2001 Film Was Just Crowned the 'Most Universally Loved Thriller Movie'

Thriller films have a tendency to fill theaters due to their enthralling plots. While not every thriller is considered a movie masterpiece, some have received accolades from both critics and audiences alike. For instance, Collider recently released a list of "the 15 most universally loved thriller movies, ranked."

The list, published on July 10, featured popular thrillers like 1995's Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs from 1991, Memento, released in 2000, and Rear Window from 1954. Collider put late director David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive, starring Naomi Watts as actress Betty Elms, at the top of the ranking. The publication suggested that the film has remained so beloved due to its use of surrealism that causes its disturbing storyline to be difficult to unfold, making it an almost interactive mystery for the audience.

Mulholland Drive holds a score of 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

David Lynch Revealed that 'Mulholland Drive' Was Originally Going to Be a Television Series

In an interview for Criterion Collection Special Features of Mulholland Drive, alongside Watts, Lynch revealed that the film was supposed to be "a possible spinoff" of his popular ABC television series, Twin Peaks. However, an ABC executive wasn't impressed with the proposed show's pilot, killing the project.

Lynch, who died in 2025 at the age of 78, clarified he viewed the situation as "a gigantic blessing," as he eventually realized Mulholland Drive could be made into a feature film. Lynch explained that his friend, French filmmaker Pierre Edelman, helped him fund the movie. In addition, Lynch said by the time the film was greenlit, he "had zero ideas" about the overall storyline. According to the director, ideas for the film finally came to him after a meditation session.

"This is a true story, that night the night of the green light, with no ideas, I sat down and did my meditating. And this particular meditation, I dive down in there and, as I say, like a string of pearls one idea after another came, and I knew exactly what to do," said Lynch during the interview.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 4:11 PM.