Best Psychological Thrillers Films: These Are Top 24 Thrillers to Watch Now on Netflix
Among the vast array of films available on Netflix, psychological thrillers films stand out for their ability to keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they explore the depths of the human mind and challenge perceptions of reality. These films tackle complex and often dark themes, immersing themselves in intricate plots of suspense, mystery, and emotional tension. With multi-faceted characters and gripping plots, the best psychological thrillers offer an engaging and thought-provoking cinematic experience, leaving a strong impression on audiences. Here is a list of the five best psychological thrillers to watch now on Netflix, ready to keep you glued to the screen and test your nerves.
Best Psychological Thrillers Films: These Are Top 24 Thrillers to Watch Now on Netflix
Psychological thrillers, classic mysteries, true crimes based on true stories and stories tinged with horror. On Netflix, the thriller section is really rich. The platform’s catalog is constantly updated, and genre films are an important part of a selection that attracts thousands of viewers all over the world. Spectators are looking for mystery and thrills, strong emotions and intrigue to solve. That feeling hits you in the pit of your stomach when, surprisingly, a film tells you that you didn’t understand anything of everything you saw up to that moment because it played with you, with your mind.
This is, simply put, a psychological thriller. It’s something designed specifically to make you ask questions that you don’t immediately answer and which, even after a couple of views, still reserves some surprises. You hadn’t noticed because the clues were hidden, yet you had the reality before your eyes. Psychological thrillers are a real exercise for the mind and are perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of the world of cinema. And Netflix also knows this well, having decided to add important productions that carry titles of a certain weight to the list of films. In fact, within the platform you will find great films to watch that will leave you speechless and with answers you would never have imagined.
Fractured
A desperate man tries to uncover the truth behind the sudden disappearance of his wife and daughter during a hospital visit while encountering a series of disturbing events that question his sanity. The family’s road trip couldn’t have gone worse, and we’re not talking about car accidents. The problems arrive once you get out of the car. Due to the bad fall of their daughter, the two protagonists decide to go to the hospital for a check-up. The father has to stay in the waiting room, while the mother goes with her daughter. Nothing strange so far, right? No. But now the story gets more complicated. After several hours, the father of the family searches for news, but the hospital says he has never seen his wife and daughter. But why he was there with them, they were all together in the waiting room: what happened? Is the hospital lying, or is the problem with the father? Fractured is a film that is based on a long roller coaster of questions and uncertainties. One moment you think one thing, and the next moment another. First, you think that he is the problem, and then that it is the other. Until the last second, there will be no answers or indications, only premonitions. The truth, in this film, will be more difficult to seek than expected. Are you ready to lose your mind with this story?
Shutter Island
A federal investigator is sent to Shutter Island, a psychiatric island for violent crimes, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. However, as he explores the island, he finds himself embroiled in a dark and disturbing mystery that challenges his perception of his reality.
Gone Girl
Friends, lovers, and obsessed fans of David Fincher: here is Gone Girl, one of his most enigmatic and fascinating works. With Ben Affleck in one of his best performances and a magnetic Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl focuses on what has always been a cause of great chaos in the world: marriage. Seemingly perfect, the beautiful castle collapses when her wife disappears into thin air, causing several suspicions to fall on her husband. From that moment, a fight between the cat and the mouse will begin non-stop, leading the two protagonists to bring out their true nature. Far from sentimental comedies to watch during Valentine’s Day, Gone Girl is a surprising and ambitious work, a story that tells the contradictory nature of human nature, but also its determination, its readiness to sacrifice everything to obtain the ‘hoped-for objective. Recommendations for use for this film: only watch if you are not getting married. Or you could flee from the altar.
Zodiac
We continue to follow in the footsteps of David Fincher with Zodiac, a captivating thriller that puts together the pieces of a true story that still has no answer. There are no certainties and there are no confirmations: only twisted questions following abominable and terrifying events. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr, Zodiac takes us into a dark and terrible narrative, in a frightened and shocked San Francisco forced to deal with a killer who claims victims every day without ever leaving any trace. David Fincher’s extraordinary direction helps the film to tell this terrible story not only from a shareholder point of view but also above all from a psychological one. Not just action or adrenaline, not just chases: Zodiac is a film that moves slowly, that walks slowly, that takes us with it into a story that makes no concessions, and that faithfully brings to the stage everything that, over the years 60 and 70, totally shocked the city of San Francisco which, in this film, almost becomes the protagonist victim. The omniscient character who has seen everything but says nothing.
