Thriller backdrop
Crime

The Best Episodes of Thriller

Every episode of Thriller ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Thriller!

Binge this in 2d 7h•Peaking at 8.4/10

Thriller is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of self-contained, macabre weird-horror and morbid, hitchockian crime stories,

Airs on
NBC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Thriller Season 1 Episode 15 - The Cheaters
    8.4/10(370 votes)

    #1 - The Cheaters

    S1:E15

    A pair of very unusual glasses allow the wearer to see the absolute truth about whatever they look upon. We see what happens as they pass from one owner to another.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Thriller Season 1 Episode 29 - The Devil's Ticket
    8.4/10(289 votes)

    #2 - The Devil's Ticket

    S1:E29

    A starving artist goes to a pawn shop with one of his paintings and ends up pawning his soul to the devil. Will he be able to redeem it when the time comes?

    Director:Jules Munshin
    Writer:Robert Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Thriller Season 1 Episode 37 - The Grim Reaper
    8.4/10(401 votes)

    #3 - The Grim Reaper

    S1:E37

    An eccentric mystery writer purchases a ghoulish painting of the grim reaper which happens to have a curse on it - almost all of its former owners have died. When the owner's life is in danger the painting sends a gruesome warning - it begins to bleed.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Thriller Season 1 Episode 31 - A Good Imagination
    8.3/10(262 votes)

    #4 - A Good Imagination

    S1:E31

    A book dealer turns to murder over his adulterous wife - taking his methods for killing from classic literature.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Robert Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Thriller Season 2 Episode 22 - The Incredible Doktor Markesan
    8.3/10(276 votes)

    #5 - The Incredible Doktor Markesan

    S2:E22

    A young couple go to stay with an uncle while they look for work in a new town. They find the house run-down and their visit unexpected. Locked in their room at night they become curious about the goings-on in the house, but they could never imagine the true horror of their uncle's nocturnal activities.

    Director:Robert Florey
    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Thriller Season 1 Episode 16 - The Hungry Glass
    8.1/10(380 votes)

    #6 - The Hungry Glass

    S1:E16

    A young couple buy a run-down, old mansion surrounded with legends about the lack of mirrors and the deaths of many former tenants. On their first night in the house they are frightened by strage visions, inexplicably intertwined with mirrors and glass.

    Director:Douglas Heyes
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Thriller

    READ
  7. Thriller Season 2 Episode 19 - A Wig For Miss Devore
    8.1/10(258 votes)

    #7 - A Wig For Miss Devore

    S2:E19

    A washed-up actress selects for her comeback vehicle the story of a real woman who was accused of being a witch and susequently hanged. When she purchases the actual wig owned by the real woman an odd change occurs in the actress. It seems the wig holds a strange and hideous power.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Thriller Season 1 Episode 32 - Mr. George
    8.0/10(261 votes)

    #8 - Mr. George

    S1:E32

    A little girl is the sole heir to her mother's fortune and her greedy relatives are out to kill her for her money. What they don't realize is this little girl has a supernatural guardian.

    Director:Ida Lupino
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Thriller Season 2 Episode 3 - The Premature Burial
    8.0/10(212 votes)

    #9 - The Premature Burial

    S2:E3

    When a man is accidentally buried alive and then saved he becomes paranoid that it might happen again - and he has good reason to be scared - his new wife is anxious to become a widow.

    Director:Douglas Heyes
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Thriller Season 2 Episode 13 - The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk
    8.0/10(203 votes)

    #10 - The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk

    S2:E13

    Mrs. Hawk has a talent for raising prize hogs - but the secret of her success is more sinister than anyone could imagine.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Thriller Season 1 Episode 36 - Pigeons From Hell
    7.9/10(365 votes)

    #11 - Pigeons From Hell

    S1:E36

    Two young brothers attempt to spend the night in an abandoned southern plantation and encounter some birds that seem to have a strong dislike for intruders.

