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Films with the genre "Thriller", sorted by production date
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Frenzy (1972)
, 1h56Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Horror, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Billie Whitelaw, Anna Massey, Barbara Leigh-Hunt
In London, a serial killer is raping women and strangling them with neckties. Most of the film takes place in Covent Garden, which at the time was still the wholesale fruit and vegetable market district. Fairly early in the film, the audience sees that fruit merchant Robert Rusk (Barry Foster) is in fact the murderer. However, circumstantial evidence has already built up around his friend Richard Blaney (Jon Finch).
Images (1972)
, 1h41Directed by Robert Altman
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Films about writers, Feminist films, Medical-themed films, Films about psychiatry, Political films
Actors Susannah York, René Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi, Cathryn Harrison, Hugh Millais, Barbara Baxley
Wealthy housewife and children's author Cathryn (Susannah York) receives a series of disturbing and eerie phone calls in her home in London one dreary night. The female voice on the other end suggests mockingly to her that her husband Hugh (René Auberjonois) is having an affair.
Madame Sin (1972)
, 1h30Directed by David Greene
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Action
Themes Spy films
Actors Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, Denholm Elliott, Gordon Jackson, Catherine Schell, Dudley Sutton
The title character is a vicious villainess who commands a Thought Factory in the Scottish Highlands. Intent on achieving world domination, she kidnaps ex-CIA agent Anthony Lawrence and forces him to help her hijack a secret nuclear weapon, the Polaris submarine.
, 1h45Directed by Waris Hussein
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about families, Films about sexuality
Actors Shirley MacLaine, Perry King, Michael Hordern, Barbara Trentham, Pat Ast, Míriam Colón
Norah Benson and her younger brother Joel Delaney attend a party being given by Dr. Erika Lorenz. Joel's girlfriend Sherry appears. Norah is extremely protective of her brother, and it is subtly implied that theirs is not an ordinary siblings' relationship. The siblings have sensibly different, albeit somehow complementary mindsets; in contrast to Norah's upscale, self-compliant snobbishness, Joel is more of an adventurous, bohemian type and frequently goes on trips to exotic locations.
Killer (1972)
, 1h25Directed by Denys de La Patellière, Bernard Stora, Thierry Chabert
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes La provence
Actors Jean Gabin, Fabio Testi, Bernard Blier, Uschi Glas, Ginette Garcin, Félix Marten
Le commissaire divisionnaire Le Guen, qui a réussi à arrêter le tueur Georges Gassot, se heurte aux méthodes plus modernes de François Tellier, nouveau directeur de la P.J. Gassot s'enfuit de l'hôpital psychiatrique à destination de Marseille où il rencontre une jeune prostituée allemande Gerda. Mais Le Guen, par l'intermédiaire d'un journaliste, fait croire au Milieu que Gassot est à Marseille pour se mettre à la tête de leurs affaires ; le meurtre du souteneur de Gerda, à Marseille, et celui du passeur de Gassot à Marseille laissent croire à cette version. Gassot remonte à Paris, suivi par Le Guen.
The Master Touch (1972)
, 1h52Directed by Michele Lupo
Origin Italie
Genres Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Heist films
Actors Kirk Douglas, Giuliano Gemma, Florinda Bolkan, Wolfgang Preiss, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Bruno Corazzari
Steve Wallace, a safe cracker, has just been released from prison. He attempts one last burglary with the help of a circus gymnast in Germany.
The Annuity (1972)
, 1h38Directed by Pierre Tchernia
Origin France
Genres Thriller, Comedy
Themes Films about families, La provence, Vieillesse
Actors Michel Serrault, Michel Galabru, Claude Brasseur, Rosy Varte, Jean-Pierre Darras, Odette Laure
En 1930 à Paris, Léon Galipeau, médecin généraliste à la compétence discutable, ausculte Louis Martinet, célibataire de 59 ans. Persuadé que son patient, usé, n'a que deux ans tout au plus à vivre, Galipeau convainc son frère Émile d'acquérir en viager la maison de campagne que possède Martinet dans un petit village de pêcheurs alors méconnu : Saint-Tropez. Confiants dans leur affaire, les deux frères acceptent même d'indexer la rente viagère sur le cours d'une valeur, pensent-ils, sans avenir : l'aluminium.
