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    "Knock At The Cabin" And 19 Other Movies That Will Make You Feel Like You Need To Get Some Air

    Move over Walter White, Dave Bautista is the one who knocks now!

    I'm not sure if it's some kind of morbid curiosity we have an irrepressible urge to quench, but sometimes, there's just nothing like a good old adrenaline-inducing thriller.

    Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

    With M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin hitting theaters recently and Scream VI right around the corner, it's safe to say we're in the mood for something that gets our hearts racing.

    Giphy / Via media.giphy.com

    I didn't want this list to be all about the standard jump scare horrors — although I do kinda love those, too. I wanted to list out some movies that make me tense the whole way through.

    From thrillers to the more psychological, I've rounded up a few movies I turn to if I want something that fully immerses me in the world of the film and carries me along as a nervy little passenger for the next few hours.

    So whether you wanna steal the tactics for escaping the situation the character has landed themselves in, or you just wanna lose yourself in a movie for a while, strap in and come along for the journey!

    1. Knock at the Cabin

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    Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and their daughter, Wen (Kristen Cui), head to a beautiful cabin in the countryside for a family vacation. The forest is beautiful, the cabin is cozy, the water's great — oh, and they're in the absolute middle of nowhere with no cell reception. What could go wrong, right?

    When the hulking figure of Leonard (Dave Bautista) looms over Wen, it's not long before she and her family are given a bleak choice: choose one of them to sacrifice, or the world will end.

    A psychological thriller that makes you really question what you'd do in their shoes, Knock at the Cabin boasts emotive performances all around and a great debut from newcomer, Kristen Cui, as the small but determined Wen.

    2. Us (2019)

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    Universal Pictures / Via youtu.be

    Imagine going on a peaceful beach vacay with your family and suddenly a bunch of red jumpsuit-wearing doppelgangers show up with weapons?

    A truly unique premise for a horror movie, and one that has many more threads than I'm letting on here, this 2019 Jordan Peele movie has become a fast fave in the world of horror — and for good reason.

    3. Hush (2016)

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    It's a common nightmare, being stranded alone in the middle of nowhere when someone with sinister intentions shows up.

    In Hush, that's exactly what happens to Maddie (Kate Siegel), a deaf writer who has retreated to the depths of the woods to concentrate on her work. Clad in a hockey mask, the stranger makes his intent known — and Maddie must fight for her life in absolute silence.

    A tense cat-and-mouse game with a steady drip of adrenaline throughout, this thriller is directed by Mike Flanagan, the man behind The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, Oculus, Doctor Sleep, and more.

    4. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

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    Not to be confused with Knock At The Cabin, The Cabin in the Woods is a very meta horror following a bunch of friends who go away to a secluded cabin for some downtime.

    This horror/comedy inevitably doesn't end too well for the friends, but it's not quite as simple as your standard slasher. Chock-full of self-aware tropes, it very much plays up to the well-worn horror stereotypes — but it's very clever in how it utilizes them. 

    Designed to draw in audiences by looking like the average teen slasher, The Cabin in the Woods will surprise you with the way it packs a punch through its innovative storyline.

    (And hey, after this, Knock at the Cabin, Us, and Hush, you couldn't pay me to go and hang out in a cabin for a weekend...)

    5. Panic Room (2002)

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    Columbia Pictures / Via youtu.be

    Featuring the legendary Jodie Foster and a young K-Stew (are we still calling her that?), Panic Room is a classic home invasion thriller.

    Directed by psychological/thriller movie veteran David Fincher (whose filmography I could basically just decant onto this list), you know the tension's gonna be taut for the whole of the film's run.

    The story follows Meg, a newly divorced woman, as she moves into her new home with her young daughter, Sarah. It's not long before their idyllic new home becomes a nightmare, as three men break in on the hunt for a missing fortune inside the house.

    Trapped in the home's panic room, Meg and Sarah must find a way to outsmart all the traps the robbers set and escape — without actually leaving the room.

    6. Parasite (2019)