It’s officially Netflix season, as the days grow darker and the allure of gripping TV gets stronger.
To help you avoid scrolling endlessly through the twisty spiders web of Netflix offerings, Metro has put together the ultimate list of the best thrillers on the streaming service. You’re welcome.
Whether you’re looking for a good old fashioned film, or perhaps a binge-worthy TV show to get you through until Christmas officially begins, then we’ve got the perfect tonic.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher’s adaptation of Steig Larsson’s celebrated thriller is not one to be missed. While many critics say the Swedish 2009 version comes out on top, the US one is still a tantalisingly gripping watch.
Daniel Craig plays journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who sets out to solve a mystery about a woman who disappeared 40 years ago, and enlists the help of badass Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara.
It’s a twisting, edge-of-the-seat, fist-pumping thriller that winds from tender to traumatic with whiplash ease, and of course, a plot that’s gone down in history as one of the best in the 21st century.
The novel was published posthumously after Larsson’s sudden death in 2004, and this on-screen adaptation does his work justice.
Kitty Chrisp, Senior entertainment reporter
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is one of the best London-based detective thriller series ever made, if you ask fans (and this one right here).
While the latter seasons veered into the supernatural and ultimately became a little bit, well, unbelievable, its first few seasons are old school UK crime gold. The series, all based in Whitechapel in East London, investigates modern crimes which are copycats of historic murders.
The Jack The Ripper investigations in the first season is the best storyline: Steve Pemberton shines as walking tour guide enthusiast Edward Buchen, who helps detectives DI Joseph Chandler and DS Ray Miles solve the case. If you’re looking for an atmospheric, thrilling London detective romp, then this noughties masterpiece should be high up on the list.
Kitty Chrisp, Senior entertainment reporter
You
Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley well and truly shook off his nice-guy persona on screen with his unsettling performance as the truly terrifying stalker/ serial killer Joe Goldberg in You. Based on the novel of the same name, the series was an instant hit.
For those yet to tune in, your spine will tingle witnessing his shocking acts of violence, but it’s near impossible to look away, with the series striking the perfect mix of a thriller with a rom com, which left many viewers conflicted about their connection with the villain. His fate will be revealed soon though, with a fifth and final season to air next year.
Pierra Willix, TV reporter
Bodyguard
Prepare to be sitting at the edge of your seat wondering what will play out next in this gripping political thriller from Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio.
Released in 2018, Bodyguard starred Richard Madden as a British Army war veteran suffering from PTSD now working for the Metropolitan Police Service who gets assigned to protect the ambitious Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), whose politics he despises.
If you already know what plays out, why not give it a rewatch, but for those yet to tune in, strap in for a wild ride that you’ll struggle to not binge in a single setting.
Pierra Willix, TV reporter
Narcos
Way before Griselda, this Netflix crime drama was keeping viewers hooked re-telling the jaw-dropping true-life tale of drug lord Pablo Escobar.
First airing in 2015, Narcos followed Escobar’s ascent from a life of poverty to become ‘the king of cocaine’ and amass a fortune of around $30 billion by the time of his death in 1993.
With no shortage of scenes depicting kidnapping, murders and affairs, the violent series isn’t for the faint-hearted, but also presents a compelling look at one of the most fascinating criminals in recent times.
Pierra Willix, TV reporter
The Serpent
This series sent many a shiver down the spine of travellers when learning of the shocking crimes of French serial killer Charles ‘the Serpent’ Sobhraj, who murdered young tourists from 1975 to 1976. It starred Tahar Rahim alongside Jenna Coleman as his girlfriend and accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc.
The Serpent told the story of the pair’s shocking crimes, as well as the investigation that finally brought them to justice. The cat-and-mouse game between the killers and authorities will have you impatiently waiting to find out how they were caught but it’s a truly gripping watch along the way.
Pierra Willix, TV reporter
Hellbound
The success of Squid Game opened the eyes of many to the brilliant offering of South Korean shows available on Netflix including Hellbound, which recently released its second season.
The supernatural dark fantasy thriller was set in 2022 and saw society face chaos when massive and horrifying supernatural beings appeared out of thin air to brutally murder people and condemn them to Hell.
At a time when many were divided, there were several parallels to be drawn between the show and contemporary society, making for completely unsettling yet captivating viewing. While a bleak watch, it will have you hungry for more.
Pierra Willix, TV reporter
Black Mirror
When Black Mirror first hit screens in 2011, we knew it was here to shake things up.
The first episode, The National Anthem, saw a Prime Minister having sex with a pig live on television to save a princess.
Things only turned darker from then, with episodes featuring the likes of Miley Cyrus, Jodie Foster, and more recently, Salma Hayek.
The six seasons have left us questioning everything – social media, grief, relationships and our biggest fears, as Charlie Brooker creates dystopian worlds emphasising all the darkest possibilities from ours.
