Looking for a movie that will make you question everything you thought you knew? Look no further.
best-psych-thrillers-netflix
When you’re searching for something to watch on a streaming platform with as big a catalog as Netflix has, 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 on Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, or the best movies on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
I Care A Lot
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% | IMDb: 6.4/10
I Care a Lot Film Poster
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 Pike stars 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
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Don’t Worry Darling
Rotten Tomatoes: 38% | IMDb: 6.3/10
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Run by the mysterious Frank (Chris Pine), the company town of Victory, California, is not what it seems, with Florence Pugh’s Alice starting to suspect there may be sinister acts brewing under the town’s calm surface. Don’t Worry Darling, directed artfully by Olivia Wilde, finds all the eerie tension one may expect from a horror without ever leaning into that genre. Patient in its build-up, the film thrives in the captivating performances of its strong ensemble, including the likes of Pugh, Gemma Chan, and even Wilde herself. Don’t Worry Darling’s story drops pieces of the puzzle along its winding narrative journey, with the audience challenged to put them together and uncover the picture behind the mystery. – Jake Hodges
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Missing
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 7.1/10
Missing Film Poster
Missing
Release Date
January 20, 2023
Director
Nicholas D. Johnson , Will Merrick
Cast
Tim Griffin , Ava Zaria Lee , Storm Reid , Nia Long , Ken Leung
Runtime
111 minutes
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, and Missing, directed by Will Merrick and Nicholas 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
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The Strays
Rotten Tomatoes: 54% | IMDb: 4.8/10
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The Strays
Release Date
February 22, 2023
Director
Nathaniel Martello-White
Cast
Ashley Madekwe
Runtime
1 hr 40 min
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/director Nathaniel Martello-White crafts 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
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The Good Nurse
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% | IMDb: 6.8/10
the good nurse poster
The Good Nurse
Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) stars opposite Eddie Redmayne in the dark and thrilling film The Good Nurse from director Tobias Lindholm (Mindhunter). Based on horrific true events, The Good Nurse follows an ICU nurse (Chastain) who begins to suspect her colleague (Redmayne) of causing deaths within the hospital where they work. Written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, The Good Nurse maintains 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 Nurse is two hours of heart-racing intensity. – Yael Tygiel
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The Platform
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% | IMDb: 7.0/10
The Platform is a unique and utterly terrifying thriller that offers biting (pun intended) societal commentary about class in the vein of Squid 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 Platform is a difficult yet riveting and important watch. – Taylor Gates
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Hypnotic
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% | IMDb: 5.3/10
Hypnotic Film Poster
Hypnotic
From The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor to Hush, Kate Siegel is a master horror actor, and Hypnotic is 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, Hypnotic is a fun thriller to watch with some friends and a bucket of popcorn. – Taylor Gates
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The Devil All The Time
Rotten Tomatoes: 56% | IMDb: 7.1/10
The Devil All the Time
The Devil All The Time
Release Date
September 11, 2020
Director
Antonio Campos
Cast
Donald Ray Pollock , Bill Skarsgard , Tom Holland , Michael Banks Repeta , Emilio Subercaseaux Campos , Emilio Subercaseaux Campos
Runtime
666
A bleak vision of life in America from 1950 to the mid-1960s, director Antonio Campos’ The Devil All The Time is 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 by Donald Ray Pollock who also serves as a fitting narrator for the increasingly dark events of the film. Central to this is Tom Holland as 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 terrifying Robert Pattinson as 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
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I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% | IMDb: 6.6/10
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It might be time to end that relationship. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Iain Reid, Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a wonderfully maddening psychological thriller that will leave you with many questions, theories, and concerns. A young woman (Jessie Buckley) is having second thoughts about her fledgling relationship with Jake (Jesse Plemons). She agrees to go on a trip with him to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) at their remote cabin, but upon arrival, quickly regrets it. There’s something about this family and the cabin that seems…not right. What’s up and what’s down? What’s real and what’s in her imagination? And what’s the story with the old janitor? — Emily Bernard
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The Woman in the Window
Rotten Tomatoes: 25% | IMDb: 7.5/10
The Woman in the Window
Nothing good can come from spying on your neighbors. Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by A.J. Finn, The Woman in the Window shows life from the perspective of Anna Fox (Amy Adams) a reclusive, agoraphobic woman who, aside from her basement tenant David (Wyatt Russell) lives by herself in a massive Manhattan brownstone. She passes the time by drinking, checking in with her estranged husband and their daughter, and keeping a watchful eye on her neighbors. She has a clear view into the home across the way, which was recently purchased by the Russell family. One night, she witnesses what she believes to be Alistair Russell (Gary Oldman) stabbing his wife Jane (Julianne Moore) to death in the living room. Anna calls the authorities, but has trouble convincing them of what she saw. Will the woman in the window be able to seek justice for her deceased neighbor? — Emily Bernard
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Rebecca
Rotten Tomatoes: 38% | IMDb: 6.0/10
rebecca-netflix-armie-hammer-lily-james-poster
Although nothing can really compare to Hitchcock’s Best Picture-winning 1940 film Rebecca, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, the 2020 remake from Kill List and High-Rise director Ben Wheatley is a visually stunning, unnerving adaptation in its own right. Arguably quite underrated, the Netflix Original film stars Lily James as Mrs. de Winter, the new wife of recent widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), who supposedly lost his wife Rebecca in a boating accident. When Mrs. de Winter arrives at her new home, she encounters an unfriendly housekeeper named Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), who clearly prefers Rebecca to Maxim’s new wife. Facing marriage with a man hiding a past full of secrets, Mrs. de Winter pushes for answers, but she might not like what she finds.
