What do you watch when you’re in the mood for drama, suspense, and intrigue, but don’t necessarily want to be scared out of your wits? This is the perfect time to curl up on the couch with some popcorn and queue up one of the many enthralling thrillers Netflix currently offers.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best available, whether you’re into Martin Scorsese’s brand of grit or have an appetite — no pun intended — for a cannibalistic cult classic designed to make you squirm.
Choose a genre
- Best movies on Netflix
- Best horror movies on Netflix
- Best action movies on Netflix
- Best romance on Netflix
- Best comedy on Netflix
- Best kids movies on Netflix
- Best family movies on Netflix
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
One of the most psychologically terrifying movies of the ’90s, this film put Sir Anthony Hopkins’ talents on full display as the brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. As FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster in an equally compelling performance) meets with him in hopes he can help her track down another serial killer named Buffalo Bill, he revels in the chance to manipulate and toy with her. Based on the Thomas Harris novel of the same name, it is one of many TV and film adaptations of the story, but remains the best.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Stars: Jodie Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Director: Jonathan Demme
Rating: R
Runtime: 118 minutes
Taxi Driver (1976)
One of Martin Scorsese’s early movies remains one of his most poignant. In Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a disillusioned cabbie with dreams of assassinating presidential candidate Charles Palantine. He also finds it in his heart to rescue a prostitute (played by a 12-year-old Jodie Foster) and assassinate her pimp. The backdrop of the Vietnam War looms large over the film, as Bickle’s vigilantism makes him a hero to some and an antihero to others, building toward a climactic shootout and an unforgettable ending that remains up for interpretation to this day.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Runtime: 114 minutes
Calibre (2018)
When two lifelong friends, a businessman and his pal from boarding school, head out for a hunting weekend in the Scottish Highlands, things quickly turn ugly. The old friends find themselves unexpectedly panicked and dealing with dire situations they never thought they would face. The British thriller, originally released on Netflix, was described by Variety as an “intensely terrifying twist on Deliverance.”
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran
Director: Matt Palmer
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 101 minutes
Drive (2011)
Drive is one of the most stylish movies of the last decade, and a showcase for the skills of director Nicolas Winding Refn. The film is based on James Sallis’ novel, with Ryan Gosling as the unnamed Driver. By day, he is a Hollywood stunt driver. But on the side, he leads a much more exciting life as a getaway driver for criminals. The Driver is also romantically drawn to his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan). However, the return of Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), seemingly makes that relationship impossible. Regardless, the Driver and Standard get involved with a dangerous heist that proves to be deadly. The Driver’s skills are put to the ultimate test as he tries to make it out intact, and it’s a thrill every step of the way.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
The Gift (2011)
Stalker thrillers tend to be by-the-numbers and predictable. However, The Gift breaks the mold by throwing real uncertainty into the mix. Joel Edgerton wrote, directed, and starred in the film as Gordon “Gordo” Moseley, a man who reunites with his “friend,” Simon Callem (Jason Bateman). Simon’s wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall) doesn’t seem to have a problem with Gordo’s affection or his lavish gifts. But Simon suspects that Gordo is targeting him for revenge. The truth turns out to be more elusive. While Gordo’s actions are suspect, it’s Simon’s character that comes into question. Is he truly the victim of a lifelong scheme? Or is Simon simply a master of manipulation? The Gift plays its cards close to the vest before finally showing its hand.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton
Director: Joel Edgerton
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Zodiac (2007)
The identity of the Zodiac killer remains one of the most tantalizing unsolved mysteries of the 20th century. But that didn’t stop director David Fincher from making Zodiac into an amazing thriller that blends fact and fiction. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist who finds himself drawn into the Zodiac case because of his ability to decipher the killer’s enigmatic messages. Crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) starts sharing info with Graysmith as the Zodiac Killer escalates his reign of terror in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The quest to find Zodiac becomes all-consuming for Graysmith as he and Avery attempt to hunt the hunter. It’s an engrossing film with a dynamic cast that also includes Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Chloë Sevigny, Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, and Dermot Mulroney.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chloë Sevigny
Director: David Fincher
Rating: R
Runtime: 157 minutes
The Guest (2014)
In The Guest, Dan Stevens is so charming as David Collins that we don’t want to believe that he’s got dark secrets that will threaten everyone else around him. As the Peterson family grieves over the loss of their son, Craig, in the Afghanistan War, David presents himself as a close friend of Craig who has just returned home. The Petersons welcome David into their lives, and he becomes a surrogate son for Spencer (Leland Orser) and Laura (Sheila Kelley), while acting as a big brother to Luke (Brendan Meyer). However, Anna (Maika Monroe) becomes suspicious about David’s story and she begins to investigate his past. But David doesn’t tolerate threats from anyone, and when his cover is blown, no one is safe from his reach.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Leland Orser
Director: Adam Wingard
Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Icarus (2017)