And despite creating some of the most chilling moments on TV ever and several seriously unexpected plot twists, fans are desperately awaiting a seventh season, though we’re not sure it’ll ever beat the first, which has a near-perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Meghna Amin, Senior TV reporter
Behind Her Eyes
Behind Her Eyes only scored an average 63% on Rotten Tomatoes but don’t let its rating stop you watching for what might be one of the more bizarre cliff-hangers I’ve ever seen.
Without giving too much away, the Netflix series follows a woman entangled in a relationship with a married couple, meeting a man at a bar and starting an affair before befriending his wife.
It sounds like an average scorned lover’s tale, until the world of lucid dreaming and astral projection is involved… and it only gets madder.
It’s been three years since I watched that final scene, and I still can’t stop thinking about it.
Meghna Amin, Senior TV reporter
Mindhunter
Arguably the biggest mistake Netflix has ever made was cancelling Mindhunter prematurely. Few times has a show so perfectly stepped inside the mind of serial killers as Joe Penhall’s hit series did.
Mindhunter follows FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they start to profile serial killers by studying their damaged psyches. It’s based on true events and is essentially the development of modern criminal profiling that is still used by the bureau today.
Jonathan Groff is compelling as Ford and his dynamic with Holt McCanally as Tench is frustratingly mesmerising. Mindhunter only ran for two abrupt seasons but it’s by no means a waste of anyone’s time.
Alicia Adejobi, Deputy entertainment editor
Mother’s Instinct
Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain are perfectly handbags at dawn in this twisty psychological thriller, where two mothers find their sisterly bond tested and unravelled in the most traumatic way.
When Céline’s (Hathaway) son dies, she distances herself from Alice (Chastain) and instead forms a bond with her friend’s son in the absence of her own child. But all is not what it seems as the women descend into mind games that leave even the viewer questioning everything. Hathaway and Chastain trading deliciously savage barbs is a must-see.
Alicia Adejobi, Deputy entertainment editor
The Stepfather
When Netflix leaves a film on its platform for several years, you know it must be a gem of a watch. The Stepfather (2009) is a remake of the 1987 psychological thriller and stars Penn Badgley as Michael, who returns home from military school to find his mother living with her new boyfriend David (Dylan Walsh).
It’s not long before Michael starts suspecting David’s intentions, leading to a chilling cat-and-mouse between the two with a truly satisfying ending.
Alicia Adejobi, Deputy entertainment editor
Dexter
A classic binge-watch, Michael C Hall stars as blood spatter expert Dexter Morgan, who works within the Miami Police Department but moonlights as, well, a vigilante serial killer at night.
It’s fascinating to watch Dexter try and juggle his double life – and apparent personality disorder – with Hall’s performance equally cool and chilling. As a viewer, you’ll find yourself conflicted as you become charmed with Dexter’s persona as a respected member of the police force and loyal brother to sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), but then also shocked by his bloody crimes.
Alicia Adejobi, Deputy entertainment editor
The Fall
Allow Jamie Dornan to lure you to the dark side as he becomes a terrifyingly charming stalker in The Fall, originally a BBC series. It follows a seemingly ordinary family man, Paul Spector (Dornan), who lives a double life killing multiple women.
Cue police investigator Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) to join the hunt for the serial killer leaving Spector more exposed than ever. The screen presence and tangled web between Dornan and Anderson is nothing short of gripping.
Alicia Adejobi, Deputy entertainment editor
Get Out
Daniel Kaluyya and Alison Williams join up for psychological thriller/horror hybrid Get Out as young couple Chris and Rose. Although viewers start off believing every aspect of their love story, things quickly become creepy as they visit Rose’s parents’ house for the weekend.
The Jordan Peele-directed movie has a jaw-to-the-floor twist, but the true beauty of the motion picture is in the many easter eggs dotted throughout that you’ll kick yourself for missing.
The clever take on race-related issues earned Jordan an Academy Award for best original screenplay, making him the first African-American to win in that category, and it’s pretty clear to see why.
Josie Copson, Senior TV reporter
Stay Close
Harlan Coben has proved many times that he just gets what the nation wants when it comes to thrillers. Fool Me Once became one of Netflix’s biggest success stories of 2024, and if you watched but haven’t yet experienced his back catalogue then it’s time to fix that. A good place to start is Stay Close.
In the eight-parter, Megan (Cush Jumbo) is blissfully happy with her loving family and gorgeous home. Her whole vibe would be on many people’s ‘dream life’ Pinterest boards.
However, she’s keeping secrets from a past life, which make their way into her present when a detective begins investigating the mystery disappearance of local man Stewart Green again. As things unravel, will her future be forever impacted?
Josie Copson, Senior TV reporter
Woman of the Hour
While many thrillers seek to entertain you with their shocking content, Woman of the Hour is a little different.
