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The best thrillers on Criterion Channel right now

Right now the best thrillers and thriller series on Criterion Channel in the United States are Blue Velvet (1986), M (1931) and Infernal Affairs (2002). This is the top 22 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Updated November 12, 2026 · streaming in the United States

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  1. 1. Blue Velvet1986

    Film · 2h 0mMystery, Thriller, Crime★ 7.6

    The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)Hoopla (free)Roku Channel (free)+1

  2. 2. M1931

    Film · 1h 50mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.1

    In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelIndieFlix ShortsKanopy (free)+3

  3. 3. Infernal Affairs2002

    Film · 1h 41mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 7.8

    Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelShout! Factory TV (free)

  4. 4. Three Colors: Red1994

    Film · 1h 40mDrama, Mystery, Romance★ 7.9

    Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  5. 6. The Lady Vanishes1938

    Film · 1h 36mMystery, Thriller★ 7.4

    On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy.

    Stream onfuboTVHBO MaxPhiloCriterion Channel+17

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  7. 7. Godzilla1954

    Film · 1h 36mThriller, Horror, Science Fiction★ 7.6

    Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemaxTCM+1

  8. 8. Le Trou1960

    Film · 2h 12mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.2

    Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  9. 9. Woman in the Dunes1964

    Film · 2h 27mDrama, Thriller★ 8.2

    A vacationing entomologist suffers extreme physical and psychological trauma after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village and made to live with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelDarkroom

  10. 10. Thief1981

    Film · 2h 3mCrime, Thriller, Drama★ 7.3

    Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids.

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelMGM+Hoopla (free)+6

  11. 11. Picnic at Hanging Rock1975

    Film · 1h 47mDrama, Mystery★ 7.2

    In the early 1900s, Miranda attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCMXumo Play (free)

  12. 12. A Man Escaped1956

    Film · 1h 41mDrama, Thriller★ 8.0

    A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from prison.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  13. 13. Three Colors: White1994

    Film · 1h 32mComedy, Drama, Mystery★ 7.4

    Polish immigrant Karol Karol finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique, divorces him after six months due to his impotence.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  14. 14. Meshes of the Afternoon1943

    Film · 14mMystery, Horror★ 7.6

    A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  15. 15. Funny Games1997

    Film · 1h 49mDrama, Horror, Thriller★ 7.3

    Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelHowdyShout! Factory TV (free)+1

  16. 16. Z1969

    Film · 2h 2mThriller, Crime, Drama★ 7.8

    A prominent politician is murdered during a demonstration. The government and army are trying to suppress the truth, but a tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelHBO Max

  17. 17. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog1927

    Film · 1h 31mCrime, Thriller, Mystery★ 7.2

    London. A mysterious serial killer brutally murders young blond women by stalking them in the night fog. One foggy, sinister night, a young man who claims his name is Jonathan Drew arrives at the guest house run by the Bunting family and…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCMHoopla (free)+7

  18. 18. The Consequences of Love2004

    Film · 1h 40mDrama, Thriller★ 7.5

    Lugano, Switzerland. Titta Di Girolamo is a discreet and sullen man who has been living for almost a decade in a modest hotel room, a prisoner of an atrocious routine, apparently without purpose.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  19. 19. The Naked City1948

    Film · 1h 36mCrime, Drama, Mystery★ 7.2

    After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelArtiflixPlex (free)+1

  20. 20. King of New York1990

    Film · 1h 43mThriller, Crime★ 6.8

    A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to New York's poor and lower classes in this stylish and ultra violent modern twist on Robin Hood.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelBFI PlayerMovieSphere+Howdy+7

  21. 21. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976

    Film · 2h 15mThriller, Crime, Drama★ 7.0

    Cosmo Vittelli, the proprietor of a sleazy, low-rent Hollywood cabaret, has a real affection for the women who strip in his peepshows and the staff who keep up his dingy establishment.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

Questions

What are the best thrillers and thriller series on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 12, 2026: Blue Velvet (1986), rated 7.6 out of 10 on TMDB, then M and Infernal Affairs.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

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