Best Malayalam Thriller Movies (2026)
Updated daily · India
Malayalam cinema has become India's thriller capital; these are the genre's best-rated films and where to stream them.
Ranked by audience rating among films with at least 30 ratings that are streaming somewhere in India today. The list refreshes daily, so titles that leave the service drop off automatically.
- 1
Manjummel Boys 2024
★ 7.9(104 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar
A carefree vacation turns into a desperate race against time when a group of lifelong friends must unite to save one of their own from a notoriously perilous, uncharted abyss deep within the Guna Caves.
- 2
Kishkindha Kaandam 2024
★ 7.7(67 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar, VI movies and tv
Strange events unfold in a monkey-inhabited village, driving a newlywed couple and forest officials to embark on a mission to uncover the root of the unusual disturbances.
- 3
Ponman 2025
★ 7.7(30 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar
Ajesh,a jewellery agent lends 25 sovereigns of gold to Bruno for his sister Steffi's wedding, only to recover just half. When he demands the rest, he’s drawn into a tense comeback battle with Steffi's husband Mariano, an infamous prawn farmer in coastal Kollam.
- 4
Iyobinte Pusthakam 2014
★ 7.7(42 ratings)· Streaming on VI movies and tv, JioHotstar
Set in the backdrop of the picturesque Munnar, it tells the story of Iyob, a slave-turned-master.
- 5
Bramayugam 2024
★ 7.7(102 ratings)· Streaming on Sony Liv, VI movies and tv, Sonyliv Amazon Channel
A folk singer in 17th-century Kerala discovers a mansion. Inside, he encounters an enigmatic cook and a powerful master, setting in motion a chain of events that changes his life.
- 6
Drishyam 2 2021
★ 7.7(157 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, MX Player
Seven years after the events of the first film, the family lives with the trauma from that fateful night. A gripping tale of an investigation and a family threatened by it. Will Georgekutty be able to protect his family this time?
- 7
Ayyappanum Koshiyum 2020
★ 7.6(77 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Ayyappan, a police officer, is an upright man who always strives to do the right thing. However, things change when a retired army havildar, Koshy, settles in his village and the two egos clash.
- 8
2018 - Everyone Is a Hero 2023
★ 7.6(59 ratings)· Streaming on Sony Liv, VI movies and tv, Sonyliv Amazon Channel
A disaster film set during the 2018 Kerala Floods where people from all walks of life faced catastrophic consequences and put in collective efforts to survive the calamity.
- 9
Joseph 2018
★ 7.6(44 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Joseph is a retired police officer with adept investigative skills. He accidentally gets involved in a crime case after his ex-wife’s unexpected demise.
- 10
Drishyam 2013
★ 7.6(241 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar
Georgekutty lives a happy life with his wife and daughters. Things take a turn when his daughter gets indecently filmed using a hidden camera, by the son of a police inspector.
- 11
Nayattu 2021
★ 7.5(51 ratings)· Streaming on Netflix
Three police officers are forced to go on the run when they get tangled in the death of a youth, a few days before the election.
- 12
Sookshmadarshini 2024
★ 7.4(53 ratings)· Streaming on aha, VI movies and tv, JioHotstar
Manuel returns with his mother to their former home in a middle-class neighbourhood. Suspicious of his intentions, Priyadarshini and her friends begin gathering clues, convinced he may be hiding something sinister.
- 13
Virus 2019
★ 7.4(65 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Sun Nxt, aha
A real life account of the deadly Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, and the courageous fight put on by several individuals which helped to contain the epidemic.
- 14
Jana Gana Mana 2022
★ 7.4(81 ratings)· Streaming on Netflix
After the mysterious death of a college professor triggers nationwide protests, a police officer’s pursuit of justice unravels layers of political manipulation and moral conflict, exposing how truth and power collide in the pursuit of justice.
- 15
Thudarum 2025
★ 7.4(49 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar
A taxi driver finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after his car is confiscated by a corrupt police officer.
- 16
Take Off 2017
★ 7.3(56 ratings)· Streaming on VI movies and tv, JioHotstar
A group of Malayali nurses stranded in Iraq, must survive their capture by the extremists and reach out to the rescue team headed by the Indian government.
- 17
22 Female Kottayam 2012
★ 7.3(33 ratings)· Streaming on Sun Nxt, VI movies and tv
Tessa, a young nurse, is betrayed by her lover, Cyril, and sexually assaulted by his employer. After she is released from prison, she sets out to take revenge on her tormentors.
- 18
Malik 2021
★ 7.3(57 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A past ridden with crime, death and pain is recounted to Freddy, a juvenile criminal, who has been assigned to eliminate his estranged uncle Sulaiman, an aging patriarch, while behind bars.
- 19
Neru 2023
★ 7.2(46 ratings)· Streaming on VI movies and tv, JioHotstar
'Neru' is an enthralling legal and emotional drama that delves into the life of Sara, a blind sculpture artist on a quest for justice following a harrowing incident. Against the backdrop of the Indian legal system, this gripping story takes viewers through a rollercoaster of emotions, unveiling layers of deceit and ultimately exploring themes of redemption.
- 20
C U Soon 2020
★ 7.2(46 ratings)· Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Jimmy meets Anu on an online dating website and decides to marry her. Jimmy's mother entrusts his cousin Kevin to get details about Anu. Now it's Kevin's turn to search for his cousin's fiancee who vanished without a trace, only to discover dark, shocking truths about her.
- 21
Neram 2013
★ 7.2(52 ratings)· Streaming on Sun Nxt, ManoramaMax, VI movies and tv
Mathew is a graduate in software engineering, but is now jobless. He is waiting for his good time to get a good job. Mathew has borrowed some money as loan. Now he cannot give it back as he has no job. Mathew's childhood friend Jeena Johnykkutty is ready to help him as she could. She has a job. Her father Johnykkutty does not like Mathew and he always tries to trouble Mathew whenever he gets a chance. At this time Mathew's good time arrives; but along with it many problems too. The gripping events that follow plot the rest of 'Neram'.
- 22
In Harihar Nagar 1990
★ 7.2(35 ratings)· Streaming on VI movies and tv, Eros Now Select Apple TV channel, JioHotstar
4 unemployed men who are in Harihar Nagar tries to impress a newly came girl next door.The story goes to the next level when a mysterious man comes and asks for a missing box.
- 23
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum 2017
★ 7.2(63 ratings)· Streaming on VI movies and tv, JioHotstar
Prasad and Sreeja are a couple planning to set up a new life in Kasargod. On a bus journey they end up being robbed by a thief also named Prasad and this lands them up in a police station.
- 24
Salute 2022
★ 7.2(33 ratings)· Streaming on Sony Liv, VI movies and tv, Sonyliv Amazon Channel
Committed and fiery, Sub Inspector Aravind Karunakaran is obliged to be part of an investigation where an innocent man Murali is deliberately being set up for the murder of a middle-aged couple. Fearing the consequences of revealing that they had deliberately framed Murali, the team refuses to investigate it further and let go of the man that they had arrested. Will they find the one responsible?
- 25
Oppam 2016
★ 7.1(33 ratings)· Streaming on JioHotstar
A retired judge faces difficulty keeping his daughter safe from a convict he imprisoned. Later, when he gets murdered, a man with visual impairment who was loyal to him tries to defend his daughter.
FAQs
▸What is the best malayalam thriller movie?
Manjummel Boys (2024) tops the list with a 7.9/10 audience rating, followed by Kishkindha Kaandam and Ponman.
▸How is this list ranked?
By average audience rating, counting only films with at least 30 ratings so a handful of votes can't top it, and only titles currently available in India.