When you’re searching for something to watch on a streaming platform with as big a catalog asNetflixhas, it can get overwhelming. Even when you’ve narrowed down the genres, there are just too many things to watch. You don’t want to take a risk on a new movie, end up not liking it, and turn it off halfway through to find a new one and start the process all over again. To hopefully help you navigate the labyrinth of movies that is Netflix while searching for a new psychological thriller to watch, we’ve put together a list of great picks for you to watch during your next night on the couch. With any luck, you’ll find something that fits your fancy and you enjoy watching.
Looking for more suspense? Check out the best thriller movies onNetflix,Hulu, andHBO, or the best movies onNetflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
‘A Simple Favor’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 6.8/10
A Simple Favor
Directed byPaul Feigand written byJessica Sharzer,A Simple Favoris a neo-noir crime comedy thriller based onDarcey Bell’s eponymous 2017 novel. The film follows a widowed small-town mom, Stephanie, who finds an unlikely friendship with a sophisticated PR director, Emily. When Emily mysteriously disappears, Stephanie sets out to solve the case while navigating a newfound relationship with the missing woman’s husband.Anna KendrickandBlake Livelystar as Stephanie and Emily, respectively, withHenry Golding,Andrew Rannells,Linda Cardellini,Rupert Friend, andJean Smartin supporting roles.
A Simple Favorpremiered in 2018 to critical and commercial success, earning over $97.6 million worldwide. The film has been praised by critics and viewers for its writing, direction, and performances — not to mention the stylish cinematography and high production value. While the movie’s mystery is decidedly light, the plot has just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right ‘til the end.A sequel movieis currently in the works, with most of the cast reprising their roles and Feig returning to the director’s chair.
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‘It’s What’s Inside’ (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb: 6.6/10
It’s What’s Inside
It’s What’s Insideis a 2024 science fiction comedy thriller movie written and directed byGreg Jardin. The film follows a group of college friends who meet after eight years for a pre-wedding reunion. What starts out as a fun getaway turns into a twisted nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious suitcase that allows people to swap bodies.Brittany O’GradyandJames Morosinilead the ensemble cast, which also includesGavin Leatherwood,Nina Bloomgarden,Alycia Debnam-Carey,Reina Hardesty,Devon Terrell,David W. Thompson, andMadison Davenport.
It’s What’s Insidepremiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section, receiving critical acclaim. The movie has been praised for its stylish visuals, great performances, and clever story. Besides writing and directing, Greg Jardin also did the film’s editing, which is simply spectacular. An entertaining thriller with impeccable cinematography and an intelligent, darkly satirical narrative,It’s What’s Insidetakes the familiar tropes of body-swap horror and reimagines them for a new generation of fans.
‘Fair Play’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 6.4/10
Written and directed byChloe Domontin her feature directorial debut,Fair Playis an erotic psychological thriller film. The movie starsPhoebe DynevorandAlden Ehrenreichas young analysts at a cutthroat hedge fund who are in a secret relationship. Shortly after they get engaged, an unexpected promotion pushes the couple to their limits and threatens far more than just their relationship. The film also starsEddie Marsan,Rich Sommer,Sebastian de Souza, and more.
Fair Playpremiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it received largely favorable reviews from critics and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic. With its steamy and suspenseful storytelling set in the brutal world of finance, the film has been favorably compared to the TV dramaIndustryand classic ‘90s thrillers. Essentially an exploration of gender dynamics in the workplace,Fair Playis a character-driven thriller that’s well-written, well-acted, and stylishly executed.
