Corrupt cops, serial killers, and influencer vacations gone wrong will give you the willies in the streamer’s most startling stories.

The 17 best thriller movies on Netflix right now

Corrupt cops, serial killers, and influencer vacations gone wrong will give you the willies in the streamer’s most startling stories.

By Ilana Gordon

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

on May 1, 2026 4:00 p.m. ET

Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas in 'American Gangster'; Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller in 'Bugonia'; Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna in 'Casino'. Credit:

Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection; Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features; Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

The suspense is growing on Netflix, where the streamer is always refining its collection of blockbusters, indies, and foreign thrillers. Enjoy 2025 hits like *Caught Stealing**, *Darren Aronofsky's violent romp around New York City, and *Bugonia*, Yorgos Lanthimos's sci-fi thriller satirizing conspiracy theories and corporations. Erotic and twisted *Wild Things* (1998) joins the guide this month, as does the 2024 action thriller *Rebel Ridge*, which finds a group of racist cops regretting their decision to target a Black former Marine.

Time to get your blood pumping — read on for **’s guide to the 17 best thrillers on the platform.

American Gangster (2007)

Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas and Josh Brolin as Detective Trupo in 'American Gangster'.

Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

One of the most innovative gangsters of the 20th century, Frank Lucas earned the title of Harlem drug kingpin in the late-‘60s and early-‘70s by importing high-quality heroin from Southeast Asia and selling it under the street name Blue Magic. Ridley Scott adapted Lucas' story into a biographical crime drama starring Denzel Washington as Lucas and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, the detective determined to take him down.

*American Gangster* is Lucas’ story, but the film is a true two-hander, with Crowe’s obsessive performance as Roberts balancing out Denzel's Lucas, who moves through the criminal world quietly and with control. EW’s critic calls the film “meticulous and detailed, a drug-world epic that holds you from moment to moment, immersing you in the intricate and sleazy logistics of crime.” —*Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *American Gangster*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director: **Ridley Scott

**Cast: **Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin

Bugonia (2025)

Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller in 'Bugonia'.

Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunite for their fifth collaboration with *Bugonia*, a satirical sci-fi thriller. Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO, and Jesse Plemons stars opposite her as Teddy, a conspiracy theorist who kidnaps Michelle, believing her to be an alien. A loose remake of the 2003 South Korean film *Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia*’s outlook on Earth and humanity isn’t necessarily optimistic, but it is entertaining.

Stone received her seventh Oscar nomination for her role as Michelle, and the film also received nods for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Released during a year of buzzy, standout films, *Bugonia* slid under the radar in 2025, but deserves your attention in 2026. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Bugonia*: Netflix

**Director: **Yorgos Lanthimos

**Cast: **Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone

Casino (1995)

Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna (center) in 'Casino'.

Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Released five years after *Goodfellas*, Martin Scorsese’s *Casino *tells the story of Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a Mob associate who runs Las Vegas’ Tangiers Casino in the 1970s and early-‘80s. Ace’s natural affinity for the business is compromised by the arrival of his childhood friend, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), and his love affair with hustler Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). Adapted from the nonfiction book *Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas*, *Casino* is a little bit Mafia, a little bit Vegas history, and a lot of cocaine.

The crime thriller represents De Niro’s eighth collaboration with Scorsese, but Stone is the movie’s standout. Her passionate performance as a woman-about-town turned frustrated housewife earned her an Oscar nod for Best Actress, with EW’s critic writing, “her rage and desperation are palpable.” —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Casino*: Netflix

**Director: **Martin Scorsese

**Cast: **Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Don Rickles

Caught Stealing (2025)

Matt Smith as Russ and Austin Butler as Hank in 'Caught Stealing'.

Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures

No good deed goes unpunished in *Caught Stealing*, Darren Aronofsky’s black comedy crime thriller. The film, adapted from the first novel in Charlie Huston’s Henry Thompson series, follows Hank (Austin Butler), a former baseball player who makes ends meet by bartending in New York City. When Hank agrees to watch his British punk rock neighbor’s (Matt Smith) cat while he’s out of town, he finds himself plunged into a brutal world of criminality and violence.

*Caught Stealing* is a madcap throwback bolstered by Butler’s charismatic — and very physical — performance. Solid chemistry between Butler and his character’s girlfriend (played by Zoë Kravitz), plus a fun twist at the end, ensures that audiences never know what’s around the corner in this freewheeling thriller. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Caught Stealing*: Netflix

**Director: **Darren Aronofsky

**Cast: **Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber

Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass as Josef in 'Creep'. Desiree Akhavan

In this found-footage two-hander, a young videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) is hired by Josef (Mark Duplass) to record a day of his life. Josef explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and wants to leave something behind for his soon-to-be-born son, but his eccentric behavior becomes increasingly concerning, and Aaron needs to decide whether to continue filming — assuming Josef will let him leave.

*Creep's* continued success depends on whether Josef can keep finding fresh ways to be unnerving, and he does. (Things get even creepier in *Creep 2*, which documents another video project gone terribly wrong.) —*Danny Horn*

Where to watch *Creep*: Netflix

**Director: **Patrick Brice

**Cast:** Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

Everest (2015)

Jason Clarke as Rob Hall in 'Everest'.

