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'Taxi Driver' (1976) -

Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic takes a deep dive into the increasingly twisted mind of enraged taxi driver Travis Bickle.

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'Taxi Driver' (1976) -

Played with just the right level of brooding intensity by Robert De Niro, Vietnam vet Bickle sees himself as the savior of a young street worker (played by Jodie Foster), but his anger at society takes a violently revengeful turn by the film's end.

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'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) -

Proving that a tiny budget is no barrier to making a terrifying slow burner, 1999's 'The Blair Witch Project' is a chilling 'mockumentary' following a group of campers who head into supposedly-haunted woods on the trail of three missing young people. Horrors unfold themselves slowly, off-camera as well.

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'The Wicker Man' (1973) -

Quite literally a slow burner, this creeping horror movie sees a puritanical policeman arrive on a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing girl. Pagan rituals, sinister singing, and creepy characters lead the viewer to a horrifying finale.

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'Rear Window' (1954) -

Alfred Hitchcock was the undisputed king of cinematic suspense, and 1954's 'Rear Window' is as taut and tense as thrillers get.

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'Rear Window' (1954) -

Wheelchair-bound protagonist L.B. Jefferies (played by James Stewart) spies on his neighbors from his window and, when he sees what he believes is murder, the audience shares his sense of helpless desperation.

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'Rear Window' (1954) -

The claustrophobia builds throughout the film, as the mystery unravels and the plot picks up pace before reaching a dramatic conclusion.

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'Rosemary's Baby' (1968) -

Foreboding sets in early on in Roman Polanski's 1968 chiller. A gamine, pixie-cropped Mia Farrow plays the titular Rosemary, who moves into a creepy apartment block with husband Guy, intent on starting a family.

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'Rosemary's Baby' (1968) -

When Rosemary falls pregnant, she finds herself cut off from anyone other than her husband and their new, somewhat unnerving neighbors.

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'Rosemary's Baby' (1968) -

Suggestions of witchcraft and devil worship add to a growing sense of deep unease as Rosemary finds herself unsure who, if anybody, she can trust. The dawning realization that all is not as it seems with her baby is as sinister as plot twists get.

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'The Shining' (1980) -

Hold on tight for a terrifying ride as writer and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (played by a menacing Jack Nicholson) arrives at the isolated Overlook Hotel with his wife and son.

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'The Shining' (1980) -

The jump-scares will jolt you off the couch as Jack visibly unravels, terrifying his family in the process. The supernatural element to the action adds an extra sense of horror as the plot grows ever darker.

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'Nocturnal Animals' (2016) - Amy Adams puts in an artful performance in this intricately-plotted revenge thriller. The twists reveal themselves gradually, and it's worthy of repeat viewing.

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'Line of Duty' (2012-2021) - The long-running police drama started off slowly, but had the British viewing public hooked by the time it reached its thrilling finale in 2021. Morally ambiguous characters, together with clever twists and turns, helped it become the UK's most watched TV show of the century so far.

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'Twin Peaks' (1990) -

Director David Lynch created a surreal underworld of creepy characters and bizarre goings-on in his spooky early '90s series. As confusing as it was, it quickly amassed a cult following.

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'Twin Peaks' (1990) - "Who killed Laura Palmer?" was the question on everybody's lips, as Agent Cooper was drawn deeper into the dark, mysterious world. It spawned a film in 1992, 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,' and third season in 2017.

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'The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story' (2016) -

You'll need to settle yourself down for the day if you want to binge-watch this dramatization of the events surrounding O.J. Simpson's murder trial. The 10-part series examines the twists and turns in detail, and from multiple perspectives: pay attention, and you'll soon be hooked. 

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'You' (2018-) - All the creepier for being seen through the eyes of a killer, 'You' is enough to make anybody pull their curtains tight. As the slow-burning drama makes clear, you never know who might be watching.

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'Carrie' (1976) -

Sissy Spacek's awkward teenager Carrie is unforgettable in this 1976 horror. The action starts slowly, as the bullied teen begins to realize she can harness supernatural powers.

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'Carrie' (1976) -

With her unstable mother wreaking further havoc in her life, 16-year-old Carrie becomes as terrified as the audience as the plot darkens.

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'Carrie' (1976) -

When Carrie steps up to receive her crown at her school's senior prom, the stage is set for one of the most unsettling scenes in cinema history.

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'The Fall' (2013-2016) -

If you weren't watching this classy psychological thriller, chances are that somebody was urging you to do so. Starring Gillian Anderson as a take-no-prisoners police woman, and Jamie Dornan as (spoiler alert) a family-man serial killer, it's already a classic among British slow-burn series.

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'Vertigo' (1958) -

A film about a retired policeman with a fear of heights and an obsession with women, its dark sub-themes come to the surface after repeat viewings.

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'Vertigo' (1958) -

Panned on its release, Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film is now considered a classic. Its slow-burn success can largely be attributed to its less-than-clear-plot.

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'Psycho' (1960) -

Hitchcock's later film 'Psycho' was a more immediate hit, but it's still full of slow-burn suspense. As the unwitting victim checks herself into the Bates motel, the audience gradually realizes just what she has let herself in for.

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'Psycho' (1960) -

The memorable soundtrack and intense close-ups build up to a series of horrifying shocks in a film that raised the bar for the horror movie genre.

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'Bates Motel' (2013-2017) -

The film inspired a prequel series, 'Bates Motel.' A dark psychological thriller looking at Norman Bates' relationship with his mother, the series wears its Hitchcock influence on its sleeve with its slow-burn suspense.

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'Midsommar' (2019) -

The harsh daylight of a Scandinavian summer makes for a surprisingly sinister setting for this 2019 slow-burn horror that drew comparisons with 'The Wicker Man' (1973).

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'Midsommar' (2019) -

Sinister cult activity coupled with the remorseless glare of the sun combine to make a film that starts out sunnily, and ends up in a metaphorical dark place. 

Sources: (Screen Rant) (IMDb)

See also: The best Netflix shows for binge watching

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