Movies Like Tension (1949)

Tension is a 1949 crime, thriller film from John Berry with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Where Danger Lives and Mildred Pierce.

Crime Thriller

Where Danger Lives

1950

A young doctor falls in love with a disturbed young woman and apparently becomes involved in the death of her husband. They head for Mexico trying to outrun the law.

6.4

MagicScore

Mildred Pierce

1945

A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.

7.6

MagicScore

Spinning Man

2018

Evan Birch is a family man and esteemed professor at a distinguished university. When a female student goes missing, police Detective Malloy has reason to be suspicious when crucial evidence makes Evan the prime suspect in her disappearance.

5.6

MagicScore

The Phone

2015

When his wife is murdered, Dong-ho loses the light in his life, breaks down and falls into depression. But he knows that as long as the killer is still around, he can not get out of his loss. Then, one day, he receives a call and can not believe who he is listening to.

6.8

MagicScore

The Body

2012

A woman’s body disappears mysteriously from the morgue without a trace. Police inspector Jaime Peña investigates the strange occurrence with the help of Álex Ulloa, the widower of the missing woman.

7.5

MagicScore

The Pharmacist

1997

Hella is around 30 and works in a pharmacy. She is waiting for the right man to step into her life, but as she has a certain affinity for losers, she is kind of disillusionized. When she gets to know Levin, a dentist student who likes cars most, her dreams seem to come true. Levin has a very rich grandfather who likes her at first glance. The old man thinks of changing his last will to the condition that Levin has to marry Hella in order to inherit his fortunes. Like in a fairy-tale the door to a new life opens for Hella, but can she take it?

5.6

MagicScore

Leave Her to Heaven

1945

A socialite marries a prominent novelist, which spurs a violent, obsessive, and dangerous jealousy in her.

7.4

MagicScore

The Postman Always Rings Twice

1946

A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband.

7.0

MagicScore

In the Palm of Your Hand

1951

A con artist seduces the widow of a millionaire, only to learn she'd plotted with her lover to murder the late husband. A tense game of cat-and-mouse ensues—but who's the cat?

6.0

MagicScore

#10

Blonde Ice

1948

A golddigging femme fatale leaves a trail of men behind her, rich and poor, alive and dead.

5.7

MagicScore

#11

The Girl on the Train

2016

Rachel Watson, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

A Fool There Was

1915

John Schuyler, a happily married lawyer, is appointed diplomat and sent to England. Due to an unfortunate accident, his wife and child can not come along with him. On the ship to England, Schuyler meets the notorious Vampire - a relentless gold digger who causes the moral degradation of those she seduces, first fascinating and then draining the very life from her victims.

5.0

MagicScore

#13

Psycho

1960

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

8.4

MagicScore

#14

City by the Sea

2002

Vincent LaMarca is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his past, but then makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime.

5.8

MagicScore

#15

Bad Samaritan

2018

A thief makes a disturbing discovery in the house where he breaks in. Later, when he returns to the same house with his partner in crime, things are no longer how he expected.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Horsemen

2009

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

5.9

MagicScore

#17

The Long Goodbye

1973

In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

Body Heat

1981

In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman convinces her lover, a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

Double Indemnity

1944

An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.

8.1

MagicScore

#20

The Killers

1946

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tension?

The top films similar to Tension by MovieMagicScore are Where Danger Lives (6.4), Mildred Pierce (7.6), Spinning Man (5.6). Each shares crime/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tension worth watching?

Tension holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 53 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Tension?

Tension (1949) is a crime, thriller film directed by John Berry, starring Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tension?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Where Danger Lives Movies like Mildred Pierce Movies like Spinning Man Movies like The Phone Movies like The Body Movies like The Pharmacist

About movies like Tension

This ranked list pairs Tension (1949), a crime and thriller film from John Berry, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Richard Basehart take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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