Time for some Netflix and thrills: Check out these mustwatch movies from the platform's deep catalog of spinetingling flicks. The 21 best thriller movies on Net

Time for some Netflix and thrills: Check out these must-watch movies from the platform's deep catalog of spine-tingling flicks.

The 21 best thriller movies on Netflix right now

Time for some Netflix and thrills: Check out these must-watch movies from the platform's deep catalog of spine-tingling flicks.

By Ilana Gordon,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

James Mercadante,

on August 2, 2025 08:24AM EDT

Sandra Bullock as Malorie Hayes in 'Bird Box'; Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in 'El Camino'; Allison Janney as Lou Adell in 'Lou'. Credit:

Netflix; Ben Rothstein/Netflix; Liane Hentscher/Netflix

Behold, the talent: The films on this list feature some of the best actors from this generation and beyond. With scripts based on real stories and inventive flights of fancy, Netflix's deep catalog of thrillers includes the works of filmmakers who helped jumpstart the genre, those who advanced it, and those whose work serves as a pastiche to those who paved the way.

With so many compelling titles and gripping narratives available to stream, the hardest part is selecting the perfect film for your mood — but what a thrill when you get it right.

22 July (2018)

Isak Bakli Aglen as Torje Hanssen and Jonas Strand Gravli as Viljar Hanssen in '22 July'. Erik Aavatsmark/Netflix

The United States' problem with gun violence is not an issue shared overseas, which is why the 2011 terrorist attack in Norway remains so memorable. A massacre in two parts, the terror inflicted caused 77 deaths, 69 of whom were teenagers attending a leadership camp. Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, *22 July *is a chilling film that chronicles Norway's deadliest terrorist attack, as perpetrated by a far-right extremist. But it's also the story of a survivor's journey to heal his body and move forward.**

EW's critic calls the film "harrowingly effective," but trigger warnings abound. The gun violence showcased in the film is deployed for narrative purposes, but the historical context doesn't make the movie any easier to watch. What makes the film worth sticking around for is the perspective it offers on the after effects of a terrorist act, as told through the eyes of the politicians, lawyers, and survivors who experience it most profoundly. —*Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *22 July*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B– (read the review)

**Director: **Paul Greengrass

**Cast: **Anders Danielsen Lie, Jon Øigarden

Bird Box (2018)

Sandra Bullock as Malorie Hayes in 'Bird Box'. Netflix

Sight becomes a handicap in *Bird Box*, a post-apocalyptic thriller where the enemy must go unseen, or else. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie Hayes, a woman responsible for transporting two young children down a river while wearing blindfolds, a strategy intended to help the survivors avoid seeing the entities that attacked Earth five years earlier, and who cause those who look upon them to commit suicide.

Jumping between their present journey and the past events that led Malorie and the children to this point, director Susanne Bier leans into the tension of the unknown and relies on her talented but eclectic cast to do the rest. Released the same year as *A Quiet Place*, and possessing a somewhat similar premise, *Bird Box* received less attention when it first premiered, but this sci-fi horror film is a great option for fans of both genres. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Bird Box*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B (read the review)

**Director: **Susanne Bier

**Cast: **Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Danielle Macdonald, Sarah Paulson

Compliance (2012)

Dreama Walker as Becky in 'Compliance'.

Magnolia Films/Courtesy Everett

Go into your *Compliance* viewing with the understanding that this film will make you angry. Inspired by a true story, this thriller centers around a fast food manager, Sandra (Ann Dowd), who receives a call from a man identifying himself as a police officer claiming to be investigating a potential theft by Becky (Dreama Walker), one of the restaurant's employees.

Under pressure from the officer on the phone, Sandra, her fiancé, and other employees at the establishment are ordered to put Becky through a series of increasingly exploitative and humiliating experiences — all in the name of upholding the law. A film about complicity, critical thinking, and how far people will go when they think they're on the right side, *Compliance *is the perfect film for this particular cultural moment. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Compliance*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director: ** Craig Zobel

**Cast: **Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp

Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass as Josef in 'Creep'. Desiree Akhavan

In this found-footage two-hander, a young videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) is hired by Josef (Mark Duplass) to record a day of his life. Josef explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and wants to leave something behind for his soon-to-be-born son, but his eccentric behavior becomes increasingly concerning, and Aaron needs to decide whether to continue filming — assuming Josef will let him leave.

