exhibiting its full potential.
MY RATING: 7
30. Dirty Tricks (2000 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 162 min | Comedy, Drama
Edward fancies himself to be a cunning manipulator, but is so tragically self-deluded that he can't see he's being used by his wealthy friends as a sex-tool and a dupe. Banality ensues.
Director: Paul Seed | Stars: Martin Clunes, James Bolam, George Potts, Julie Graham
Votes: 188
MY TWO CENTS: Martin Clunes gives a gloriously slimy and devilish performance which is fortunately matched with clever twists and turns. It lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, I suppose, but it's a good one.
MY RATING: 7.5
31. Séance (2000 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A psychic housewife and her husband become burdened with a kidnapped girl who escaped her assailant. Junko will not let her husband call the hospital or the police for purely selfish ... See full summary »
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Jun Fubuki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Hikari Ishida
Votes: 1,992
MY TWO CENTS: A successful remake of SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. While the direction may not be as sumptuous, the characters and performances capture the tragically somber nature of the original, with a little bit of added horror in the end.
MY RATING: 8
32. Dead Gorgeous (2002 TV Movie)
120 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Rose and Antonia are two old friends who meet up again after the second world war. Unhappy in their relationships, they plan to 'accidentally' murder each others husbands.
Director: Sarah Harding | Stars: Fay Ripley, Helen McCrory, Ron Cook, Lloyd Owen
Votes: 242
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
33. Kôshônin (2003 TV Movie)
107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After a convenience store robbery, three unidentified men hold a group of people hostage in a hospital. Inspector Ishida and Captain Tohno handle the negotiations while one of their ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hiroshi Mikami, Mayu Tsuruta, Shirô Sano, Ken'ichi Endô
Votes: 477
MY TWO CENTS: A twisty hostage-negotiation tale that is truly surprising, but I must admit that there may be one twist too many with all the constant reversals which seems to occur every few minutes.
MY RATING: 7.5
34. Black Butterfly (2008 TV Movie)
96 min | Thriller
Richard, a lonely, alcoholic, down-on-his-luck, divorced screenwriter, invites Jack, a mysterious vagabond, to stay at his woodland home while a serial killer preys on young women in the area.
Director: Christian Faure | Stars: Eric Cantona, Stéphane Freiss, Hélène de Fougerolles, André Penvern
Votes: 308
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
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