In 1996, eight people died trying to summit Mount Everest; Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur's *Everest** *chronicles their ascent through treacherous conditions. The film combines never-before-heard audio tapes recorded between the climbers and the staff at base camp, and survivor accounts to recreate the story of what happened that fateful day atop the most dangerous place on Earth.

A man vs. nature thriller with an excellent ensemble cast, *Everest* uses its mountain backdrop —shot in Italy, Iceland, and Nepal — to its fullest effect. Dizzying cinematography makes the thriller a poor choice for those with acrophobia, but an excellent option for fans of disaster movies, survival stories, and films based on real events. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Everest*: Netflix

**Director: **Baltasar Kormákur

**Cast: **Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Emily Watson

Fall (2022)

Grace Caroline Currey as Becky in 'Fall'.

Scared of heights? Maybe skip *Fall*. This survival thriller takes audiences to the top of a 2,000-foot tower in the desert and strands them there alongside the film’s two leads. One year ago, Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) watched her husband fall to his death while climbing a mountain. Their friend Shiloh (Virginia Gardner) invites Becky to join her in scaling a B-67 TV Tower as a means of overcoming her fear and grief, but once the women start climbing, the tower — and their plan — falls to pieces. Featuring strong performances from the movie’s stars and teetering camera work designed to trigger feelings of vertigo, *Fall *will keep you on the edge of your seat. Just don’t look down. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Fall*: Netflix

**Director:** Scott Mann

**Cast: **Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

The Good Nurse (2022)

Eddie Redmayne as Charlie Cullen and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren in 'The Good Nurse'. Courtesy of TIFF

Nurses are angels with the power to do the work of demons. In the Netflix original psychological thriller *The Good Nurse*, Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) is a night nurse with a work husband: Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne). A single mom with a serious heart condition, Amy is shocked to learn that the recent death of one of their hospital's patients is thought to have occurred intentionally, and that Charles might be involved. And the more Amy digs, the more she realizes the co-worker she trusts is actually someone far more nefarious.

Based on the true story of how the real-life Amy Loughren helped authorities take down serial killer Charles Cullen, *The Good Nurse *is good old-fashioned, ripped-from-the-headlines cinema with a story made all the more terrifying because so little of it is exaggerated. Trust us — you've never seen Eddie Redmayne like this before. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Good Nurse*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Tobias Lindholm

**Cast: **Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne

Influencer (2022)

Emily Tennant as Madison and Cassandra Naud as CW in 'Influencer'.

Shudder/Everett

There are movies that use social media as a device, and then there’s *Influencer*. This twisty horror thriller is set in Thailand, where Madison (Emily Tennant), a social media personality, is posting her way through a solo vacation because her boyfriend didn’t come along. She befriends a free spirit named CW (Cassandra Naud), who escorts her through the country’s hidden gems — until Madison’s passport is stolen, and her trip takes a bleak turn.

To complicate matters, another influencer named Jessica (Sara Canning) enters the picture, and Madison’s absent boyfriend and social media manager, Ryan (Rory J. Saper), makes an appearance. If social media is a highlight reel, *Influencer* reminds us that life behind the photo dumps is often much darker. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Influencer*: Netflix

**Director: **Kurtis David Harder

**Cast: **Emily Tennant, Cassandra Naud, Rory J. Saper, Sara Canning

Green Room (2015)

Patrick Stewart as Darcy Banker in 'Green Room'. Scott Green/A24

Punk musicians square off against neo-Nazis in *Green Room*, a horror thriller about a murder that turns into a bloodbath. The punk band the Ain’t Rights are at the tail end of their tour of the Pacific Northwest when they find themselves booked at a skinhead bar. After the band witnesses the aftermath of a murder, the Nazis take them hostage; with only one way out of the green room, it’s up to the band to fight for their right to survive.

*Green Room*’s premise is terrifying enough, but the film’s fear factor is taken up a notch thanks to Patrick Stewart’s performance as the primary villain. EW’s critic writes, “Stewart is way scarier when he’s neither barking nor biting but just purring controlled threats.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Green Room*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director: **Jeremy Saulnier

**Cast: **Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner**

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Oxygen (2021)

Mélanie Laurent as Elizabeth 'Liz' Hansen in 'Oxygen'. Netflix

A nightmare come to life for claustrophobics everywhere, *Oxygen *is a French-language sci-fi film that thinks outside the box in terms of action. At the genesis, an unidentified woman (Mélanie Laurent) awakens in an airtight medical unit, unsure of who or where she is. Interactions with the system's AI — dubbed M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer) — provide some clarity as to her identity, but no matter what she tries, she cannot escape her prison.

As she seeks to understand who placed her in the box and why, truths about her personal life and the current state of the world come into focus — but her search for context is actually a race to outwit the slowly depleting oxygen levels. Laurent is excellent, and despite being forced to perform on her back, she manages to imbue the film with a strong sense of determination and humanity. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Oxygen*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Alexandre Aja

**Cast: **Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi

The Platform (2019)

Alexandra Masangkay as Miharu in 'The Platform'.