‘I Care A Lot’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% | IMDb: 6.4/10
I Care A Lot
Rarely does a female antihero come along where you feel tension for rooting for her schemes. Such is the case with the black comedy thriller,I Care A Lot, where a con woman makes her living by becoming the court-appointed guardian to vulnerable elders, convincing the courts that they’re unable to take care of themselves and seizing their assets. However, she finds herself in dangerous waters after she hijacks guardianship over a crime lord’s mother. The cat-and-mouse chase keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last moments of the film.Rosamund Pikestars as the meticulous yet manipulative con artist, unwilling to give up her enterprise without a fight; in fact, her electric performance won her a Golden Globe. —Meredith Loftus
‘Missing’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 7.1/10
Anyone who hasn’t heard from someone for just longer than expected knows the dread and panic that flows through your veins until you get in touch, andMissing, directed byWill MerrickandNicholas D. Johnson, manages to capture that feeling in a singular film like lightning in a bottle. The story puts you in the POV of June Allen (Storm Reid), a teen girl who can’t wait to party with her friends while her mom is out of town. But when her mom doesn’t return, she has to lead the search herself. Told in the screen life format through footage captured on various devices before being expertly weaved together to craft the narrative, the movie is a wild ride where the audience feels like they’re in the driver’s seat the whole time. –Tauri Miller
‘The Strays’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 54% | IMDb: 4.8/10
The Strays
They say the past never stays buried for long, and now a woman’s past comes back to try to bury her.Ashley Madekwe(Revenge) plays Neve, a Black woman who meticulously crafts her life to fit into the white suburbs by rejecting every aspect of Blackness and assimilating into the life of an upper-middle-class housewife. Unfortunately, two strangers show up to unravel her tightly wound fabric of her persona. They position themselves in and around her children’s school and stalk her every move. Writer/directorNathaniel Martello-Whitecrafts a tense film where nothing can truly be trusted — not even the audience’s perceptions of the reality unfolding before them. This unsettling story about a woman’s struggle to run away from her roots will keep you looking over your shoulders well after the credits roll. –Tauri Miller
‘The Good Nurse’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% | IMDb: 6.8/10
The Good Nurse
In The Good Nurse, Jessica Chastain stars as Amy Loughren, a caring nurse and single mother with a critical heart condition that threatens her life. Working in the intensive care unit during the night shifts, Amy is pushed to the breaking point until a new nurse named Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) starts working there. The equally compassionate Charlie builds rapport with her, and her burden is lifted- along with making a dear friend. As time passes, however, several patient deaths set off a police investigation that implicates Charlie as the culprit, with Amy now thrust in the middle of it all. Amy will have to dig deeper and determine the truth - and decide what to do if the truth is uglier than she had hoped. Based on the book by Charles Graeber and based on a true story, The Good Nurse is a true-crime story with thriller elements that will release stateside on July 10, 2025.
Jessica Chastain(The Eyes of Tammy Faye) stars oppositeEddie Redmaynein the dark and thrilling filmThe Good Nursefrom directorTobias Lindholm(Mindhunter). Based on horrific true events,The Good Nursefollows an ICU nurse (Chastain) who begins to suspect her colleague (Redmayne) of causing deaths within the hospital where they work. Written byKrysty Wilson-Cairns,The Good Nursemaintains a foundation in reality, even as the high stakes of these two medical professionals are ultimately life or death. With captivating performances from the Oscar winners,The Good Nurseis two hours of heart-racing intensity.– Yael Tygiel
‘The Platform’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% | IMDb: 7.0/10
The Platform
The Platformis a unique and utterly terrifying thriller that offers biting (pun intended) societal commentary about class in the vein ofSquid Game. The film revolves around people living in a concrete tower, either as punishment for a crime or as volunteers. Everyone in the tower is fed via a platform that begins at the top of the building and slowly descends. Those at the top of the building have their choices of delicious cuisine, while those at the bottom are left with scraps. Every month, the inhabitants are rearranged, and the power dynamic changes. Intense and disturbing,The Platformis a difficult yet riveting and important watch.- Taylor Gates
‘Hypnotic’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% | IMDb: 5.3/10
FromThe Haunting of Hill HouseandBly ManortoHush,Kate Siegelis a master horror actor, andHypnoticis no different. A young woman named Jenn (Siegel) is on a mission to improve her life, including doing sessions with a hypnotherapist (Jason O’Mara). After a few sessions, however, she beings to experience dangerous consequences that could prove deadly for herself and those around her. Though the plot can veer towards the silly and predictable at times,Hypnoticis a fun thriller to watch with some friends and a bucket of popcorn. –Taylor Gates
‘The Devil All The Time’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 56% | IMDb: 7.1/10
The Devil All The Time
A bleak vision of life in America from 1950 to the mid-1960s, directorAntonio Campos’The Devil All The Timeis about the most perpetually painful film that you could imagine. Made up of a strong ensemble cast whose lives all end up intersecting, it is based upon the novel of the same name byDonald Ray Pollockwho also serves as a fitting narrator for the increasingly dark events of the film. Central to this isTom Hollandas Arvin, a traumatized young man who is trying to make things right for those he cares about despite the sinister trajectory of the world around him. It is one of the roles that Holland really shows his full range and talents in as he holds his own against a terrifyingRobert Pattinsonas a controlling new preacher. It is not a happy film by any means, though it is one that does a good job of showing the strengths of its characters and comprehensively capturing the horrible world they live in. —Chase Hutchinson
