Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills is a list of the top 100 most exciting movies in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 12, 2001, during a CBS special hosted by Harrison Ford.
Nine Alfred Hitchcock films made the list, making "the master of suspense" the most represented director.
List of films # Film Director Year 1 Psycho 1960 2 Jaws 1975 3 1973 4 North by Northwest 1959 5 1991 6 Alien 1979 7 1963 8 1971 9 Rosemary's Baby 1968 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 11 1972 12 King Kong 1933 13 Bonnie and Clyde 1967 14 Rear Window 1954 15 Deliverance 1972 16 Chinatown 1974 17 1962 18 Vertigo 1958 19 1963 20 High Noon 1952 21 1971 22 Taxi Driver 1976 23 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 24 Double Indemnity 1944 25 Titanic 1997 26 1941 27 Star Wars 1977 28 Fatal Attraction 1987 29 1980 30 1978 31 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 32 Strangers on a Train 1951 33 1993 34 1955 35 Jurassic Park 1993 36 Bullitt 1968 37 Casablanca 1942 38 Notorious 1946 39 Die Hard 1988 40 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 41 Dirty Harry 1971 42 1984 43 1939 44 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 45 Saving Private Ryan 1998 46 Carrie 1976 47 Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956 48 Dial M for Murder 1954 49 Ben-Hur 1959 50 Marathon Man 1976 51 Raging Bull 1980 52 Rocky 1976 53 Pulp Fiction 1994 54 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 55 Wait Until Dark 1967 56 Frankenstein 1931 57 All the President's Men 1976 58 1957 59 Planet of the Apes 1968 60 1999 61 Cape Fear 1962 62 Spartacus 1960 63 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962 64 Touch of Evil 1958 65 1967 66 1999 67 1948 68 Halloween 1978 69 1969 70 Dog Day Afternoon 1975 71 Goldfinger 1964 72 Platoon 1986 73 Laura 1944 74 Blade Runner 1982 75 1949 76 Thelma & Louise 1991 77 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 78 Gaslight 1944 79 1960 80 Rebecca 1940 81 1976 82 1951 83 1925 84 Poltergeist 1982 85 Dracula 1931 86 1945 87 1951 88 12 Angry Men 1957 89 1961 90 1972 91 Braveheart 1995 92 Body Heat 1981 93 Night of the Living Dead 1968 94 1979 95 Full Metal Jacket 1987 96 Blue Velvet 1986 97 Safety Last! 1923 98 Blood Simple 1984 99 Speed 1994 100 1938
Criteria Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes long. American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States. Thrills: Regardless of genre, the total adrenaline-inducing impact of a film’s artistry and craft must create an experience that engages our bodies as well as our minds. Legacy: Films whose "thrills" have enlivened and enriched America’s film heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences.
External links American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Thrills (winners) List of the 400 nominated thrillers.