10 Election Horror + Thriller Movies

Many filmmakers have been inspired by electoral politics. Citizen Kane (1941), which examines the life and legacy of the fictional Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), remains an enduring classic and is frequently cited as one of the greatest films ever made. Meet John Doe (1941) is a comedy romance that tells the story of a growing grassroots movement. State of the Union (1948) sees its protagonist make political and marital sacrifices for the presidency. The biographical All the President’s Men (1976) gives an account of how the Watergate scandal was exposed and Milk (2008) tells the story of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. Election (1999) is a hilarious take on student body elections. Even Napoleon Dynamite (2004) had something to say. Some election movies, like The Purge: Election Year (2016), reflect the horrifying reality of American politics. 

Let’s face it, there’s nothing scarier than a two-party system in which every election you’re told to “vote for the lesser of two evils,” knowing you’re still voting for someone that carries on bipartisan tradition of no progress, genocide, lack of health care, no liveable wages, no housing affordability, failure to protect trans and abortion rights, violence against migrants, condeming protests, talking about saving democracy while actively working to suppress it, imperialism, and corporate and financial oligarchy. As another election nears, if you want to let yourself escape the cyclical nature of our political landscape and the pervasive sense of anxiety that comes with it for a little while, there’s no better way to do it than through film. 

Curated below are 10 election horror movies and thrillers that will terrify any American. So, grab your popcorn and relax (or become more disillusioned). 

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

The Manchurian Candidate satirizes McCarthyism and Cold War paranoia, capturing the feel of the era like no other film has with a captivating story. The film was terrifying back then, remains just as scary today, and will always be horrifying as long as this country continues to be run by self-serving, fear-mongering, power-hungry monsters who use the media to manipulate people’s perception of reality. Blending neo-noir and psychological thriller elements, the movie also incorporates comic satire with obvious mockery directed towards McCarthy and other politicians who promoted the Red Scare. Set in the early 1950s near the end of the Korean War, the story sees Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) return home as a brainwashed assassin for an international Communist conspiracy to kill the presidential nominee of an American political party. Frank Sinatra plays Captain Bennett Marco, who along with fellow soldier Allen Melvin (James Edwards) unearths the scheme. 

The Manchurian Candidate was remade in 2004.

All the President’s Men (1976)

All the President’s Men is a riveting biographical thriller that tells the story of how the 20th century’s biggest scandal in American politics was unearthed in the run-up to the 1972 presidential election. It’s an adaptation of the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, played by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively. The film focuses on the Washington Post investigative journalists as they research the botched 1972 burglary of the Democratic Party Headquarters and make a connection to a White House staffer. Despite their lives being in danger, they uncover detail after detail of the Watergate scandal, following the money trail higher and higher. Although he ended up winning the election and being inaugurated, the events ended with Nixon’s resignation on August 8, 1974. What makes the film so effective is its underlying suffocating sense of paranoia. All the President’s Men is a standout for the ages—one that reminds us of the importance of free press.

The Dead Zone (1983)

As one of his most mainstream creative efforts, The Dead Zone is an outlier in a Cronenberg filmography filled with cerebral body horror. Working with a script by Jeffrey Boam, the director brings to life Stephen King’s 1979 novel. The film adaptation stars Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith, a teacher who goes into a five-year coma after an accident and wakes up with psychic powers that allow him to see the past, present, and future. Thanks to these abilities, he saves some, helps others, and even solves a series of murders. The movie’s biggest subplot involves Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), a corrupt candidate for the US senate who has the people fooled with his charismatic veneer and many canvassing for his campaign. When Johnny shakes his hand at a rally, he gets an apocalyptic vision of the future: if he wins the senatorial race, Stillson will eventually become President and subsequently cause a nuclear holocaust. The movie is a tragic reflection of fate, humanity, and the nature of sacrifice. It serves as a cautionary tale against populist candidates who pretend to be “for the people” but only care about acquiring more power. 

