List of thriller films of the 1940s

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A list of thriller films released in the 1940s.

Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/Notes
1940
Before I HangNick GrindeBoris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce BennettUnited States[1]
Foreign CorrespondentAlfred HitchcockJoel McCrea, Laraine DayUnited States[2]
GaslightThorold DickinsonAnton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, Frank PettingellUnited Kingdom[3]
RebeccaAlfred HitchcockLaurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith AndersonUnited StatesPsychological thriller[4]
Stranger on the Third FloorBoris IngsterPeter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret TallichetUnited StatesPsychological thriller[5]
1941
Among the LivingStuart HeislerAlbert Dekker, Susan Hayward, Harry CareyUnited States[6]
Le Dernier des SixGeorges LacombeMichele Alfa, Pierre Fresnay, Jean TissierFrancePsychological thriller[7]
I Wake Up ScreamingH. Bruce HumberstoneBetty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole LandisUnited States[8]
Man HuntFritz LangWalter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George SandersUnited States[9]
Shadow of the Thin ManW.S. Van DykeWilliam Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson United StatesComedy thriller[10]
SuspicionAlfred HitchcockCary Grant, Joan FontaineUnited States[11]
1942
L'Assassin Habite au 21Henri-Georges ClouzotSuzy Delair, Pierre Fresnay, Noël RoquevertFranceComedy thriller[12]
Bowery at MidnightWallace W. FoxBela Lugosi, John Archer, Wanda McKayUnited StatesCrime thriller[13]
Cat PeopleJacques TourneurSimone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom ConwayUnited StatesSupernatural thriller[14]
Eyes in the NightFred ZinnemannEdward Arnold, Ann Harding, Katherine EmeryUnited StatesCrime thriller[15]
The Glass KeyStuart HeislerBrian Donlevy, Veronica Lake, Alan LaddUnited States[16]
I Live on DangerSam WhiteChester Morris, Jean Parker, Elizabeth RisdonUnited States[17]
NightmareTim WhelanDiana Barrymore, Brian Donlevy, Henry DaniellUnited States[18]
SaboteurAlfred HitchcockPriscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Norman LloydUnited States[19]
This Gun for HireFrank TuttleVeronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird CregarUnited StatesCrime thriller[20]
1943
Above SuspicionRichard ThorpeJoan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Conrad VeidtUnited StatesPolitical thriller[21]
Le CorbeauHenri-Georges ClouzotPierre Fresnay, Pierre Larquey, Micheline Francey FrancePsychological thriller[22]
The Fallen SparrowRichard WallaceJohn Garfield, Maureen O'Hara, Walter SlezakUnited States[23]
Journey into FearNorman FosterJoseph Cotten, Dolores Del Rio, Ruth Warrick, Orson WellesUnited States[24]
The Leopard ManJacques TourneurDennis O'Keefe, Margo, Jean BrooksUnited States[25]
Shadow of a DoubtAlfred HitchcockJoseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, MacDonald CareyUnited States[26]
1944
BluebeardEdgar G. UlmerJohn Carradine, Jean Parker, Nils Asther United States[27]
The ClimaxGeorge WaggnerBoris Karloff, Susanna FosterUnited States[28]
Dark WatersAndré De TothMerle Oberon, Franchot Tone, Thomas MitchellUnited States[29]
Double IndemnityBilly WilderFred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. RobinsonUnited StatesCrime thriller[30]
GaslightGeorge CukorCharles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman United States[31]
LauraOtto PremingerGene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton WebbUnited StatesPsychological thriller[32]
The LodgerJohn BrahmMerle Oberon, George Sanders, Laird CregarUnited States[33]
The Mask of DimitriosJean NegulescoSydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye EmersonUnited States[34]
Ministry of FearFritz LangRay Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl EsmondUnited StatesPsychological Thriller[35]
Murder, My SweetEdward DmytrykDick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne ShirleyUnited States[36]
Phantom LadyRobert SiodmakFranchot Tone, Ella Raines, Alan CurtisUnited States[37]
The Scarlet ClawRoy William NeillBasil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gerald HamerUnited States[38]
The Thin Man Goes HomeRichard ThorpeWilliam Powell, Myrna Loy, Gloria de Haven United StatesComedy thriller[39]
When Strangers MarryWilliam CastleDean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum United States[40]
The Woman in the WindowFritz LangEdward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond MasseyUnited States[41]
1945
The Body SnatcherRobert WiseBoris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry DaniellUnited States[42]
ConflictCurtis BernhardtHumphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney GreenstreetUnited States[43]
CorneredEdward DmytrykDick Powell, Walter Slezak, Nina ValeUnited States[44]
Dead of NightAlberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Sally Ann Howes, Mary MerrallUnited KingdomPsychological thriller[45]
Hangover SquareJohn BrahmLaird Cregar, Linda Darnell, George SandersUnited States[46]
The House on 92nd StreetHenry HathawayWilliam Eythe, Lloyd Nolan, Signe Hasso United States[47]
My Name Is Julia RossJoseph H. LewisNina Foch, Dame May Whitty, George MacreadyUnited States[48]
SpellboundAlfred HitchcockIngrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Jean AckerUnited StatesPsychological thriller[49]
Strange IllusionEdgar G. UlmerCharles Arnt, Jameson Clark, Jimmy ClarkUnited States[50]
1946
BedlamMark RobsonBoris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy HouseUnited States
The Brute ManJean YarbroughRondo Hatton, Jane Adams, Tom NealUnited States
Crack-UpIrving G. ReisPat O'Brien, Claire Trevor, Herbert MarshallUnited StatesPsychological thriller
Deadline at DawnHarold ClurmanSusan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Bill WilliamsUnited States
DragonwyckJoseph L. MankiewiczGene Tierney, Spring Byington, Walter HustonUnited States
I See a Dark StrangerFrank LaunderDeborah Kerr, Trevor Howard, Raymond HuntleyUnited Kingdom
Leave Her to HeavenJohn StahlGene Tierney, Cornel WildeUnited StatesPsychological thriller
NotoriousAlfred HitchcockCary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude RainsUnited StatesPolitical thriller
Shadow of a WomanJoseph SantleyHelmut Dantine, Andrea King, Don McGuireUnited States
ShockAlfred L. WerkerVincent Price, Lynn Bari, Anabel ShawUnited States
The Spiral StaircaseRobert SiodmakDorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel BarrymoreUnited StatesPsychological thriller
The StrangerOrson WellesOrson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young United StatesPsychological thriller
1947
Kiss of DeathHenry Hathaway Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen GrayUnited States Psychological thriller, crime thriller
Love from a StrangerRichard WhorfJohn Hodiak, John Howard, Ann RichardsUnited States
The Red HouseDelmer DavesEdward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, Judith AndersonUnited States
Song of the Thin ManEdward BuzzellWilliam Powell, Myrna LoyUnited StatesComedy thriller
1948
The Big ClockJohn FarrowRay Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'SullivanUnited StatesPsychological thriller
Cry of the CityRobert SiodmakVictor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred ClarkUnited States
He Walked by NightAlfred L. WerkerRichard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy RobertsUnited States
Key LargoJohn HustonHumphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Monte BlueUnited StatesCrime thriller
The Lady from ShanghaiOrson WellesRita Hayworth, Orson Welles United States
RopeAlfred HitchcockJames Stewart, John DallUnited StatesPsychological thriller
Sorry, Wrong NumberAnatole LitvakBarbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann RichardsUnited StatesPsychological thriller
1949
The BribeRobert Z. LeonardRobert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent PriceUnited StatesCrime thriller
D.O.A.Rudolph Maté Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler United StatesPsychological thriller
Follow Me QuietlyRichard FleischerWilliam Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff CoreyUnited States
Gun CrazyJoseph H. LewisPeggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry KroegerUnited StatesCrime thriller
The Third ManCarol ReedJoseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson WellesUnited KingdomPsychological thriller
Stray DogAkira KurosawaToshirō Mifune, Takashi ShimuraJapan
White HeatRaoul WalshJames CagneyUnited StatesCrime thriller
WhirlpoolOtto PremingerGene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose FerrerUnited StatesPsychological thriller

