Edge-of-Your-Seat Thrillers Similar to Switchback

Description: A relentless chase film where an ordinary driver is terrorized by an unseen trucker, creating intense psychological and physical tension on the open road.

Fact: Steven Spielberg's first full-length feature film, made for TV but later released theatrically. The truck was chosen for its 'face-like' grille to make it seem more menacing.

Description: A psychological thriller combining investigative procedural elements with a cat-and-mouse game between an FBI trainee and a brilliant, manipulative killer.

Fact: Only the third film in history to win all five major Academy Awards. Buffalo Bill's basement was built on a soundstage but designed to look like a real, claustrophobic space.

Description: A high-stakes chase thriller involving a wrongfully accused man evading law enforcement while trying to uncover the truth, blending suspense with a personal vendetta.

Fact: The train crash scene was one of the most expensive stunts ever filmed at the time, costing over $1 million. The film was based on a 1960s TV series of the same name.

Description: A gritty, rain-soaked crime thriller about two detectives hunting a methodical killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi.

Fact: The opening title sequence was designed by Kyle Cooper and became highly influential in film title design. The film's ending was so shocking that the studio wanted it changed, but the director refused.

Description: A tense, road-based thriller where an ordinary man is thrust into a desperate search for his missing wife, facing off against seemingly ordinary but dangerous adversaries.

Fact: Kurt Russell performed many of his own stunts, including the climactic truck chase. The film was shot in just 40 days, primarily in the deserts of California and Arizona.

Description: A cat-and-mouse pursuit film featuring a fugitive with hidden skills and a personal mission, pitted against determined law enforcement agents.

Fact: This was a spin-off of 'The Fugitive,' focusing on Tommy Lee Jones' character. The airplane crash sequence was filmed using a real Boeing 727 purchased for the production.

Description: A suspenseful road thriller where a prank gone wrong leads to a deadly game of cat and mouse with a mysterious and vengeful trucker.

Fact: The film was originally titled 'Roadkill' but was changed to avoid confusion with another movie. The creepy trucker voice was provided by a last-minute replacement actor.

Description: A meticulous, atmospheric investigation into an unsolved serial killer case, focusing on obsession and the toll of pursuing an elusive truth.

Fact: David Fincher used actual police files and crime scene photos to recreate events with extreme accuracy. The basement scene was shot 50 times to achieve perfect tension.

Description: A grim, atmospheric chase story involving stolen money, a relentless killer, and themes of fate and morality in a desolate landscape.

Fact: The Coen brothers adapted the screenplay almost verbatim from Cormac McCarthy's novel. Anton Chigurh's unusual weapon was a captive bolt pistol used in cattle slaughter.

Description: A dark, morally complex thriller about a desperate father taking extreme measures to find his missing daughter, blurring lines between justice and vengeance.

Fact: Hugh Jackman's intense performance caused him to lose his voice multiple times during filming. The maze imagery throughout the film symbolizes the characters' moral labyrinths.