The best thrillers of 1981

25 thrillers from 1981, ranked by a 0–100 score from IMDb ratings, critics, major awards and box office, compared with every film from the same year.

  1. Looker Score 20.3 · IMDb 6.1 · Tomatometer 32% · Metascore 20
  2. Happy Birthday to Me Score 20.1 · IMDb 6.0 · Tomatometer 29% · Metascore 24
  3. The Hand Score 18.0 · IMDb 5.5 · Tomatometer 29% · Metascore 59
  4. Madman Score 15.6 · IMDb 5.1 · Tomatometer 30%
  5. Final Exam Score 8.9 · IMDb 4.6 · Tomatometer 13%