Of course, no one can best Hitchcock, and that’s okay. But Wheatley’s version of the classic story is brilliantly made with fantastic performances from the main cast, and is still an enjoyable watch. If you’ve never seen the 1940 film, even better. You can go into the 2020 version of Rebecca with a fresh mind, and decide for yourself if it’s a good film or not, but do yourself a favor and make sure to watch the classic version too.
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Gerald’s Game
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | IMDb: 6.5/10
Geralds Game Film Poster
Gerald’s Game
Directed by Mike Flanagan, the mind behind the movie adaptation of Doctor Sleep, the indie horror film Hush, and hit horror series like The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game was Flanagan’s first Stephen King adaptation, but obviously not his last. The movie, which came out on Netflix in 2017, is the first adaptation of the book of the same name. Many people believed the book was simply unadaptable in any understandable way, since most of the book is first-person narration that takes place in the main character’s head. Still, Flanagan took on the challenge, and he succeeded, making a psychological horror film that will leave you with nightmares for months.
Gerald’s Game stars frequent Flanagan collaborator Carla Gugino as Jessie Burlingame, a woman who travels to a lake house retreat with her husband, Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), in an attempt to save their marriage. The two engage in foreplay in bed, which Gerald takes to an unexpected place when he handcuffs Jessie’s wrists to the bedposts and attempts to enact a rape fantasy, a kink Jessie has no interest in. The two start to argue, and in the middle of the conversation, Gerald has a heart attack and dies, falling off the bed and leaving Jessie alone, still handcuffed to an unmovable bedpost.
The rest of the movie chronicles Jessie’s experience trapped in the handcuffs, slowly becoming dehydrated and losing her sanity as she scrambles for any way to escape. The movie is seriously creepy and a fantastic mystery, but fair warning that a character in this story knowm as “the man made of moonlight” is one of King’s scariest creations, and he’s even worse on-screen. Not to mention a particularly gory scene, infamous for making even hardened horror fans squirm in their seats.
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1922
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb: 6.2/10
1922 Film Poster
Another Stephen King adaptation, 1922 is based on the author’s novella from his 2010 collection, “Full Dark, No Stars”. Set in the year 1922 in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, the story follows the character Wilfred “Wilf” James, played by Thomas Jane, a farmer who lives with his wife Arlette, played by Molly Parker, and a 14-year-old son named Henry, portrayed by Dylan Schmid.
When Arlette, who owns more than half of the family’s farm through her father, announces that she wants to sell the land and move to Omaha, Wilf decides that the only way to stop her is to murder her, and he blackmails his teenage son into being his accomplice. Together, the two trick their mother into thinking they want to sell the farm, let her get completely drunk, before killing her and dumping the body in the family well. The rest of the movie chronicles Wilf and Henry’s slow journey to insanity as they are terrorized by the guilt and the rot that settles into their home, land, and minds.
1922 is a dark, psychological horror film for both hardcore Stephen King fans and regular movie watchers alike. It’s a particularly good pick if you like period horror films like The Witch or television series like The Terror. While there are a lot of horror elements, 1922 primarily plays on the complex power of the mind and perception in the same way that Gerald’s Game does, earning it’s place as one of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix.
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Cam
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 5.9/10
Cam Film Poster
Cam
Release Date
November 16, 2018
Director
Daniel Goldhaber
Cast
Madeline Brewer , Patch Darragh , Melora Walters , Devin Druid , Imani Hakim , Michael Dempsey
Runtime
94 minutes
Starring Madeline Brewer as Alice, a cam girl who goes by the name “Lola_Lola,” Cam explores the dangers of artificial intelligence, how we alter our online images and personas, and just how much of ourselves we hand over to the unknown when we “log on”. Alice is a successful cam girl on a popular camming site, steadily climbing the ranks, but she wants to be at the top. One day, her rise to the number one spot is interrupted when Alice can’t log into her account. When she investigates what’s going on with her account, she sees that someone who looks and sounds just like her is streaming live on her channel, and despite knowing it’s impossible, Alice is able to confirm that the stream is really happening.
Through further investigation and talking to other cam girls, Alice discovers that the same thing has happened to many other top girls on popular sites, and no one has any idea what or who’s behind it. Still, Alice is determined to take her account back from her doppelgänger no matter what it takes, and get back her identity and the career she truly loves.