*Creep's* continued success depends on whether Josef can keep finding fresh ways to be unnerving, and he does. (Things get even creepier in *Creep 2*, which documents another video project gone terribly wrong.) —*Danny Horn*

Where to watch *Creep*: Netflix

**Director: **Patrick Brice

**Cast:** Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

The Departed (2006)

Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello in 'The Departed'. Warner Brothers/Everett

Loosely based on the exploits of real-life Irish gangster Whitey Bulger, *The Departed* is a twisted, violent descent into a criminal underworld that few emerge from alive. A film by Martin Scorsese, the crime thriller follows the parallel paths of two separate informants: Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover officer feeding information to the police from inside Boston Mob boss Frank Costello's (Jack Nicholson) inner circle, and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a compromised sergeant on the Boston Police force who is funneling information right back to Frank. Also featuring the most diverse array of Boston accents you've ever heard, *The Departed* is, as a former EW critic writes in her review of the film, "Scorsesean, and he's in full bloom." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Departed*: Netflix

**EW grade: **N/A (read the review)

**Director:** Martin Scorsese

**Cast:** Leonard DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson

The Devil All the Time (2020)

Tom Holland as Arvin in 'The Devil All the Time'. Glen Wilson/Netflix

A Netflix original and period thriller, *The Devil All the Time *explores several interconnected groups of people living in two small towns in Southern Ohio between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s. Linked by religious evangelism, war, corruption, suicide, abandonment, and serial murder, the cast — which includes a host of young Hollywood heavy hitters — makes the most of the story's melodrama and dark subject matter.

Based on the 2011 novel and directed by Antonio Campos (*The Staircase*), *The Devil All the Time *takes the "all the time" portion of the film's title literally: the sins are multitudinous and the depths of human depravity on full display. Still, EW's critic writes that Campos' biggest accomplishment as the film's director is "toeing a tricky line between art-house atmosphere and Southern Gothic soap opera, and somehow still managing to land on the grim side of fascinating." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Devil All the Time*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+ (read the review)

**Director: **Antonio Campos** **

**Cast: **Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Eliza Scanlen, Haley Bennett, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke

El Camino (2019)

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'. Ben Rothstein/Netflix

The best meth cook in Albuquerque is back, bitch. *Breaking Bad'*s Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) return for *El Camino*, a film based on AMC's beloved show, with far more attention paid to Pinkman's character. Freewheeling through time and flashing back to events depicted in the series, *El Camino *picks up right where *Breaking Bad *left off, and includes a host of cameos from the show's five-season run.

Jane, Skinny Pete, and Badger are all back in one form or another, but it's Nazi Todd (Jesse Plemons) who informs most of the film's plot. *Breaking Bad *fans will be gratified to see Jesse Pinkman finally get the time to mentally process the last couple years of his life — even if Paul looks markedly older than he did when the show wrapped in 2013. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *El Camino*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+ (read the review)

**Director: **Vince Gilligan

**Cast: **Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Jonathan Banks, Matt Jones** **

Emily the Criminal (2022)

Aubrey Plaza as Emily in 'Emily the Criminal'. Roadside Attractions/Vertical Entertainment

Drowning in debt and student loans, Emily is one of Los Angeles' many broke artists on the verge of financial ruin. With a former felony conviction preventing her from finding a job that might pay enough to survive, Emily finds purpose — and quick cash — by getting involved with a credit card fraud ring. What starts as a survival tactic soon balloons into much more, as Emily distances herself from the corporate world she can never quite crack and leans into the world of criminality.

