Sometimes you wantNetflixto provide comfort food, and other times you want it to give you a jolt to the system. When it’s the latter, you’ll want a good thriller that may not go heavy on the blood and gore, but still manages to rattle you to your core. The streaming service has a solid selection of picks from the genre, but they’ve also got a lot of other movies labeled under “thriller” that wouldn’t be the best use of your time, so we’ve got an updated list of the best thriller movies on Netflix to save you some scrolling.
If you need a bit of guidance on what thrillers you should check out, look at our recommendations below.
Editor’s note: This article was updated December 2024 to include Carry-On.
‘Carry-On’ (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 6.6/10
Not everyone wants to watch a cozy rom-com at Christmas, and for those who don’t, Netflix has you covered. 2024’s answer toDie Hardcomes in the form ofCarry-On,Jaume Collet Serra’s story of wannabe cop and TSA officer Ethan (Taron Egerton), who finds out he’s expecting a baby with his partner. Wanting to prove himself and earn more money to provide for his burgeoning family, Ethan tries to win a promotion by moving to a higher position at work. However, on this one unexpected day, he is about to become the unfortunate target of a terrorist plot. An action-packed thrill ride with a surprising amount of heart,Carry-Onis the Christmas movie many didn’t know they needed. Providing a breath of fresh air to this festive period, this is one high-octane thriller you simply won’t want to miss. -Jake Hodges
Watch on Netflix
‘A Simple Favor’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 6.8/10
A Simple Favor
Based onDarcey Bell’s eponymous 2017 novel,A Simple Favoris a crime comedy thriller directed byPaul Feigand written byJessica Sharzer. The film’s cast is led byAnna KendrickandBlake Lively, withHenry Golding,Andrew Rannells,Linda Cardellini,Rupert Friend, andJean Smartin supporting roles. Kendrick stars as Stephanie Smothers, a widowed small-town mom and vlogger who befriends an elegant and mysterious woman (played by Lively). But when her new friend mysteriously disappears, Stephanie sets out to solve the case, which gets more complicated by the minute. A critically acclaimed comedy noir movie,A Simple Favoris an endlessly entertaining journey with plenty of twists along the way. Anchored by stellar performances from its two leads, the film is a fun and exciting watch with stylish, striking cinematography. The movie also performed admirably at the box office and has built up a dedicated fan following. A sequel film is currently in the pipeline, with most of the cast reprising their roles from the beloved original.
‘Society of the Snow’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 6.5/10
Society of the Snow
Read Our ReviewHorror fans will absolutely loveX, while those who prefer not to watch an absolute blood bath should probably stay away. Produced by A24,Xis written and directed byTi West(Pearl). The film tells the story of a group of friends who rent a cabin outside of town to film their adult movie. The film takes place in 1979, in the days way before Airbnb, so the crew’s hosts, Pearl and Howard, are anything but hospitable. One by one, the friends are picked off by their mysterious hosts, whose background is slowly revealed as the plot unfolds.
XstarsMia Goth(Suspira),Jenna Ortega(Scream),Brittany Snow(Pitch Perfect),Kid Cudi(The Harder They Fall),Martin Henderson(Smokin’ Aces), andOwen Campbell(Super Dark Times). The film had a sequel come out just months after its release,Pearl, which tells the origin story ofX’svillain, Pearl. Reprising the role of Pearl is Goth, whose performance in both films is award-worthy. -Emily Cappello
‘Leave the World Behind’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 6.6/10
Leave the World Behind
Read Our Review
Premiering atAFI Festin May 2023,Leave the World Behindis an apocalyptic psychological thriller based on the 2020 novel byRumaan Alam. The film tells the story of Amanda (Julia Roberts) as she decides to take her family on an impromptu trip to an Airbnb on Long Island. Her husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke), and her kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), go along with the sudden plan. But it isn’t long before strange things start happening, from losing Wi-Fi to an oil tanker crashing into the beach to a strange amount of deer showing up in their yard (and if there’s anythingGet Outtaught us, it’s that deer can be absolutely terrifying in the right context). When the Airbnb homeowner George (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) come home unannounced, things only get stranger.
Written and directed bySam Esmail(the mind behindMr. Robot),Leave the World Behindcouldn’t be more timely, diving into themes like technology, privilege, and political tension. Collider’s Ross Bonaime called it a “smart, compelling take on the end of the world” and praised the film’s performances and direction. -Emily Cappello
‘The Killer’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 6.8/10
The Killer
Directed byDavid Fincher,The Killeris a thrilling and intense drama based on the French graphic novel series fromAlexis “Matz” Nolent.Michael Fassbenderabsolutely dominates in the titular role, playing an elite assassin forced to clear his name after a job goes wrong, leading to him becoming the subject of an international manhunt. Co-starringArliss Howard, Charles Parnell,andTilda Swinton,The Killeralso features an incredible soundtrack featuring talent composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, as well as English rock band the Smiths.