Notes

  1. Erickson, Hal. "Before I Hang - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. Erickson, Hal. "Foreign Correspondent - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  3. Erickson, Hal. "Gaslight - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  4. LeVasseur, Andrea. "Rebecca - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  5. Erickson, Hal. "Stranger on the Third Floor - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  6. Eder, Bruce. "Among the Living - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  7. German, Yuri. "Le Dernier des Six - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  8. Eder, Bruce. "I Wake Up Screaming - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  9. Deming, Mark. "Man Hunt - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  10. Erickson, Hal. "Shadow of the Thin Man - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  11. Erickson, Hal. "Suspicion - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  12. Erickson, Hal. "L'Assassin Habite au 21 - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  13. Erickson, Hal. "Bowery at Midnight - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  14. Erickson, Hal. "Cat People - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  15. Brennan, Sandra. "Eyes in the Night - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  16. Erickson, Hal. "The Glass Key - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  17. Brennan, Sandra. "I Live on Danger - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  18. Erickson, Hal. "Nightmare - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  19. Erickson, Hal. "Saboteur - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  20. Erickson, Hal. "This Gun for Hire - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  21. Erickson, Hal. "Above Suspicion - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  22. Erickson, Hal. "Le Corbeau - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  23. Erickson, Hal. "The Fallen Sparrow - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  24. Erickson, Hal. "Journey into Fear - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  25. Erickson, Hal. "The Leopard Man - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  26. Erickson, Hal. "Shadow of a Doubt - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  27. Erickson, Hal. "Bluebeard - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  28. Erickson, Hal. "The Climax - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  29. Erickson, Hal. "Dark Waters - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  30. Rasmussen, Linda. "Double Indemnity - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  31. Williams, Karl. "Gaslight - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  32. Williams, Karl. "Laura - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  33. Erickson, Hal. "The Lodger - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  34. Deming, Mark. "The Mask of Dimitrios - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  35. Blaise, Judd. "Ministry of Fear - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  36. Erickson, Hal. "Murder, My Sweet - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  37. Eder, Bruce. "Phantom Lady". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  38. Erickson, Hal. "The Scarlet Claw - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  39. Erickson, Hal. "The Thin Man Goes Home - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  40. Erickson, Hal. "When Strangers Marry - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  41. Erickson, Hal. "The Woman in the Window - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards - AllRovi". Allrovi. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  42. Erickson, Hal. "The Body Snatcher". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  43. Erickson, Hal. "Conflict". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  44. Erickson, Hal. "Cornered". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  45. Blaise, Judd. "Dead of Night". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  46. Deming, Mark. "Hangover Square". Allrovi. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  47. Erickson, Hal. "The House of 92nd Street". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  48. Deming, Mark. "My Name is Julia Ross". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  49. Erickson, Hal. "Spellbound". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  50. Eder, Bruce. "Strange Illusion". Allrovi. Retrieved April 17, 2012.