Aubrey Plaza is in her element here, her blunt practicality and signature deadpan delivery serving as the perfect stand-in for an audience whose dreams of hitting milestones like home ownership and retirement have been deadened by current economic realities. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Emily the Criminal*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+ (read the review)

**Director: **John Patton Ford

**Cast: **Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo, John Billingsley

Fair Play (2023)

Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in 'Fair Play'. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

For newly engaged couple Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Phoebe Dynevor), their sizzling, can't-keep-their-hands-off-each-other love must remain discreet within their workplace. However, when Emily secures a managerial position at their dog-eat-dog hedge fund, the power shift within the bullpen begins to splinter their romantic bliss.

Praising its "lean, crackling script," EW's critic observes how *Fair Play*'s final act is "so freighted with increasingly unhinged possibilities" yet "both leads hang on, throwing themselves headlong into the tar pits of contemporary workplace politics and gender roles without being drawn into clumsy, one-dimensional ideas of victimhood or villainy." —*James Mercadante*

Where to watch *Fair Play*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+ (read the review)

**Director: **Chloe Domont

**Cast: **Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer

The Good Nurse (2022)

Eddie Redmayne as Charlie Cullen and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren in 'The Good Nurse'. Courtesy of TIFF

Nurses are angels with the power to do the work of demons. In the Netflix original psychological thriller *The Good Nurse*, Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) is a night nurse with a work husband: Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne). A single mom with a serious heart condition, Amy is shocked to learn that the recent death of one of their hospital's patients is thought to have occurred intentionally, and that Charles might be involved. And the more Amy digs, the more she realizes the co-worker she trusts is actually someone far more nefarious.

Based on the true story of how the real-life Amy Loughren helped authorities take down serial killer Charles Cullen, *The Good Nurse *is good old-fashioned, ripped-from-the-headlines cinema with a story made all the more terrifying because so little of it is exaggerated. Trust us — you've never seen Eddie Redmayne like this before. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Good Nurse*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+ (read the review)

**Director: **Tobias Lindholm** **

**Cast: **Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne

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Hanna (2011)

Saoirse Ronan as Hanna in 'Hanna'. Alex Bailey

Deep in rural Finland, 15-year-old Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has spent her childhood living off the grid, training to become an assassin. Raised by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana) and fashioned into a killing machine, Hanna understands that her life's mission is to eliminate the CIA officer (Cate Blanchett) who has long been hunting them. Now old enough to embark on her quest, Hanna leaves the security of Finland's wild country and journeys across Europe, dodging intelligence agents and operatives as she seeks to complete her assignment and rendezvous with her father in Berlin.

But the closer she comes to achieving her goal, the more she learns about her past and the motivations behind her unconventional childhood. An action adventure thriller with fairy tale vibes, *Hanna* works thanks to its stylistic direction and the strength of its stars: Ronan is a revelation, proving once again that the depths of her talent can't be confined to one genre. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Hanna*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Joe Wright

**Cast: **Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Michelle Dockery, Jessica Barden, Jason Flemyng

I Care A Lot (2021)

Rosamund Pike as Marla Grayson in 'I Care a Lot'.

Seacia Pavao/Netflix

Rosamund Pike builds on her *Gone Girl* villainess status to portray Marla Grayson, a con artist who fronts as a professional "legal guardian" to fleece the elderly of their life savings. But Marla takes it a step too far when she meets Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), who seems infirm at first but actually has ties to important, dangerous people (like Peter Dinklage) who Marla would do well to stay clear of. Pike's duplicitous performance is a blast to witness, but seeing Marla meet her match is just as gratifying. As EW's writes in their review, "There's good fun in* I Care a Lot'*s setup, and in Marla's ruthless M.O." —*Gwen Ihnat*

Where to watch *I Care a Lot*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B (read the review)

**Director: **J Blakeson** **

**Cast: **Rosamund Pike, Dianne Wiest, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

Elijah Wood as Tony and Melanie Lynskey as Ruth in 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore'. Allyson Riggs

After *Yellowjackets*, *Togetherness*, and *Mrs. America, *we'd straight-up watch Melanie Lynskey in anything, but even we missed Macon Blair's 2017 sleeper. Lynskey plays Ruth, a down-on-her-luck nursing assistant who decides after her house gets broken into that she's fed up. She hooks up with her odd neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood) to go out on a quest to get her stuff back, leading to a quirky journey that's both suspenseful and inspiring for the downtrodden.