Rebecca (2020)
The 2020 psychological thriller Rebecca had an uphill battle from the start before events beyond its control doomed its arrival on Netflix as an original film. It is based on the 1938 novel of the same name, but Alfred Hitchcock’s novel had already been made into an Oscar-winning film. Shortly before the film arrived on Netflix, star Armie Hammer was accused of sexual abuse, which damaged the film’s reputation. However, it remains a solid thriller, with taut direction from Ben Wheatley and strong performances from Lily James and Kristen Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
George Clooney directed a Netflix original film in 2020, titled The Midnight Sky. It is a science fiction film about a spaceship returning to Earth and a scientist on the planet trying to warn it not to return due to a global catastrophe that has killed most of the planet’s population. However, it is best seen as a psychological thriller, with Clooney’s Augustine left alone in his arctic laboratory where he realizes that a young girl has also been left behind, and the two comfort each other as the end approaches. Although not received well by critics, the film is often gorgeous to look at and received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Secret Obsession (2019)
Secret Obsession is an exceptional thriller that will make you question what happens in reality. Here Jennifer wakes up following an accident and she no longer remembers anything about her life before that moment, but throughout the film, she begins to put the pieces together. When she wakes up, there is a man at her bedside who claims to be her husband and Jennifer must determine whether this is reality and whether the danger she faced before that moment is still a threat or not.
Chloe (2009)
Not all of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix are recent films. Chloe is a 2009 erotic thriller starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, and Amanda Seyfried. The film stars Moore as Catherine, a woman who believes her husband is cheating on her. When she meets prostitute Chloe, played by Seyfried, she hires her to test her husband’s loyalty. In the same way that Fatal Attraction saw an affair become so much more, Chloe turns the tables when Chloe becomes infatuated with Catherine. The film was honored by the Director’s Guild of Canada for editing and also received nominations for direction and production design.
1922 (2017)
Stephen King wrote a gothic horror tale in the Full Dark, No Stars collection titled 1922, which came to Netflix as an original film. Thomas Jane plays a farmer living in Nebraska with his wife and teenage son. However, when she learns that his wife plans to sell the farm and move to the city, she convinces her son to help him kill her and throw her body down a well. This is just the beginning for him, as he begins to be haunted by what could be his dead wife seeking revenge. The film received mostly positive reviews due to its strong direction and acting, particularly from Jane.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Played by Johnny Depp, Dean Corso, an expert in ancient books, is hired by an ambiguous collector, Boris Balkan; Balkan owns one of the only three existing copies of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Darkness, a volume written by Aristide Torchia in the 17th century and containing formulas capable of summoning the devil. Corso is thus tasked with traveling to Europe to track down and recover the other two copies of the book. A modest thriller that knows how to arouse suspense in the audience.
The Devil All The Time (2020)
Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson star in the Southern Gothic psychological thriller The Devil All the Time, airing on Netflix. The film stars Holland as the son of a World War II veteran who takes his own life after the death of his wife, leaving Arvin to raise himself alone. In the present, Arvin is very protective of Lenora, a girl he grew up with, and when a new preacher (Pattinson) shows up in town with dark motives, everyone’s lives are shattered and Arvin must cross a line from which he will never be able to go back. The film received positive reviews, even though it is a very dark and disturbing story.
The Ritual (2018)
The Ritual is a terrifying British horror film that follows four boys who go on a hike in memory of a friend killed in a robbery. While there is a demonic presence in the film when the boys get lost in the woods and can’t find their way out, the real horrors here involve their relationship breaking down as danger approaches. It’s one of Netflix’s best psychological thrillers, following four ordinary kids who soon realize they may have no way to escape the horrors of their past and future.
The Chalk Line (2022)
The Chalk Line tells the terrifying story of a couple who find a little girl wandering the streets claiming that a monster will haunt her if she crosses a square of chalk on the ground. The couple, struggling with their problems, agree to foster her. When Paula goes looking for answers about what happened to the little girl and where she came from, things get very strange and the film turns into one of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix. The Spanish-language film often risks going astray but maintains a good story until the logical conclusion.
Bird Box (2018)
Bird Box relies on horror elements to truly engage its audience, creating a daunting and frightening experience. In a post-apocalyptic world, a family must seek an area of refuge to save their lives. However, if they set their sights on the mysterious entity, it will take their lives. For this reason, the journey must be done blindly, which brings the psychological aspect to the fore. Characters must rely on their other senses in a moment of panic to try to survive.