While exploring and experimenting with the idea of illegal doping in sports and how easy it is to use performance-enhancing drugs and evade detection, Bryan Fogel uncovers an international doping scandal. The documentary follows Fogel through his journey in amateur cycling and the explosive allegations by Grigory Rodchenkov, the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory. Rodchenkov started out by simply helping Fogel with his experiment before eventually revealing alleged Olympic doping programs and his involvement with them. The movie earned Fogel an Academy Award for Best Documentary Film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Bryan Fogel, Grigory Rodchenkov
Director: Bryan Fogel
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 121 minutes
Uncut Gems (2019)
In Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler stars as a jeweler with a gambling addiction on the hunt for an expensive gem he bought to pay off mounting debts. Sandler was lauded for his performance, proving once again that he can do far more than play characters that provide silly humor and cheap laughs. Critics praised Sandler’s dramatic chops upon the film’s release, as well as the Safdie brothers, who have an undisputed knack for delivering stress-inducing films at every turn.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel
Directors: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie
Rating: R
Runtime: 135 minutes
Suburra (2015)
Financed by Netflix and RAI, this Italian-language neo-noir crime film is based on the Carlo Bonini and Giancarlo De Cataldo novel of the same name. The story is inspired by real events from the Mafia Capitale in 2011, involving organized crime and politics in Rome. If you really want to delve even deeper into the story, check out the 2017 prequel TV series, Suburra: Blood on Rome, before or after watching the flick. Set in 2008, the series looks at the events that led up to what happened in the film. There have been two seasons to date, with a third and final season set to debut in 2020.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Pierfrancesco Favino, Elio Germano, Claudio Amendola
Director: Stefano Sollima
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 135 minutes
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
For fans of the AMC series Breaking Bad, this flick is the epilogue they’ve been waiting for to address the unanswered question of what happened to Jesse Pinkman. For others who might not have seen Breaking Bad, it’s still a fabulous film about a young man on the run from a clearly sordid past. It wraps Pinkman’s story up with a nice little bow and delivers plenty of cameos and throwback references from the original series to make it a worthwhile watch for any fan who has been missing the show.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Aaron Paul, Jonathan Banks
Director: Vince Gilligan
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 122 minutes
District 9 (2009)
The scene is an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship has landed on Earth with sick and malnourished insectoid aliens that are sent to an internment camp called District 9. Two decades later, while being relocated, one alien escapes with his son and tries to return home. Inspired by Cape Town’s District Six during the apartheid era, the film is designed, in part, to feature what looks like found footage, including interviews, news broadcasts, and surveillance videos, and it highlights themes like xenophobia and social segregation.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Stars: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Rating: R
Runtime: 112 minutes
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Matthew McConaughey is Mickey Haller, a criminal defense attorney who discovers that a high-profile murder case he has recently taken on might be connected to one he handled in the past and that his client might have murdered others. The story is adapted from Michael Connelly novels, including the 2005 book of the same name and others featuring the character of Haller. McConaughey was praised for his charming performance as the lawyer who conducts most of his business from the backseat of his car, and the film itself has been called “briskly enjoyable entertainment.”
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Pena, John Leguizamo, Bryan Cranston, William H. Macy
Director: Brad Furman
Rating: R
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rukh (2017)
Offered in Hindi, this film tells the story of an 18-year-old young man who is sent to boarding school after injuring another student in a fight, who then receives word while he’s away that his father has died in a car accident. As he searches for the truth about what really happened, he uncovers more than he bargained for. His father was not only likely murdered, but his family was caught up in activities he could never have imagined.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stars: Manoj Bajpayee, Smita Tambe, Kumud Mishra, Adarsh Gourav
Director: Atanu Mukherjee
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 106 minutes
Every Time I Die (2019)
In a theme that’s been explored in many different ways of late through both TV series and movies, this film is about a man whose consciousness is transferred to the bodies of others after his death. Each time he enters the body of a new friend, he tries to warn them about the person who killed him and protect them from the culprit and harm. While the movie only has nine reviews thus far on Rotten Tomatoes, it has been universally lauded by all who have watched it. So it might be worth checking out if you’re looking for something beyond the typical Hollywood-backed films.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stars: Drew Fonteiro, Marc Menchaca, Michelle Macedo, Tyler White, Melissa Macedo
Director: Robi Michael
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 98 minutes
Nightcrawler (2014)
Journalism ethics remains a hot topic today, but it has never been fictionalized better than it was in Nightcrawler. Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a stringer who will go to any lengths necessary to capture raw footage on his camcorder and sell it to the local TV station in Los Angeles. Bloom isn’t above manipulating the crime scene or even taking a larger personal stake in the action if it maximizes his recordings — not to mention his leverage over Nina, the morning news director. Ethics are cast aside by the power of the almighty dollar, reminding the audience “if it bleeds, it leads.” Jake Gyllenhaal is as compelling as ever in a film that was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo
Director: Dan Gilroy
Rating: R
Runtime: 117 minutes
Editors' Recommendations
- The 50 best movies on Netflix right now
- The best horror movies on Netflix right now
- The best Netflix original movies
- The best sci-fi movies on Netflix right now
- The best romance movies on Netflix right now