Second only to Lynskey in luminescence in this movie is Wood, whose Tony named his dog Kevin and specializes in nunchucks and ninja stars. And Jane Levy is unrecognizable as one of the unsavory thieves. As EW*'*s critic points out, the film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for its reconfiguration of "the buddy-cop film — at one point, Ruth even flashes a toy police badge." —*G.I.*

Where to watch *I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+ (read the review)

**Director: **Macon Blair

**Cast: **Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, Jane Levy

Jaws (1975)

Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper, Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, and Robert Shaw as Quint in 'Jaws'.

Universal Studios/Courtesy of Getty

The thriller that gave a generation of children a fear of deep water and sharks, Steven Spielberg's *Jaws* didn't just inspire new methods of filmmaking: it also helped create the summer blockbuster. Benefitting from a killer score by John Williams and direction from Spielberg that turned Martha's Vineyard's placid beaches into the stuff of nightmares, you'd never know the film shoot was so laden with budgetary and visual effect issues it was once nicknamed "Flaws." Fifty years later, the movie remains a thriller must-see, but if you venture into these waters, take heed: There's a reason EW put *Jaws* in the top 10 on our list of the scariest movies of all time. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Jaws*: Netflix

**Director: **Steven Spielberg

**Cast: **Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton

Lou (2022)

Allison Janney as Lou Adell in 'Lou'.

Liane Hentscher/Netflix

Allison Janney knows how to deliver a line, and thanks to stunt training for her new Netflix film, *Lou*, she also knows how to deliver a punch. Janney stars as the film's titular character, a misandrist landlord who rents a home to a single mother named Hannah (Jurnee Smollett) and her young daughter, Vee. After Vee is kidnapped, Lou agrees to help Hannah bring her back, but saving Vee's future will require Lou to confront her own messy past.

Director Anna Foerster asked a lot of her cast during production, as evidenced by the fact that both Smollett and Janney spend much of the film covered in mud. (Smollett tells EW, "The mud is a character in itself!") As for Janney, she hopes this role will showcase her rarely-seen physical abilities — and maybe land her a role in the next *John Wick* movie. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Lou*: Netflix

**Director: **Anna Foerster** **

**Cast: **Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green** **

Munich — The Edge of War (2021)

Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain in 'Munich — The Edge of War'. Everett Collection

A thriller set in the years leading up to World War II, *Munich — The Edge of War* is a fictional account of a pivotal historical period. Based on Robert Harris' best-selling novel, the film follows two old college friends — Hugh Legat, a British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, a German diplomat — as they find themselves drawn into the center of Europe's political powder keg.

A good, old-fashioned spy story with deep stakes, the film examines Neville Chamberlain's (Jeremy Irons) role in the time leading up to World War II in a new light. A historical thriller that is sure to captivate, you won't regret devoting two hours of your time to *Munich — The Edge of War.* *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Munich — The Edge of War*: Netflix

**Director: **Christian Schwochow

**Cast: **George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Jeremy Irons, Sandra Hüller, Liv Lisa Fries, August Diehl, Jessica Brown Findlay

Oxygen (2021)

Mélanie Laurent as Elizabeth 'Liz' Hansen in 'Oxygen'. Netflix

A nightmare come to life for claustrophobics everywhere, *Oxygen *is a French language sci-fi film that thinks outside the box in terms of action. At the genesis, an unidentified woman (Mélanie Laurent) awakens in an airtight medical unit, unsure of who or where she is. Interactions with the system's AI — dubbed M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer) — provide some clarity as to her identity, but no matter what she tries, she cannot escape her prison.

