5 Upcoming Thrillers, Ranked by Hype

The article ranks five upcoming thrillers by the excitement around them, highlighting films due in late 2026 and early 2027. It argues that the slate includes both projects from established directors and smaller films with festival buzz, though the genre has relatively few releases in the coming months.

Among the films described, Idris Elba co-directs and stars in *Above the Below*, about three astronauts stranded in an ocean after their capsule is knocked off course during re-entry. *River*, Joshua Giuliano’s directorial debut, stars Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe as sisters stranded on a river with their brother after encountering a killer; it earned positive responses at TIFF. *Slayground*, from thriller director Jeremy Saulnier, stars Cory Michael Smith as a “scare actor” and has drawn attention after its trailer was released.