    Director:John Newland
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Thriller Season 2 Episode 4 - The Weird Tailor
    7.9/10(231 votes)

    #12 - The Weird Tailor

    S2:E4

    A man attempts to bring his dead son back to life with the use of black magic and an unusual suit of clothes.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Robert Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Thriller Season 1 Episode 23 - Well of Doom
    7.7/10(247 votes)

    #13 - Well of Doom

    S1:E23

    A man is kidnapped on the eve of his wedding and held prisoner by a ghoulish creature claiming to be the devil himself.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Thriller Season 1 Episode 30 - Parasite Mansion
    7.7/10(266 votes)

    #14 - Parasite Mansion

    S1:E30

    A young teacher is lost during a storm and wakes up to find herself held prisoner in a run-down mansion inhabited by a strange and terrifying family.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Thriller Season 1 Episode 34 - The Prisoner in the Mirror
    7.7/10(216 votes)

    #15 - The Prisoner in the Mirror

    S1:E34

    A professor researching an eighteenth century murderous magician purchases a mirror in Paris only to find the magician's victims imprisoned within - or is it only a trick?

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Thriller Season 2 Episode 6 - Masquerade
    7.7/10(276 votes)

    #16 - Masquerade

    S2:E6

    A young couple take refuge in a spooky house on a stormy night and are terrorized by the strange family who occupy it. But do the young honeymooners have a secret of their own?

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Thriller Season 2 Episode 16 - Waxworks
    7.7/10(192 votes)

    #17 - Waxworks

    S2:E16

    A traveling exhibit of wax figures of murderers seems to be the cause of some more recent deaths - are the wax figures real or is their creator a madman?

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Robert Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Thriller Season 2 Episode 18 - The Storm
    7.7/10(207 votes)

    #18 - The Storm

    S2:E18

    A woman returns home after two weeks and must spend the evening by herself during a raging storm. She is terrorized by strange sounds and the feeling she is not alone.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Thriller Season 1 Episode 21 - The Merriweather File
    7.6/10(205 votes)

    #19 - The Merriweather File

    S1:E21

    When a man discovers a body in the trunk of his car the harder he tries to prove his innocence the more guilty he looks. Do the attempts on his wife's life have anything to do with this strange case?

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Thriller Season 2 Episode 2 - Guillotine
    7.6/10(216 votes)

    #20 - Guillotine

    S2:E2

    To save the life of her husband who is to be executed, a young woman attempts to murder the executioner.

    Director:Ida Lupino
    Writer:Charles Beaumont

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Thriller Season 2 Episode 11 - Dialogues With Death
    7.6/10(173 votes)

    #21 - Dialogues With Death

    S2:E11

    Two separate tales: a morgue attendent seems to be able to talk to the corpses, and get an answer; a young couple arrive at the home of their aunt and uncle who seem to believe the pair are dead no matter how much they protest.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Thriller Season 2 Episode 29 - The Lethal Ladies
    7.6/10(179 votes)

    #22 - The Lethal Ladies

    S2:E29

    Two separate tales: a woman deals with her unfaithful husband; a mousy librarian takes revenge on her tyrannical boss.

    Director:Ida Lupino
    Writer:Boris Sobelman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Thriller Season 1 Episode 7 - The Purple Room
    7.5/10(316 votes)

    #23 - The Purple Room

    S1:E7

    A man who inherits a house from his brother has one night to decide whether or not to stay - if he leaves, his cousins will inherit the house instead. He expects his cousins to try and frighten him into leaving, but could the strange happenings be more than pranks?

    Director:Douglas Heyes
    Writer:Douglas Heyes

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Thriller Season 2 Episode 20 - The Hollow Watcher
    7.5/10(185 votes)

    #24 - The Hollow Watcher

    S2:E20

    A scheming wife who murders her father-in-law is tormented by a strange being, a scarecrow.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Thriller Season 2 Episode 27 - Man of Mystery
    7.5/10(134 votes)

    #25 - Man of Mystery

    S2:E27

    A mysterious and powerful man is keeping many secrets and everytime someone gets close to the truth, they are murdered. Will a beautiful young singer survive her relationship with the man of mystery?

    Director:John Newland
    Writer:Robert Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"The Cheaters" is the best rated episode of "Thriller". It scored 8.4/10 based on 370 votes. Directed by John Brahm and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/27/1960. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Devil's Ticket".