A new Netflix film from debut director Anna Kendrick, the movie will instead educate and enthral you due to its jaw-dropping real-life story. Woman of the Hour tells the true tale of the time serial killer Rodney Alcala casually appeared on US TV show The Dating Game in 1978. Posing as a harmless bachelor, looking for love, Alcala was in fact in the middle of his murdering spree. Even more chillingly, he was then picked as the winner by bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw.
Woman of the Hour imagines the life of Bradshaw (Kendrick) against the backdrop of some of Alcala’s horrific crimes. It also makes welcome choices in what – and how – it chooses to show in a bid to open up the conversation around language and the portrayal of violence against women onscreen.
Tori Brazier, Senior entertainment and film reporter
Hannibal (TV show)
Hannibal is one of those TV series cancellations everyone was up in arms about – and quite rightly so, for it brilliantly reinvented the stories of Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lecter character for a new medium.
Delving into the fascinating and sometimes sexually-tinged relationship between FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and forensic psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), Hannibal presents a gripping game of cat and mouse as the secret cannibal tries to control the FBI from within through his burgeoning bond with Graham.
Running for only three seasons from 2013 to 2015, Hannibal also boasted an outstanding support cast comprised of the likes of Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, Richard Armitage, Suzy Eddie Izzard and Cynthia Nixon.
Showrunner Bryan Fuller was able to leave behind thoughts of the Oscar-winning Silence of the Lambs film being the definitive telling of a Lecter story with his sumptuous if often grotesque interpretation, which was laced with dark humour. The interplay between a tremendous Mikkelsen and his foil Dancy makes it a compelling watch.
Tori Brazier, Senior entertainment and film reporter
The Platform
This Netflix original thriller, directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, is not for the weak-stomached.
In a dystopian society, inmates in a prison are fed through a descending platform where those on the upper platforms enjoy a feast, and those below beg for the scraps left by those above.
The Platform is packed with visceral, gory images and an unflinching metaphor of the scourge of greed in modern-day society.
As such, it offers far more than just a disturbing twisting tale, instead it’s a searing socio-political commentary that will leave you reeling from its impact as one man enters the fray to upend the system.
Asyia Iftikhar, Entertainment reporter
Split
M Night Shyamalan’s Split is brought together by three powerhouse actors – James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Hayley Lu Richardson.
When a man diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities kidnaps three girls, this racy thriller and fight for survival gains a whole new level of stakes.
McAvoy offers a stunning masterclass in acting and his seamless code-switching creates a taut tension throughout the movie that will leave your heart pounding. Soon enough the audience is careening towards an ending that you’ll never see coming.
Asyia Iftikhar, Entertainment reporter
Dark
It’s rare these days that Netflix shows are allowed to tell a multi-season story arc without being cancelled on a cliffhanger, especially one as mind-bending as Dark.
The three-season show is an experimental and complex thriller, that demands your attention — more so if you watch it in the original German with subtitles.
The mysterious disappearance of two children unravels a sinister time-warping puzzle filled with double lives, yielding more secrets every time you revisit it.
If you’re looking for a twisting tale to sink your teeth into, Dark is a hidden gem with enough episodes to fill a weekend of binge-watching. A must-see for any sci-fi fans.
Oh and did we mention it has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating?
Danni Scott, Entertainment reporter
American Psycho
Misunderstood and deeply unnerving, American Psycho is a classic for a reason and its satire of wealth and capitalism feels more pertinent with each passing year.
Christian Bale is perfect as Patrick Bateman, a superficial 80s investment banker slipping into insanity as his bloodlust becomes more and more untamable while the walls close in around him.
His method acting didn’t go down well on set but Bale’s performance of a man devoid of any internal identity, parroting superficial discussions as he descends into madness is one for the ages.
Mary Harron’s film is a masterclass in how to create a psychological thriller that will leave you questioning Bateman’s reality and your own.
With a Luca Guadagnino remake on the horizon, this 2000 version of a book once declared ‘un-adaptable’ by its own author should be top of your Netflix watchlist.
Danni Scott, Entertainment reporter
It’s What’s Inside
This 2024 movie was a surprise smash that was dubbed the ‘best film of the year’ by some viewers.
Netflix acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film for a whopping $17million (£12.9million) and for good reason!
It’s What’s Inside is a psychological body-swapping treat that keeps you on your toes with twist after twist. The basic plot follows a group of old friends reconnecting on the eve before a wedding and playing a twisted game that awakens old feuds.
The movie has comedy, sex, revenge, fear, and incredible visual storytelling that is really unlike any other film on the platform right now.
In my opinion, it might be one of the best thrillers I’ve seen, and the fact that more people haven’t seen it is baffling.