A Clockwork Orange (1972)
, 2h16Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Social science fiction, Crime
Themes L'adolescence, Films about children, Medical-themed films, Films about music and musicians, Prison films, Films about sexuality, Films about suicide, Rape in fiction, Films based on science fiction novels, Films set in the future, Films about classical music and musicians, Films about psychiatry, Political films, Dystopian films
Actors Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin, Godfrey Quigley, Anthony Sharp
In futuristic London, Alex DeLarge is the leader of his "droogs", Georgie, Dim and Pete. One night, after getting intoxicated on "drencrom" (milk laced with drugs), they engage in an evening of "ultra-violence," which includes beating an elderly vagrant and fighting a rival gang led by Billyboy. After stealing a car, they drive to the country home of writer F. Alexander, where they beat Mr. Alexander to the point of crippling him for life. Alex then rapes his wife while singing "Singin' in the Rain".
Blacula (1972)
, 1h33Directed by William Crain
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Fantasy, Action, Horror
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Films about religion, Dracula films, Vampires in film
Actors William Horace Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent, Thalmus Rasulala, Elisha Cook, Jr.
In 1780, Prince Mamuwalde (William H. Marshall), the ruler of the Abani African nation, seeks the help of Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay) in suppressing the slave trade. Dracula refuses to help, and transforms Mamuwalde into a vampire, whom he names Blacula and imprisons in a sealed coffin. Mamuwalde's wife, Luva (Vonetta McGee), is also imprisoned and dies in captivity. In 1972, the coffin has been purchased as part of an estate by two interior decorators, Bobby McCoy (Ted Harris) and Billy Schaffer (Rick Metzler) and shipped to Los Angeles. Bobby and Billy open the coffin and become Prince Mamuwalde's first victims. At the funeral home where Bobby McCoy's body is laid, Mamuwalde spies on mourning friends Tina Williams (Vonetta McGee), her sister Michelle (Denise Nicholas), and Michelle's boyfriend, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala), a pathologist for the Los Angeles Police Department. Mamuwalde believes Tina is the reincarnation of his deceased wife, Luva. On close investigation of the corpse at the funeral home, Dr. Thomas notices oddities with Bobby McCoy's death that he later concludes to be consistent with vampire folklore.
, 1h40Directed by Emilio Miraglia
Origin Italie
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Barbara Bouchet, Marina Malfatti, Sybil Danning, Ugo Pagliai, Marino Masè, Pia Giancaro
Two sisters, Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) and Evelyn, are cursed by a family painting depicting a hundred year-cycle in which a Red Queen is raised from the dead to kill seven times. After Evelyn seemingly perishes and multiple killings ensue, their niece Franziska (Marina Malfatti) and Kitty start to suspect that Evelyn may be the Red Queen.
Deliverance (1972)
, 1h49Directed by John Boorman
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about sexuality, Rape in fiction, LGBT-related films, Rape and revenge films
Actors Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Billy Redden, Bill McKinney
Four Atlanta businessmen, Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), Ed Gentry (Jon Voight), Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty) and Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox), decide to canoe down a river in the remote northern Georgia wilderness, expecting to have fun and witness the area's unspoiled nature before the fictional Cahulawassee River valley is flooded by construction of a dam. Lewis, an experienced outdoorsman, is the leader. Ed is also a veteran of several trips but lacks Lewis' machismo. Bobby and Drew are novices.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
, 1h31Directed by Wes Craven
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror, Slasher
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about sexuality, Rape in fiction, Erotic films, Serial killer films, Rape and revenge films, Films about psychiatry, Auto-justice
Actors Sandra Cassel, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, Martin Kove
Mari Collingwood plans to attend a concert with her friend, Phyllis Stone, for her 17th birthday. Her parents, Estelle and John, express concern at the band and at Mari's friendship with Phyllis, but let her go and give her a peace symbol necklace. Phyllis and Mari go to the city for the concert. On the way, they hear a news report on the car radio of a recent prison escape, involving criminals Krug Stillo, a rapist and serial killer; his son Junior; Sadie, a promiscuous psychopath and sadist; and Fred "Weasel" Podowski, a child molester, peeping tom, and murderer. Before the concert, Mari and Phyllis encounter Junior when trying to buy marijuana. He leads them to an apartment where they are trapped by the criminals. Phyllis tries to escape, then reason with the criminals, but she fails and is gang-raped by Krug, Weasel and Sadie. Meanwhile, Mari's unsuspecting parents prepare a surprise party for her.