As she seeks to understand who placed her in the box and why, truths about her personal life and the current state of the world come into focus — but her search for context is actually a race to outwit the slowly depleting oxygen levels. Laurent is excellent, and despite being forced to perform on her back, she manages to imbue the film with a strong sense of determination and humanity. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Oxygen*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B (read the review)

**Director: **Alexandre Aja

**Cast: **Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi**

Parasite (2019)

Song Kang-ho as Ki Taek and Jang Hye-jin as Chung Sook in 'Parasite'.

The central question of Bong Joon Ho's black comedy and thriller *Parasite* is who is the parasite? The film follows two families — the wealthy Parks and the broke Kims — as each member of the Kim family duplicitously obtains a job working for the Parks. A film that has a lot to say about class consciousness and late-stage capitalism, *Parasite *was the first foreign language film to take home the Best Picture Oscar.

The movie also secured trophies for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Director, but the real win is the film's ending. As EW's critic writes "If the movie is a Rorschach of who you identify as parasite and host, it's a test you're just as likely to fail." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Parasite*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A– (read the review)

**Director: **Bong Joon Ho

**Cast: **Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin

The Platform (2019)

Alexandra Masangkay as Miharu in 'The Platform'.

Netflix/Everett Collection

In this Spanish dystopian thriller, prisoners are trapped in a "Vertical Self-Management Center," a towering structure of stacked cells featuring a large hole in the floor. Every day, a platform loaded with food descends the tower, pausing at each level for the prisoners to eat. Those at the top feast heartily, while those below get the leftover table scraps. If everyone only took what they needed, there would be enough for all, but the greedy folks don't care about those suffering beneath them. (FYI: *The Platform 2* is now available to watch on Netflix.) —*D.H.*

Where to watch *The Platform*: Netflix

**Director: **Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

**Cast: **Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor**

Society of the Snow (2023)

Matías Recalt as Roberto Canessa and Enzo Vogrincic as Numa Turcatti in 'The Society of the Snow'.

In 1972, the Andes Mountains became a crucible of survival when a Uruguayan flight crashed en route to Santiago, Chile. Sixteen remaining passengers found themselves stranded in one of Mother Nature's most life-threatening terrains, pushing them to take ineffable means to find their way back. While Hollywood attempted to soften this tragedy with a more glossy depiction in *Alive* (1993), *Society of the Snow* delivers a far more raw and emotive experience — enriched by the director's conversations with the real-life survivors — that sinks viewers into the gut-wrenching terror of the situation without being overly insensitive.

"A story that is based on humanism," J.A. Bayona (the director who also helmed another intense disaster film, 2012's *The Impossible*) describes the story as "more about emotional survival. It's not only physical survival. It's to understand that there's something bigger than yourself." *—J.M.*

Where to watch *Society of the Snow*: Netflix

**Director:** J.A. Bayona

**Cast: **Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Felipe González Otaño, Luciano Chatton, Valentino Alonso, Francisco Romero, Agustín Berruti, Andy Pruss, Simón Hempe, Juan Caruso, Esteban Bigliardi, Rocco Posca, Esteban Kukuriczka, Rafael Federman, Manuela Olivera, Agustín Della Corte, Tomas Wolf

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles in 'They Cloned Tyrone'.

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

A single genre isn't enough to contain one of Netflix's 2023 releases, *They Cloned Tyrone. *A sci-fi comedy that combines '70s Blaxploitation with mystery and social satire, the film has similar vibes to movies like *Get Out* (2017) or *Sorry to Bother You* (2018) while employing a far more absurd premise. Fontaine (John Boyega) is a drug dealer living in an impoverished area called the Glen. While trying to collect funds owed to him by a local pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is shot and killed — but that doesn't stop him from showing up on Slick's doorstep the next day to collect his money.

Joined by a sex worker named YoYo (Teyonah Parris), the trio attempts to get to the bottom of what appears to be a massive government conspiracy aimed at exploiting their disenfranchised community as medical subjects. A satirical romp that has as much to say about class and racial injustices as it does about mystery movie tropes, *They Cloned Tyrone *is smart, silly, and uniformly well-acted. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *They Cloned Tyrone*: Netflix

**Director: **Juel Taylor

**Cast: **John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx**

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