Love David Fincher's 'Seven'? Check Out These 8 Tense Thrillers, Ranked by IMDb

The 1990s are rightfully considered the golden age of detective thrillers exploring maniacs, psychopaths, and the darkest corners of the human soul. Dark, merciless films like David Fincher's Seven were released almost every year.

If you've watched Fincher's classics countless times and are craving new thrills, this list is for you.

8. 'Taking Lives', 2004

IMDb Score: 6.2/10

Two men meet on a deserted highway. For one of them, the encounter ends tragically when he is pushed under the wheels of a car and killed – this is far from the first such incident.

When a new murder occurs in Montreal, the case is handed over to FBI agent Illeana Scott. Her investigation leads her to James Costa, who seems destined to be the next victim.

Costa is placed under guard, but the killer kidnaps him anyway. Illeana refuses to give up and pursues the elusive criminal.

7. 'Deliver Us from Evil', 2014

IMDb Score: 6.2/10

In Iraq, American soldiers discover a cave, enter it, and then lose contact. Several years later, police officers Sarchie and Butler witness strange occurrences in the Bronx.

First, a crazed veteran who had visited the cave stabs one of the officers, then, at the zoo, a woman throws her child into a den of lions.

The partners are convinced these events are connected because in both cases, the people acted as if they were hypnotized. A priest comes to their aid, claiming that Lucifer himself is involved.

6. 'Longlegs', 2024

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

For the past 20 years, brutal crimes have been occurring across Oregon. These crimes are committed by different people but under eerily similar circumstances – for no apparent reason, husbands murder their wives and kids, and then kill themselves.

Occult messages written by a certain Longlegs are invariably found in the victims' homes. Over the years, the police have tried and failed to decipher the notes and identify the author.

In the 1990s, the investigation resumed when it was assigned to Lee Harker, a young FBI agent who had previously solved another high-profile case. The more Lee learns about the case, the more she realizes there is a connection between herself and the maniac.

5. 'Kiss the Girls', 1997

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

A criminal psychologist receives news of his niece's disappearance. Upon arriving at the scene, he discovers that a serial killer nicknamed Casanova has been operating there for a long time.

The psychopath has kidnapped eight women and killed three of them, leaving their bodies in the woods. The police refuse to help the psychologist, forcing him to act alone. He teams up with one of the victims who escaped the killer.

4. 'The Bone Collector', 1999

IMDb Score: 6.7/10

Lincoln Rhyme was a talented forensic scientist whose expertise helped him solve the most complex cases. Four years ago, however, an accident left him paralyzed, and he could only move his head and one finger.

Rhyme lost interest in life and helped the police with only half-hearted enthusiasm. But one day, something extraordinary happened – at a murder scene, police find a body and evidence indicating the location of the next crime.

Rhyme takes on the case and teams up with Amelia, an inexperienced but talented police officer who becomes his partner.

3. 'The Crimson Rivers', 2000

IMDb Score: 6.9/10

A team of principled cops joins forces to solve a series of brutal crimes in the town of Guernon, which is cut off from the outside world by the Alpine Mountains.

First, a college professor is murdered, followed by the desecration of a young girl's grave. The incidents seem unrelated, but evidence discovered by the partners suggests otherwise.

When it comes to movies similar to Seven, many people usually think of The Crimson Rivers – an adaptation of Jean-Christophe Grangé's novel, crafted in the finest tradition of Fincher-inspired cinema.

2. 'Cure', 1997

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

Detective Takabe is assigned to investigate a series of murders plaguing the city. He teams up with a psychiatrist to try to establish a connection between the crimes, but the evidence repeatedly leads him astray.

Everything changes when Takabe meets a strange young man with amnesia who is not in the records.

Cure will delight not only fans of Asian cinema, but also those who are tired of the same old Hollywood thrillers.

1. 'Memories of Murder', 2003

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Two women were murdered, and all evidence pointed to the same person as the perpetrator. Detectives Park Doo-man and Cho Yong-koo take on the case, determined to solve it.

Soon, they are joined by Seo Tae-yoon, a detective from Seoul. Despite their efforts, however, the murders continue.

The movie was directed by Bong Joon Ho, who later directed Parasite, winner of four Oscars. The plot is based on real events that took place between 1986 and 1991.