, 1h30Directed by Shun’ya Itō
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Seafaring films, Prison films, Films about sexuality, Transport films, Erotic films, Sexploitation films, Women in prison films
Actors Meiko Kaji, Kayoko Shiraishi, Hideo Murota, Shinzo Hotta, Nenji Kobayashi
Nami Matsushima is locked up and bound in underground solitary confinement. She makes a weapon out of a spoon by holding it in her mouth and grinding it against the concrete floor. The chief warden, Goda, is to be promoted to a higher post shortly. When an inspector visits the prison, Matsushima is brought out of confinement for one day. During the inspection, Matsushima makes a surprise attack on Goda and scratches his face. The other prisoners start to riot, but the guards defuse the situation. The prisoners are punished by being sent to an intensive labour camp. Goda believes that Matsushima may inspire the other prisoners to revolt. He assigns four guards to publicly rape her. Returning from the intensive labour camp, Matsushima is in a van with six other convicts, one of whom is Oba (Kayoko Shiraishi). The other convicts beat Matsushima, who falls lifeless and bleeding. The guards are alerted that Matsushima is feared dead. When they stop the van to inspect her, Matsushima strangles and kills one of the guards, and Oba and the other convicts get the other guard and blow up the van. When Goda sees the van's ruins, he sends search parties to look for Matsushima.
, 1h27Directed by Shun’ya Itō
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime, Erotic thriller
Themes Seafaring films, Prison films, Films about sexuality, Transport films, Rape in fiction, Erotic films, Sexploitation films, Rape and revenge films, Women in prison films, Erotic thriller films, Auto-justice, LGBT-related film, Lesbian-related films
Actors Meiko Kaji, Isao Natsuyagi, Yayoi Watanabe, Yōko Mihara, Hideo Murota, Akemi Negishi
Nami Matsushima (Meiko Kaji) is set up by her boyfriend, a crooked police detective named Sugimi (Isao Natsuyagi) to win favor with the Yakuza. She is raped by several drug dealers. She makes a failed attempt to stab Sugimi on the steps of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters. She is sentenced to do hard time in a women's prison. Matsushima is given the number 701. The prison is run by sadistic and lecherous male guards. The prisoners are forced to walk up and down a stair-like contraption naked with male guards watching from below. While in prison she meets inmates like Yuki Kida (Yayoi Watanabe) who was committed for fraud and theft, Otsuka (Akemi Negishi), jailed for burglary and extortion, and Katagiri (Rie Yokoyama) who has been impounded for arson and illegally disposing of a body. On the outside, Sugimi and the Japanese mafia orchestrate a plan in which Matsushima will succumb to an "accidental" death in prison. They enlist the help of Katagiri, pulling on her ties to both Sugimi and the mafia, and quickly set their plan in motion.
Sleuth (1972)
, 2h18Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Crime
Themes Films about writers, Théâtre, Films based on plays, Children's films
Actors Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
Andrew Wyke (Olivier), a successful writer of crime fiction, who lives in a large country manor house filled with elaborate games and automata, invites his wife's lover Milo Tindle (Caine), a hairdresser of Italian heritage, to his home to discuss the situation. Andrew explains that he has tired of his wife and wants Milo to take her off his hands. In order to provide Milo with enough money to take care of her, Andrew suggests that Milo steal some jewellery from the house, with Andrew recouping his losses through an insurance claim. Milo agrees and allows Andrew to lead him through an elaborate charade to fake the robbery. At the conclusion, Andrew pulls a pistol and reveals that the entire plot was meant to frame Milo as a robber, giving Andrew an excuse for shooting him. Andrew then appears to execute Milo by shooting him in the head.