Best Thriller Films of the 1980s, Ranked by IQ Score

The 1980s in thriller cinema is the decade neo-noir and psychological-thriller cinema reached canonical scale. Blue Velvet (1986) reset the suburban-noir register. Blood Simple (1984) was the Coens' debut. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) is Sergio Leone's canonical late-career work. After Hours (1985) is Scorsese's most-formally-inventive 1980s entry.

Anchor picks: Blue Velvet is the decade's most-canonical psychological-thriller. Once Upon a Time in America is the canonical gangster-epic. Blood Simple established the Coens' career. Marathon Man (1976) and The Omen (1976) carry over from the late-1970s into the decade.