The best thriller films, according to hackers
7 thriller films were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended thriller films with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Nostalgic favorite rewatched for decades
Fans love its hacker-culture spirit and nostalgia despite fake tech, while critics call it dated and corny.
Benchmark for great films
Recommended as a benchmark crime film that shaped later movies; the usual caveat is its graphic violence and sexual assault, with some finding it pretentious.
All 7 thriller films, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hackers (1995) | 69 | 10 | 87% | 8 | 31 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| 2 | Pulp Fiction | 13 | 2 | 87% | 4 | — | Approved |
| 3 | Sneakers (1992) | 7 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 4 | Heat (1995 film) | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 4 | Nightcrawler (2014 film) | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | The Prestige | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Misery (1990 film) | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same thriller film in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to thriller films that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.