Cam is a very interesting film in how it explores the idea of digital replicas, as well as its respectful portrayal of the cam girl industry and the many young women who are creating a full-blown business out of it, and with a script co-written by former cam girl Isa Mazzei, it’s an honest, empathetic look at the highs and lows of online sex work. Brewer is seriously fantastic as Alice and her clone, and with such a smart and tightly-packed plot, Cam is the perfect thriller to watch during your next night in — but it might make you a little paranoid about who or what is controlling your stream.
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Fractured
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% | IMDb: 6.4/10
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Fractured
Released as a Netflix Original movie in 2019, Fractured stars Sam Worthington as a father named Ray waiting for his wife and young daughter to get out of a quick procedure at the hospital, only to be told that they were never there. His wife Joanne is played by Lily Rabe, while Lucy Capri plays his young daughter Peri.
Originally arriving at a hospital to get Peri’s injured arm looked at, the doctor insists on a CAT scan and Joanne accompanies them. After falling asleep in the waiting room, Ray wakes up to find that the hospital has no record of his family ever being there. Ray takes the matter to the police, and as photos and other evidence seem to confirm that Joanne and Peri are real, the police start to suspect Ray as having a darker involvement in their disappearance. While some frequent watchers of psychological thrillers might be able to guess where the story is going, Worthington is powerful as the distraught father, and there are plenty of great plot twists to keep viewers engaged the whole time.
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Tau
Rotten Tomatoes: 25% | IMDb: 5.8/10
Tau Netflix Poster
Tau
If you’re already a fan of Monroe, then you’ll know that the actress got her start in the horror genre, and although she impresses in all of her performances, playing thriller protagonists is still where her main strength lies. In 2018’s Tau, another Netflix Original, Monroe plays Julia, a young woman who unwillingly becomes a test subject in the house of a man named Alex (Ed Skrein). Alex puts Julia through various puzzles and tests to collect data for his own technology, with everything run through his AI system called Tau (voiced by Gary Oldman). As Alex spends his days away at his real job, Julia and Tau keep each other company. Tau starts to sympathize with Julia and care about her wellbeing, but he is unable to help her escape due to Alex’s programming. In order to stop herself from becoming another one of Alex’s victims, Julia must manipulate Alex’s own system of technology and security measures to escape before he kills her.
Tau joins the ever-growing list of sci-fi horror films as the genre gets more popular, with past hits including Upgrade, which came out the same year as Tau, and the modern, reinvented The Invisible Man, both by director Leigh Whannell.
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Berlin Syndrome
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 6.3/10
Berlin Syndrome Film Poster
Berlin Syndrome
Starring Teresa Palmer as Clare, an Australian backpacker in Berlin who has a one-night stand with a charming man named Andi (Max Riemelt) that goes horribly wrong, Berlin Syndrome is a psychological thriller about the one thing that young women always have to worry about while traveling alone. Directed by Cate Shortland, who also directed the superhero film, Black Widow, becoming the first woman to solo direct a Marvel film, Berlin Syndrome tells the story of Clare’s nightmare experience being tricked and trapped in an apartment by a dangerous man.
The morning after the one-night stand, Clare realizes that Andi has locked her in his apartment. At first, she believes it’s just a simple mistake and goes out with him again that night, but soon enough she realizes his real intentions to keep her for himself. On top of that, the apartment’s windows are reinforced, and the apartments surrounding his are empty, making it so that no one else is around to hear or help Clare. Through patience, manipulation, and determination, is Clare able to overcome Andi and escape? It’s a tightly-wound thriller that puts you firmly in Clare’s shoes as she fights for her freedom, and pays careful attention to the emotional damage she suffers as a result of her violated trust, rather than exploiting her physical turmoil for cheap thrills. Palmer delivers an excellent performance on Clare’s journey from vibrant and trusting to hopeless, back to steely and determined, and Shortland crafts a compelling character journey while delivering a tightly-wound thriller.
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The Perfection
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 6.2/10
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The Perfection
As a psychological thriller that leans heavily into the horror elements, The Perfection isn’t for everyone. Starring Allison Williams as Charlotte, The Perfection focuses on Williams’s character, a talented cellist who had to leave her prestigious academy to care for her dying mother years earlier. Charlotte reconnects with her old teacher, Anton (Steven Weber), as he picks a new student for the program, while also meeting the girl who took Charlotte’s place, Lizzie (Logan Browning). With the basic premise introduced, this is where the movie starts getting really messed up, as Charlotte seemingly sabotages Lizzie’s career as revenge for losing her spot. But everything is not as it seems (that’s for sure), and the rest of the movie is a wild ride of shocking reveals as the truth about Anton and the academy finally comes to light.
While you should know that The Perfection is definitely not for the faint of heart, if you are willing to risk seeing some horror and gore, then the winding, unpredictable story, led by Williams and Browning’s great performances, is certainly worth watching.
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