The Scandinavian thriller starter pack

Some of the best thrillers in the world come from the Scandinavian regions. Their stellar talent began to get more global notice in the past decade, owing to their work in popular English-language films and TV shows. Let's get started:

The Man on the Roof (1976)

Director Bo Widerberg's exceptionally minimalist police thriller employs a documentary-style filmmaking approach and realistic characters, without the constant use of background score and gore to generate chills and a sense of urgency.

The Man from Majorca (1984)

Another Bo Widerberg thriller (based on Leif Persson's 'The Pig Party'), which, like 'The Man on the Roof' — from a book by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö — benefited from a similarly gritty touch.

Insomnia (1997)

Some may say the original, directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, is superior to the Christopher Nolan remake. But that's debate-worthy, because both narrative approaches have their own strengths and are equally commendable.

In Order of Disappearance (2014)

A revenge drama that gets bigger and more complicated than initially assumed, the film is, along with Insomnia, one of the superior Stellan Skarsgård-fronted Swedish thrillers later remade in Hollywood.

The Hunt (2012)

Thomas Vinterberg's best film, in which actor Mads Mikkelsen delivers a high-voltage, strongly affecting performance as a school teacher accused of committing a loathsome act for which he is not responsible.

Headhunters (2011)

Based on popular novelist Jo Nesbo's novel of the same name, the cat-and-mouse thriller, starring Aksel Hennie and 'Game of Thrones' star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is efficient, gripping and uncompromisingly violent.

The Element of Crime (1984)

Lars Von Trier's neo-noir film takes a while to get into, given its singular narrative approach, reliant on experiments with colour and light that catch us off guard. It's the first of von Trier's 'Europa' trilogy.

Nightwatch (1994)

An example of the original being superior to the remake. The 1994 version starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau boasts a chill-inducing idea. How can it not, when the protagonist works at a morgue?