Best Thriller Films of 1981

The Salamander

Dante Matucci (Franco Nero), ... suspects herded into one room (à la Agatha Christie or Dashiell Hammett) while Matucci and Manzini discuss the case. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Blow Out

Brian De Palma's homage ... The Parallax View (1974), using cinematic fireworks to tell an unsettling story about one man's struggle against unstoppable corruption. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

The Watcher in the Woods

This Disney Studios attempt ... laughed at the special effects, and re-released the movie in 1982 with a new ending that circumvented the alien. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Looker

This fun, silly thriller ... called "Lookers." This is good, if silly fun and Albert Finney does his best with a somewhat implausible script. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Jig Saw

A man who received ... sets out to uncover the truth about his missing boy in this thriller starring Lino Ventura and Angie Dickinson. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

The Final Conflict

The second sequel to ... was the final theatrical installment of the Omen series, the made-for-TV Omen IV: The Awakening appeared a decade later. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Le Professionnel

Joss Beaumont (Jean-Paul Belmondo) ... remains free and there is no doubt that he has the full capacity to do exactly what he says. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Southern Comfort

A handful of part ... the Vietnam war, Southern Comfort also features an excellent score by guitarist (and frequent Walter Hill collaborator) Ry Cooder. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Strange Behavior

Dead Kids, aka Strange ... sexually menacing as the mad doc's assistant, but Louise Fletcher's wasted role may make viewers pine for Nurse Ratched. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Road Games

Hollywood's Stacy Keach stars ... Hitchcock, which would come to full fruition in Psycho II (1982), is very much in evidence throughout Road Games. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Dead and Buried

Dan O'Bannon and Ronald ... cable and remains a minor cult favorite today thanks to its singular blend of creepy atmosphere and gruesome shocks. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Turkey Shoot

This grim, violent Australian ... exposed to this film may wish to follow with My Brilliant Career to restore their faith in Australian cinema. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Eyes of a Stranger

In this slasher film, ... TV anchorwoman whose deaf, dumb and blind teen sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is the next target of a killer. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Diva

The diva of the ... fondness for the more esoteric techniques of the Nouvelle Vague never impedes his willingness to simply entertain his audiences. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Final Exam

Since this no-brainer is ... this subgenre) also manages to rob the film of whatever cheap thrills it might have been able to provide. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Macumba Sexual

Jesus Franco's surrealistic voodoo ... her intended victims, and the director turns in a funny cameo as a voyeuristic janitor who collects stuffed fish. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]

Beautiful Target

Beautiful Target concerns a ... same serial killer using her scientific knowledge, she decides to use her feminine assets in order to go undercover. [ best thriller films - 1981 ]