Netflix/Everett Collection

In this Spanish dystopian thriller, prisoners are trapped in a "Vertical Self-Management Center," a towering structure of stacked cells featuring a large hole in the floor. Every day, a platform loaded with food descends the tower, pausing at each level for the prisoners to eat. Those at the top feast heartily, while those below get the leftover table scraps. If everyone only took what they needed, there would be enough for all, but the greedy folks don't care about those suffering beneath them. (FYI: *The Platform 2* is also available to watch on Netflix.) —*D.H.*

Where to watch *The Platform*: Netflix

**Director: **Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

**Cast: **Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor**

Rebel Ridge (2024)

Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in 'Rebel Ridge'.

Allyson Riggs/Netflix

The police illegally seize money from the wrong man in *Rebel Ridge*, an action thriller that pits a Black former Marine veteran and graduate of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program against a group of racist and corrupt small-town cops. Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) rolls into town on his bike, hoping to buy a new truck and post bail for his cousin. When the police confiscate his money through civil asset forfeiture, he tries to get it back — and the more reluctant the cops are to accommodate him, the more physically insistent Terry becomes. One of Netflix’s best-received recent original thrillers, *Rebel Ridge* is well-deserving of the Primetime Emmy it won for Outstanding Television Movie. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Rebel Ridge*: Netflix

**Director: **Jeremy Saulnier

**Cast: **Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles in 'They Cloned Tyrone'.

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

A single genre isn't enough to contain one of Netflix's 2023 releases, *They Cloned Tyrone**. *A sci-fi comedy that combines '70s Blaxploitation with mystery and social satire, the film has similar vibes to movies like *Get Out* (2017) or *Sorry to Bother You* (2018) while employing a far more absurd premise. Fontaine (John Boyega) is a drug dealer living in an impoverished area called the Glen. While trying to collect funds owed to him by a local pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is shot and killed — but that doesn't stop him from showing up on Slick's doorstep the next day to collect his money.

Joined by a sex worker named YoYo (Teyonah Parris), the trio attempts to get to the bottom of what appears to be a massive government conspiracy aimed at exploiting their disenfranchised community as medical subjects. A satirical romp that has as much to say about class and racial injustices as it does about mystery movie tropes, *They Cloned Tyrone *is smart, silly, and uniformly well-acted. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *They Cloned Tyrone*: Netflix

**Director: **Juel Taylor

**Cast: **John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx**

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'.

John Wilson/Netflix

In the third installment of the *Knives Out* franchise, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to upstate New York to solve a murder disguised as a miracle. After the controversial leader of an ill-attended parish is killed during services, Detective Blanc is brought in to determine which of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ co-workers and loyal followers orchestrated his demise.

Writer-director Rian Johnson works his misdirection magic, and *Wake Up Dead Man* is just as satisfying as *Knives Out* (2019) and *Glass Onion* (2022). Josh O’Connor joins the cast as a young priest who is transferred to the church after punching a former parishioner, and Glenn Close is a lovely addition in her role as Martha, a longtime congregant and Wicks’ chief confidant. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*: Netflix

**Director: **Rian Johnson

**Cast: **Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis

Wild Things (1998)

Neve Campbell as Suzie Toller and Denise Richards as Kelly Van Ryan in 'Wild Things'.

A late-‘90s mystery that's heavy on the twists, it’s easy to see where *Wild Things* starts and much harder to predict where the film is headed. Set in an upscale, fictional South Florida town, it focuses on two high school girls (Neve Campbell and Denise Richards) who accuse their guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) of rape. As the trial and police investigation — led by Kevin Bacon — unfold, the question of who is working together and who is sleeping together becomes much harder to answer. Scandalous, violent, and sexually progressive for its time, *Wild Things* pairs all the high school drama of *Beverly Hills, 90210 *with the duplicitousness of *Gone Girl *(2014), and comes out with a pulpy, daring thriller. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Wild Things*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director:** John McNaughton

**Cast: **Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Theresa Russell, Denise Richards

Woman of the Hour (2023)

Tony Hale as Ed and Anna Kendrick as Sheryl in 'Woman of the Hour'.

Leah Gallo/Netflix

Rodney Alcala was a serial killer on the loose in California when he took a break from his multi-year murder spree to appear on *The Dating Show*. Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut with *Woman of the Hour*, a lean thriller based on Alcala’s TV appearance — but this isn’t his story. Instead, Kendrick shifts the focus to his female victims, highlighting some of Alcala’s fatal interactions with women between 1971 and 1979.

Kendrick also stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a struggling Los Angeles actress who accepts a job as a contestant on *The Dating Show*, and meets Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto) during his episode taping. *Woman of the Hour* is tense and evocative, but thoughtful enough to portray sexual violence without resorting to brutal imagery. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Woman of the Hour*: Netflix

**Director:** Anna Kendrick

**Cast: **Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Tony Hale

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Source: “EW Movie”