| 100% | ABYSS | 5 | 1989 underwater thriller, with "The" |
| 66% | ABYSS | 5 | “The ___” (James Cameron’s 1989 underwater thriller) |
| 60% | ABYSS | 5 | 1989 James Cameron sci-fi thriller, with "The" |
| 58% | THECAR | 6 | 1977 James Brolin thriller with the tagline "What EVIL drives ..." |
| 57% | ENEMY | 5 | "Sleeping with the ___" (Julia Roberts thriller) |
| 57% | REM | 3 | Band with the 1989 hit "Stand" |
| 57% | MISERY | 6 | 1990 thriller with the line “I’m your No. 1 fan” |
| 57% | SPEED | 5 | Sandra Bullock thriller with the tagline "Get ready for rush hour" |
| 56% | ISAAK | 5 | Chris with the 1989 song "Wicked Game" |
| 56% | TINATURNER | 10 | Singer with the 1989 album “Foreign Affair” |
| 56% | OLD | 3 | 2021 thriller with the tagline "It's only a matter of time" |
| 55% | PHISH | 5 | Band with the 1989 platinum debut album "Junta" |
| 54% | TONELOC | 7 | Rapper with the 1989 song "Wild Thing": 2 wds. |
| 54% | MARX | 4 | Richard with the 1989 #1 hit "Right Here Waiting" |
| 54% | ALIENCOVENANT | 13 | 2017 sci-fi thriller with the tagline "Discover the Origin of Terror" (2 wds.) |
| 53% | SOSA | 4 | Future star athlete who debuted with the Rangers in 1989 |
| 53% | RAITT | 5 | Singer with the 5x platinum album "Nick of Time," 1989 |
| 53% | MARTIKA | 7 | Cuban-American singer with the 1989 #1 hit "Toy Soldiers" |
| 52% | DAN | 3 | Sci-fi author Simmons with the 1989 Hugo-winning novel "Hyperion" |
| 52% | DELASOUL | 8 | Hip-hop trio with the 1989 hit "Me Myself and I" |
| 52% | CONAIR | 6 | Nineties action thriller with the tagline “They were deadly on the ground. Now they have wings” |
| 52% | CLIENT | 6 | John Grisham thriller, with "The" |
| 52% | STEPS | 5 | 1935 Hitchcock thriller, with "The" |
| 51% | MOTLEYCRUE | 10 | Hard rock band with the multiplatinum 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood": 2 wds. |
| 51% | TATTOO | 6 | The Girl with the Dragon __, hacker thriller book |
| 50% | FIRM | 4 | Grisham thriller, with "The" |
| 50% | SATANICVERSES | 13 | 1989 best seller, with "The" |
| 48% | EDGE | 4 | 1988 Dick Francis thriller, with "The" |
| 48% | SCOTT | 5 | With 35-Across, lawyer who wrote the thrillers "Presumed Innocent" and "Personal Injuries" |
| 47% | IPCRESSFILE | 11 | 1965 Michael Caine spy thriller, with "The" |