In The Line of Fire (1993)

Although not explicitly an election movie, a subplot of the film is the President’s re-election campaign. The political rally scenes that play out in the movie are digitally altered footage from IRL Bush and Clinton campaign events from the 1992 election. The taut political thriller stars Clint Eastwood as Frank Horrigan, the only remaining active Secret Service agent who was guarding President Kennedy on the day of his assassination—a tragedy that weighs heavy on his conscience. John Malkovich gives a breathtakingly chilling performance as Mitch Leary, a former CIA assassin who has spent some time studying Horrigan and begins taunting him with phone calls threatening the current president’s life. Determined to protect the President at all costs, Horrigans asks to be transferred back to the Presidential Protective Division. As the Presidential election gets closer, the danger escalates, and Horrigan struggles to have faith in his abilities. 

State of Play (2009)

State of Play is a political thriller based on a British television show of the same name. The movie stars Ben Affleck as Congressman Stephen Collins, a rising star in Washington. Charming, handsome and seemingly virtuous, he’s the frontrunner for his party’s next presidential nominee. When Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), a chief researcher on his staff, is found brutally murdered, the congressman’s dark secrets begin to be unearthed—one being his affair with the deceased woman. His old college buddy, Journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) starts investigating the case and discovers a big cover-up that traces back to America’s most powerful.

The Ides of March (2011)

Ryan Gosling stars as Stephen Meyers, a young idealistic junior campaign manager for Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), who is locked in a tight battle with his opponent Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) for the Democratic nomination. The film takes place in Ohio as the Democratic Primary closes in. In his candidate, Meyers sees hope for real change. He still believes in the democratic process, but after meeting with the opponent’s campaign manager and starting a relationship with an intern, his views are challenged. There is no violence in this movie, instead we see an optimistic man turn cold and jaded. What makes this Ides of March so gripping and terrifying, despite being more of a political drama, is that it highlights the hopelessness of democracy in a dark world where even those with pure intentions can become corrupted by the field of politics. It tells us that there is no hope for honest campaigns that actually want to spark change. The political system is inherently dirty and corrupt. How do you fix that system?

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau is a high-concept political sci-fi thriller about a man who risks his life to choose his own destiny. Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a Brooklyn democratic Congressman who unsuccessfully runs for the senate. His chance encounter and kiss with a beautiful ballerina, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), inspires a moving speech that makes him a favorite for the next senatorial race. Mysterious forces, which are revealed to be the secret society of the Adjustment Bureau, the very agents of Fate, conspire to keep them apart. Norris wants love, not the predetermined path that has been laid out for him. The movie is simultaneously moving and packed full of action. 

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

The Purge movies focus on a dystopian America in which the New Founding Fathers, the ruling party, have eliminated nearly all crime and unemployment by introducing an annual “purge,” in which once a year for 12 hours people can commit crime, including rape and murder, with impunity. The Purge: Election Year is the third installment in the franchise and focuses on Senator Charlene “Charlie” Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a beacon of hope in a country full of oppression and corruption. As the frontrunner for the next presidential election, she has vowed to abolish the Purge, which only serves to eliminate the marginalized, impoverished, and unhoused. In solidarity with the people, she decides to wait out the Purge in her home as opposed to staying in a more secure location. Threatened at her chances, the NFFA and their candidate make her a target. Her head of security Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) must protect her throughout the night. 

Founder’s Day (2023)

Founder’s Day is more of a fun, campy entry on this list. Despite not topping the list of the best of horror movies of 2024, the satirical political slasher has some solid entertaining kills and a decent mystery. The movie is set in the small New England town of Fairwood in the days leading up to a mayoral election, which happens to fall on the same day as Fairwood’s 300th anniversary. Mayor Blair Gladwell (Amy Hargreaves) is fighting to keep her public office against Harold Faulkner (Jayce Bartrok). As the election heats up, a masked killer dressed in a judge’s suit and carrying a gavel starts picking off people in town.

Reality (2023)

Reality is a thriller-drama full of tension that makes for gripping cinema and leaves knots deep in the pit of your stomach. The movie isn’t centered around any politician or political race, but focuses on the true story of Reality Winner, an American Air Force veteran and former NSA translator who leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to the media. The film depicts in real time the day of June 3, 2017, when the 25-year old arrived home to find two FBI agents at her home and was subsequently interrogated. The dialogue in the movie uses the real interrogation transcript, making it feel all the more painstakingly real. Sydney Sweeney gives a brilliant performance as Winner, in a role that beautifully showcases her range.

Further reading:

• 25 Best Political Horror Movies
• 32 Trivia Facts About ‘The Purge’ Universe
• 80+ Best (and worst) Horror Movies of 2024 So Far, Ranked