Highlighted by Fincher’s clever visuals, an undeniably incredible cast, and a killer soundtrack,The Killeris more than its often predictable and purely simple premise. Fassbender has always been leading man material, regardless of genre, and continues his ability to captivate on screen through the stylish cinematography and borderline-absurd plot points.
‘Emily the Criminal’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 6.7/10
Emily the Criminal
Writer and directorJohn Patton Fordmakes his feature directorial debut with this award-winning crime thriller starringAubrey Plaza(The White Lotus).Emily the Criminalis an unsettlingly relatable tale about a young woman who’s drowning in student loan debts and can’t find a sustainable job due to a felony conviction that leads to an onslaught of rejection from all but the worst jobs, ultimately forcing her to turn to an underground network of credit card scammers to make money. The film is a scathing indictment of the ways that corporations and predatory lenders exploit the working class and is a realistic showcase of the ways that poverty is a leading cause of crime. –Tauri Miller
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb: 7.1/10
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follows Detective Benoit Blanc’s continuing detective work in Greece. When tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends to his private island, Benoit Blanc must step in to solve the case when one of them is killed.
Unlike many of the titles on this list,Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery(2022)eschews the “dark and gritty” for the “bright and humorous.” But make no mistake,Rian Johnson’s follow-up to 2019’sKnives Outis an extremely thrilling story with a gripping plot. The comedy of the film arises from the satirical depictions of its cast of suspects, whose lives intertwine in a complicated, multi-layered narrative that’s simultaneously obvious and obscure, much like the titular “Glass Onion.” World-famous detectiveBenoit Blanc (Daniel Craig)receives an invitation for a weekend at an eccentric billionaire’s private island, where the host (Edward Norton) has gathered his closest friends for what is to be a fun murder mystery game. But when the threat of a real murder makes itself clear, Blanc must solve the case, which has its roots in the pasts of all the people assembled. The plot is, as mentioned, a brilliantly crafted classic whodunit but what sets this film apart is the sheer style that Johnson brings to his mystery sequel. Everything from the costumes to the set design is top-notch, presenting a well-made, well-crafted film that’s enjoyable for every type of audience.-Remus Noronha
‘Extraction 2’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb: 7.10/10
Extraction 2
Chris Hemsworth(The Avengers) returns as the black ops mercenary Tyler Rake, along with writerJoe Russo(The Gray Man) and directorSam Hargrave(Extraction) inExtraction 2.The film finds a retired Rake resting in Austria, but his tranquility doesn’t last long once a strange man asks him to break a mother and her two daughters out of a Georgian prison. As expected from a collaboration between Russo and Hargrave, who previously worked together on several MCU films, the film is a thrilling ride filled with intense action and suspenseful chases that get the heart pumping throughout this dangerous escort mission. –Tauri Miller
‘It Follows’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 6.8/10
It Follows
This 2014 horror thriller is one of those films that take a relatively simple enough premise and elevate it to new heights of tension. The film follows the events that unfold when Jay (Maika Monroe) contracts a curse after having sex. Now she is being hunted by a mysterious force, and both Jay and the viewer are taken through a paranoid journey, with every new face being a potential threat.It Followsis a truly tense thriller, and it’s a must-watch for horror and thriller fans, especially for Maika Monroe’s breakout performance. -Remus Noronha
‘The Pale Blue Eye’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 63% | IMDb: 6.6./10
The Pale Blue Eye
The mystery and thriller genres would be a whole lot poorer without the contributions of the great American writerEdgar Allan Poe. This, however, is not an adaptation of a Poe story (though it is adapted from the novel of the same name byLouis Bayard); instead,The Pale Blue Eyepresents a fictional detective tale that happens to take place during the unhappy years that Poe spent at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. A period piece that blends horror and mystery elements, the movie’s story kicks off when a cadet at the academy is found hanging from a tree. A case of suicide, perhaps? Except that his heart had been carved out of his dead chest. A grizzled old detective (played byChristian Bale) is called in but he soon discovers that in order to uncover the secrets of the academy, he will need the help of a bright young cadet: Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Bale is as brilliant as ever, delivering what’s arguably his best performance of the year, butHarry Melling is the one to watch out forin this dark eerie tale. The film proceeds with all the careful terror of an uncoiling snake, revealing new secrets at every turn, and even when you think you know who the killer is, there’s always another surprise waiting around the corner.The Pale Blue Eyeis a must-watch for fans of gothic mystery, whether you’re a fan of Poe or not. -Remus Noronha