Laura Harman, Senior entertainment reporter
Gerald’s Game
Gerald’s Game is a psychological thriller about a woman named Jessie (Carla Gugino) who is handcuffed to a bed when her husband dies of a heart attack before they are about to have kinky sex in their lakeside cabin.
The film is a suspenseful, stress-inducing watch as Jessie begins hallucinating because of dehydration and starts to relive all of the most awful traumatic moments of her past.
The end has a twist that you won’t see coming, and a gripping performance from the lead actress who is the complete focus of this intense film.
It’s an underrated watch and the sort of film that sticks with you because of its creep factor.
Laura Harman, Senior entertainment reporter
The Society
The Society was an instant hit when it premiered on Netflix, following a group of teenagers who were displaced from their hometown while on a school trip – they returned ‘home’ to realise all the adults have mysteriously disappeared.
They attempted to create their own community which briefly succeeded before things, unsurprisingly, spiralled into a Lord of the Flies-style situation with an almighty cliffhanger that made you want to go back and question everything.
Despite only being 10 episodes, the Society had viewers hooked from the first moment, it was packed full of mystery, intrigue and a cast of characters you go from loving to despising and right back.
You end up really caring about the teenagers and rooting for most of them to get back to their ‘home’ timeline – sadly we’ll never actually get the closure we need as Netflix cancelled the series in 2020, meaning we’re left with nothing but our theories and a very painful rewatch.
Rishma Dosani, US assistant entertainment editor
Missing
Missing follows June’s panic after realising her mother has disappeared while on holiday with her new boyfriend, and the way she uses everyday technology to dig deeper when things stop adding up.
On the surface, it seems like a film we’ve all seen a million times before, buried on ITV3 late at night when you should probably be fast asleep – but director Nicholas D Johnson flips the script by having most of the drama play out through the technology itself.
Viewers are part of every step of June’s quest for the truth as the camera is part of her webcam, we see every message pop up, every swipe through maps, we’re right there for every twist and turn and on the rollercoaster with her the entire time, adding another layer to the tension.
It also makes you think about our reliance on technology and – if you’re anything like me, and slightly morbid – whether you could manage even 10% of what June did if you were quite literally left to your own devices when tragedy struck.
Rishma Dosani, US assistant entertainment editor
The Day After Tomorrow
In a world ravaged by the impact of climate change, with no guarantee that humans can fully repair the damage that we’ve afflicted on the natural world, The Day After Tomorrow is a stark reminder of what could lie in our future.
The movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid and Emmy Rossum feels just as relevant today as it did 20 years ago, featuring terrifying sequences such as when several characters run for their lives to avoid being caught in the eye of a storm that’s frozen over huge chunks of the Earth.
There might not be any killers on the loose, or violent criminal activities that you might find in other thrillers, but the fear it strikes into the hearts of viewers is just as horrifying.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV editor
Parasite
Somehow, it’s already been five years since one of the most haunting films ever was released.
Parasite was just as much a cultural phenomenon when acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho released it in 2019 as it was a horrifying watch. The film follows a poor family who infiltrate a wealthy home by taking on different jobs within the household, all the while pretending not to know each other.
The film goes from dark to downright petrifying as sinister secrets are revealed. The one image I can never forget is when the child of the rich couple is looking towards a doorway in his house, and then suddenly sees the head of a man who’s been lurking in the shadows begin to emerge from below.
I might have found Parasite too scary to rewatch yet, but it couldn’t have been more deserving of its best picture Oscar, making history as the first non-English-language film to receive the award.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV editor
Drive
Seven years after establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s most desirable heartthrobs in The Notebook, 2011 marked a pivotal year for the one and only Ryan Gosling, starring in political drama The Ides of March, rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love… and the action-packed thriller Drive.
The movie was sensational from start to finish, starring Ryan as an unnamed man who worked by day performing vehicle stunts for Hollywood movies, and by night as a real-life getaway driver.
Blending graphic violence with moments of spine-tingling tension, Drive deserved being hailed one of the best shows of the year, with incredible performances from cast members including Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac.
And who knew Ryan would end up playing a stuntman again 13 years later in The Fall Guy?!
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV editor
Mission: Impossible
The film that spawned one of the biggest franchises in the history of cinema – the very first Mission: Impossible (which incredibly came out almost 30 years ago in 1996).
Who knew that this magnificent spy caper would result in seven sequels (so far), billions of dollars earned around the world and Tom Cruise gaining a reputation for being without a doubt the most adrenaline-fuelled action star in Hollywood?
Well, Tom probably predicted and planned it all, to be fair.
The very first film starring the actor as IMF agent Ethan Hunt was a spectacle to say the least, even if critics weren’t universally bowled over by it at the time. Honestly, its legacy speaks for itself.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV editor
All recommendations available to watch on Netflix UK now.
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