The thriller movie genre thrives on a sense of suspense, tension and intrigue, but throw in a cold wintery setting and the intense atmosphere only increases. I love watching thriller flicks set in any climate, but there’s something about one set in the snow that always grips me.
With the winter season in the air (even if it technically doesn’t arrive until next month), now is a great time to start marathoning some of the best winter thriller movies. And to help you stream only the most worthwhile picks, I’ve selected a few of my personal favorites. These range from a survival thriller that pits Liam Neeson against a pack of wolves to a slick remake that proves sometimes the second stab at an idea can be better.
These are the best thriller movies you need to watch during the winter season, and I’ve also included where you can stream them right now, to make planning your next winter movie nights even easier.
'Till Death' (2021)
“Till Death” opens on a marriage turned icy between Emma (Megan Fox) and Mark (Eoin Macken), and the snowy-blanketed lakehouse setting, complete with a frozen-over lake, makes for the perfect backdrop for his exploration of the darker side of a long-term relationship. Tightly paced and with a strong lead performance from Fox, “Till Death” is an overlooked thriller that effectively uses its frosty location both thematically and narratively.
With their marriage clearly heading south, Emma and Mark travel to a secluded lake house in the middle of winter to celebrate their 10th anniversary. But before the spark can be rekindled, Emma awakens to find herself handcuffed to Mark’s dead body. Trapped in this isolated setting with no means of contacting help, the situation is already a nightmare, but things get even worse when killers arrive on the scene to finish off a twisted plan.
Watch "Till Death" on Netflix now
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2011)
It’s not often that an American remake surpasses its international inspiration, but “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is one such case. With thriller master David Fincher in the director’s chair, it’s little surprise that this adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel is a total triumph. Alongside Fincher’s trademark eye for detail, the biggest benefit in favor of this remake is the casting of Daniel Craig, and in particular, Rooney Mara as hacker Lisbeth Salander.
Set in a snowy Stockholm, Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is a disgraced reporter facing libel charges, who is given an unexpected chance at redemption when he’s hired by a Swedish industrialist (Christopher Plummer) to solve the disappearance of his beloved grandniece. Blomkvist employs expert hacker Salander to assist, and as the two investigate the case, they are drawn into a sinister world, where the truth isn’t so easily unearthed.
Buy or rent "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" on Amazon now
'The Grey' (2011)
Liam Neeson is not strange to playing characters battling against criminals in winter settings, see the likes of “Ice Road” and “Cold Pursuit” as prime examples. However, “The Grey” is a little different, as in this survival thriller, Neeson’s adversary isn’t faceless thugs, but rather the elements. Oh, and a pack of very hungry wolves. It’s not a full-blown action ride like much of Neeson’s work over the last 15 years, but it ranks among his best movies.
John Ottway (Neeson) and his crew of Alaskan oil refinery workers are heading home after a grueling few weeks' work. However, when their plane, headed for Anchorage, crashes in the frozen wilderness, they are left stranded with dwindling supplies and little hope of imminent rescue. Their only chance of survival is to trek back to civilization, but the journey will be extraordinarily tough as they face sub-zero conditions and a pack of wolves.
Watch "The Grey" on The Roku Channel now
'Arctic' (2018)
Much like “The Grey” above, “Arctic” is all about survival in one of the most hostile places on planet Earth, the Arctic Circle in this case. But while the Liam Neeson-fronted effort has a sense of camaraderie among its group of multiple survivors, “Arctic” is a much more solitary experience with Mads Mikkelsen stranded in a frozen hellscape with nobody else to lean on. The flick's “one man against nature” setup makes for a seriously intense watch.
Mikkelsen plays Overgård, a pilot living in the remains of his crashed plane in the Arctic. Man wasn’t made to live in these conditions long-term, and he faces freezing conditions and the region’s hostile inhabitants. Unsure whether rescue is on its way, he faces a difficult choice between hunkering down at his makeshift basecamp or heading into the unknown in the hopes of finding a way out of his current predicament.
Watch "Arctic" on Prime Video now
'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004)
Nostalgia can be a powerful force, and I’ll fully admit my recommendation of “The Day After Tomorrow” is largely because I have fond youthful memories of renting this disaster thriller from Blockbuster and being completely enthralled. From “Independence Day” director Roland Emmerich, it stars Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal as a father-son duo, who face catastrophic climate change as extreme weather and natural disasters start a new ice age.
Sam (Gyllenhaal) finds himself trapped in a frozen-over New York City, which is a shocking and particularly eerie sight. Meanwhile, his father Jack (Quaid), an expert climatologist, whose warnings of impending danger were ignored by U.N. officials, faces a perilous trek through a decimated United States in an effort to reach his son before it’s too late. With excellent effects that have held up remarkably well all these years later, “The Day After Tomorrow” is melodramatic, but that’s par for the course in the disaster movie genre.
Watch "The Day After Tomorrow" on Hulu now
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