The Hole in the Ground (2019)
The Hole is a Spanish psychological thriller airing on Netflix. Released in 2019, people are imprisoned in cells in a skyscraper. There’s a platform that travels from top to bottom with food on it, meaning people on the upper floors get priority and people on the bottom get what’s left. However, at random, prisoners are assigned new floors. The Hole centers on Goreng, a man who decides to test the system and sets out to find who is behind it. The film was awarded at the Toronto International Film Festival before becoming one of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
There are several Stephen King adaptations on Netflix, but most are in the realm of his horror stories. This adaptation is a little different from the others and is much more of a psychological thriller with added horror elements. When Gerald and Jessie travel to a remote cabin in the woods, a sexual encounter goes awry, and Gerald dies of a heart attack while Jessie is handcuffed to the bed. With no way out and no one to save her, Jessie begins to hallucinate and memories of her resurface as she realizes that some of her visions may be more real than she wanted to believe.
The Mother (2023)
Jennifer Lopez arrived on Netflix in 2023 with the psychological action thriller The Mother. In the film, the actress plays a US military agent known as The Mother, who becomes an FBI informant when she realizes that a former SS captain and an arms dealer, she works with are involved in the trafficking of children. Pregnant at the time, she almost dies and gives up custody of the child for her safety, asking to be notified if the child is in danger. Twelve years later, the arms dealer kidnaps her daughter, bringing her out of isolation to save the child. Despite mixed reviews, it remains one of the most-watched thrillers on Netflix.
Inside Man (2006)
In 2006, Spike Lee created a film unlike most of his works. Inside Man stars Washington as a hostage negotiator dealing with a criminal mastermind who has taken a bank hostage during a daring heist. The cast also includes Jodie Foster as a fixer and Christopher Plummer as the bank founder, a man with something to hide. The film became Lee’s highest-grossing film of his entire career and remains one of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix.
Split
With an extraordinary James McAvoy and a magnificent Anya Taylor-Joy, Split is one of the most fascinating psychological thrillers of recent years. Released in 2016 under the direction of M. Night Shyamalan, Split refers to the same director’s trilogy together with the films Unbreakable and Glass. In this case, the story is inspired by the figure of Billy Milligan, an American criminal suffering from dissociative identity disorder. In particular, the film tells the story of Kevin, a boy suffering from the same disorder who kidnaps and imprisons three young teenagers. 24 personalities coexist inside it: some have diabetes, those are children, those are women, and then there is The Horde, a beast that lives inside Kevin. Split is not only a psychological thriller that tells of Kevin’s dangerousness, but also the story of a boy capable of recognizing the pain of others who, for this reason, chooses to let one of his victims go. Looking into his eyes, she understands his pain and, comparing it to his, gives her freedom. Exciting, fascinating, tense, and captivating: Split is one of the best thrillers you could ever see, and it’s waiting for you on Netflix.
American Psycho
Released in 2000 under the direction of Marty Harron and starring an extraordinary Christiane Bale, American Psycho quickly became a true cult. Based on the 1991 novel, the film tells the life of Patrick, a normal Wall Street employee who hides a dangerous and terrible secret: he is a serial killer. American Psycho is characterized by its unbridled dose of dark humor. None of the characters know Patrick’s true nature, yet every day he says he wants to act against someone with jokes that, in reality, hide the truth. Nobody has the slightest suspicion, not even his girlfriend who hopes to marry him one day. American Psycho thus plays with the life of its protagonist and everyone who knows him, putting at the forefront a truth that everyone has always had in front of them but has never seen or wanted to see.
Mystic River
Directed by the mammoth Clint Eastwood and with an exceptional cast, Mystic River is one of the most delicate and desperate psychological thrillers ever. Released in 2003, the film implements a story that creates a wonderful balance between the thriller genre and the drama genre. At the center of everything we find, initially, a group of kids who after 25 years, and after having lost themselves, find themselves reliving a drama. The daughter of one of them disappears and, when she is found, nothing remains of her. This very dramatic event will bring the protagonists back in time who, for the entire duration of the film, will also be the potential culprits of the murder. Mystic River remains one of Clint Eastwood’s cult films today, one of those thrillers that gets into your bones with a delicacy you don’t expect and which, when it reaches the end, leaves you breathless and helpless to reflect on your past, on your melancholy, and on the bonds you had built when you still rode that old bike which, no matter how much you pedaled, never took you far enough.
The Woman in the Window
We are not talking about a masterpiece or a film comparable to the rest of the list but, if considered only within the Netflix catalog, The Woman in the Window could be a good thriller to watch if you are looking for twists and turns hour and a half full of suspense. Amy Adams, The Woman at the Window tells the story of a woman who never leaves the house and who uses the window as the only means of having contact with the outside world. Right from there the woman thinks she saw a murder being committed, but the next day everything seems normal. Nobody believes her, nobody listens to her. Alone, she continues to carry forward her truth and do everything to affirm it. But did what you say happen? Was there a murder or is it all a figment of your imagination? To find out you just have to watch it. Few demands, twists, and suspense: Sunday is served.
