Thrillers are a fantastic watch (or read) any time of year, but there’s something especially satisfying about watching a good thriller movie as the seasons shift toward fall. Thrillers come in all shapes and sizes, from political, crime, legal, spy, psychological, mystery, and beyond. Better yet, thrillers can come in a variety of tones, ranging from comedic to darker tales. In other words, it doesn’t matter what particular mood you’re in; the odds are good that you can find the perfect thriller to dive into. Thankfully, Netflix has plenty of options to choose from, thanks to its original catalog and extensive deals.
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Ideally, we all want our thrillers to be full of tension, character development, and jaw-dropping twists. They’re the perfect distraction from life, to say the least. With autumn just around the corner, many of us are looking for thrillers that blur the lines between mystery and horror, and Netflix has just the movie to fit that bill.
10) Interceptor (2022)
First up on the list is an action thriller, Interceptor. The story follows Army Captain JJ Collins. She’s recently been subjected to a fair bit of harassment, culminating in her reassignment in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She’s now responsible for the protection of a lone nuclear missile interceptor base. After a sudden attack, her base is now the only U.S. interceptor base, and that means the stakes have never been higher.
Interceptor is a daring and dramatic film, and that got it a lot of attention in 2022 when it was released on Netflix. Interceptor stars Elsa Pataky and Luke Bracey. It also has a fun surprise cameo from Chris Hemsworth.
9) Now You See Me (2013)
Now You See Me may be the oldest film on this list, but it’s arguably also one of the better-known inclusions. It’s a heist thriller based on Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt’s story (who also happen to be writers for the film). The story revolves around a group of criminal illusionists and the Interpol detectives tasked with tracking them down.
Since its release, Now You See Me has become a franchise. The second film, Now You See Me 2, was released in 2016. Now is the perfect time to binge both movies, as the third installment, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, is scheduled to release in November 2025. Now You See Me stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Common, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman.
8) Bird Box (2018)
It’s safe to say that Bird Box made all sorts of waves when it was first released in 2018. The thriller film, based on Josh Malerman’s novel of the same name, instantly captivated both readers and viewers. The story follows Malorie Hayes, a woman who firsthand experiences what feels like the end of the world. It all begins with strange entities that drive people mad. Just one glimpse is enough.
Thus, to safely navigate this world, Malorie and her two children must blindfold themselves and risk endless dangers. It’s the only way to make it to some place safer, but even that carries great risk with it. Bird Box became one of Netflix’s most-watched films of the year, resulting in a spin-off film, Bird Box Barcelona (2023). Bird Box stars Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, and many others.
7) The Devil All the Time (2020)
The Devil All the Time is a haunting blending of genres, as it is a Southern Gothic psychological thriller. It also has some familiar faces, making it even more worthy of a watch. The story is based on Donald Ray Pollock’s novel of the same name. It’s set in two small towns near the end of World War II. It’s a character-driven film, with an ensemble cast, each telling a different part of the narrative.
The Devil All the Time got a lot of attention when it made its way to Netflix, but it’s still considered pretty underrated, especially by thriller fans. The film stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, and Jason Clarke.
6) The Occupant (2020)
Psychological thriller fans should make note of The Occupant. It’s a Spanish thriller drama with distinct psychological elements. It all begins when Javier Muñoz and his family have to downsize from their stunning apartment. Most people would allow themselves a breakdown or two and move on, but not Javier Muñoz. He can’t stop thinking about his lovely fancy apartment … so when he finds a spare set of keys, he helps himself to some of the food within his old place. In the process, he becomes obsessed with the new occupants.
The Occupant is a slow-burning thriller with deeply unsettling undertones. It’s the sort of story that will make renters double and triple-check the locks, not that this would have kept Javier Muñoz out. The Occupant stars Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí, Ruth Díaz, David Ramírez, and many others.
5) Don’t Move (2024)
In case the name didn’t make it clear, Don’t Move perfectly blends thriller and horror into one film. Iris is a grieving mother, uncertain of how to carry the weight of this burden. This grief takes her to the nearby and isolated park. Unfortunately, that puts her directly in the path of a serial killer infamous for using paralytic agents.
Iris may have fought off her attack and escaped, but her story has only just begun, as the paralytic agent starts to take effect. Don’t Move is a haunting film full of body horror. It stars Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell, and Daniel Francis. Notably, Sam Raimi is the producer, so you know what kind of story you’re in for if you cue this one up.
4) The Wonder (2022)
The Wonder is a period psychological drama based on Emma Donoghue’s novel of the same name. The story is set slightly after the Great Famine and revolves around a girl in an Irish village who has become known as the “fasting girl.” She infamously seems to be able to survive without eating, though at least one local, a nurse, believes that this image can be quite deceiving.
Florence Pugh has been getting a lot of ink lately, but one of her more underrated and lesser-known films is The Wonder. It also includes a vast ensemble cast: Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Dermot Crowley, Brían F. O’Byrne, David Wilmot, Ruth Bradley, Caolán Byrne, Josie Walker, Ciarán Hinds, Toby Jones, and Kíla Lord Cassidy.
3) Woman of the Hour (2024)
Woman of the Hour is a crime thriller featuring several familiar faces, and it plays around with a familiar theme: fame and show business. The story is based on a real incident about serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game (1979). This real-life event is what got him dubbed the Dating Game Killer. Woman of the Hour focuses more on the victims and less on the serial killer.
Woman of the Hour worked hard to portray systemic misogyny and violence, without giving too much attention to the infamous perpetrator. The film stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, and Tony Hale. Reportedly, Kendrick donated her pay to avoid profiting from retelling the stories of sexual violence victims.
2) Parasite (2019)
Parasite is a thriller with strong dark comedy elements, making it fairly unique within the genre. Parasite is based on a play written by Bong Joon Ho, the director. The story follows one family’s rise to wealth … sort of. They’re actually trying to infiltrate that life, starting with a few forged certificates to get better jobs. This becomes a bit of a snowball effect, as each member of the family lands better roles, all under the Park family. Naturally, we all know that something was going to give with this plan.
This haunting and oddly comedic film is unafraid to take a hard look at class disparity, wealth, greed, and other dark corners of humanity. Parasite made history in 2020 when it became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture. Parasite stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myung-hoon, and Lee Jung-eun.
1) The Call (2020)
Thriller fans looking for something that plays with a bit of sci-fi and mystery should consider watching The Call. It all begins when Seo-yeon returns home to visit her ailing mother. This kicks off a series of events that will change her life forever. After connecting to her old phone, she started getting strange phone calls from another woman, Yeong-sook. It quickly became apparent that these two women are existing in the same space, but with 20 years between them.
How are they communicating, and what can they do to change their fates? The Call is a heavy-hitting film that will make you rethink everything. The Call was originally meant to have a theatrical release, but due to timing (the pandemic), that never happened. Instead, it went straight to Netflix. The Call stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo.
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