If you are looking for a thrill but are stuck in the ocean of Netflix movies, there is a perfect place for you. Horror movies will shock you, but thrillers are made to create suspense and intense tension that will make your heart beat faster. From Chris Hemsworth’s Spiderhead to Fair Play, these Netflix thrillers are bound to keep you glued to the screen with suspense, action, and adventure.
Spiderhead
Joseph Kosinski’s ambitious sci-fi thriller Spiderhead casts Thor actor Chris Hemsworth in a different light. The actor, who has appeared as the hero in the MCU and Netflix’s Extraction franchise, plays Steve Abanesti, a mad scientist willing to go to extreme heights to maintain Spiderhead – a state-of-the-art prison that experiments with the effects of research chemicals on state inmates volunteering to have their sentences reduced.
But the story takes a dark turn when Abnesti, who at first appeared as sympathetic and hospitable, reveals his true nature to his assistant Mark (Mark Pageau) as the main characters Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzie (Jurnee Smollett) discover the sinister nature of the experiments. Based on the dystopian short story by George Saunders, Spiderhead is a well-designed thriller that will keep you captivated throughout.
snake
Sicario actor Benicio del Toro’s Reptile is an inherently dark and intriguing cat-and-mouse thriller. The investigative thriller follows Detective Tom Nichols, played by del Toro, who is investigating the murder of a young real estate agent found dead at one of his listings.
Singer and actor Justin Timberlake plays Will Grady, the victim’s boyfriend who is devastated by her death; he was planning to marry her, but she was still married to Sam Gifford. As the story progresses, Michael Pitt’s Eli Phillips emerges as a prime suspect in the investigation. Reptile is an engaging and thrilling ride for fans who love investigative thrillers.
Fragmented
Sam Worthington, who has the hit Avatar franchise to his name, is playing a father and husband again, but this time for the Netflix thriller Fractured. Directed by Brad Anderson, who previously gave us heart-wrenching thrillers like The Machinist and Stonehearst Asylum, he decided to take the audience into another pretzel narrative.
Worthington plays Ray Monroe who is coming back from Thanksgiving to visit the parents of his wife, Joan (Lily Rabe). The two argue about their relationship while their daughter, Peri (Lucy Capri) is sitting in the backseat. Peri asks for a bathroom break and new batteries for her music player and when they stop at a gas station, she heads to a nearby construction site. In an attempt to save his daughter, Monroe falls into a pit. Soon, they rush to a nearby hospital but things take a thrilling turn as they find no record of their family at the hospital after their little nap.
Interceptor
Elsa Pataky stars as U.S. Army Captain Joanna Julia “JJ” Collins in the high-octane action thriller Interceptor. Despite facing an often toxic workplace environment, Collins must save the country from terrorists who stole nuclear weapons from Russia and soon take over one of the Interceptor missile launch sites in Alaska.
Collins is her country’s last line of defense as she takes on terrorists in an intense action-packed story. Directed by Matthew Reilly, the action film starring Pataky and Luke Bracey also features Pataky’s real-life husband Chris Hemsworth in a small role.
Bird Box
Based on Josh Malerman’s post-apocalyptic horror fiction of the same name, Bird Box takes you to a dystopian world filled with terrifying danger. Directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock in the lead role of Malory Hayes, Bird Box is the story of Hayes, a survivor mother determined to get her two children to safety.
However, her journey is not easy as the world is surrounded by an invisible force that drives anyone to commit suicide when it looks directly at it. She and her children wear blindfolds to survive. Bird Box also stars Trevante Rhodes, Danielle Macdonald, Rosa Salazar, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, John Malkovich, and others.
Call
The captivating story of The Call follows Seo-yeon, played by Park Shin-hye, who returns to her childhood home and finds herself entangled in a mysterious time paradox. She connects with a troubled woman, Yong-sook (Jun Jong-soo), through an old phone line. Yong-sook has been living in the same house for two decades before. Soon, they bond over their shared experiences, and the women realize that their actions can have unexpected consequences in each other’s timelines. But they must find a way out of the maze.
This time-travel-based South Korean mystery-thriller directed by Lee Chung-hyeon is sure to leave you spellbound and the best part is that the film has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
hold on to the darkness
Hold the Dark is a truly dark story that begins with the classic tale of a disappearance in the wilderness. Oscar-nominated actor Jeffrey Wright plays Russell Core, a former author and wolf expert, who investigates the disappearance of three young children in the fictional town of Keeleut, Alaska.
Police Chief Donald Marriam (James Badge Dale) leads a search party to rescue the children, but as the story progresses, they face a dark twist. Hold the Dark also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keogh and co.
Luther: The Fallen Son
If you enjoyed the detective series Luther, the return of Idris Elba’s John Luther will be a thrilling experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Luther: The Fallen Son is a classic rogue detective, surrounded by a powerful villain story. Andy Serkis, who appeared in Marvel’s Black Panther and DC’s The Batman, gave a brilliant performance as a worthy villain of Luther, along with his character David Robie.
DCI John Luther, a law-breaking police officer, finds himself face-to-face with a ruthless serial killer named Robbie. The film is packed with action and an intense cat-and-mouse adventure for Luther, who must clear his name while hunting down Robbie.
leave the world behind
Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, Leave the World Behind, directed by Sam Esmail, presents a gripping tale of a mysterious disaster that rocks the family of Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) and her husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke).
The couple and their two children are staying at a vacation home on Long Island for a weekend family getaway. However, the homeowner, GH Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Mayhala) arrive in the middle of the night looking for shelter after a sudden citywide power outage. Mysterious post-apocalypse events trap both families in the house, but it takes a strange turn as they are forced to survive the devastating scenario.
This multi-starrer thriller is very engaging and has the power to keep you hooked to the story. The film also has a wonderful cameo by Kevin Bacon.
fair play
Chloe Domont’s mystery thriller Fair Play is one of the few modern thrillers to focus directly on relationships. In the film, Emily, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and Alden Ehrenreich’s character, Luke, are recently engaged. However, their romantic relationship soon hits an inevitable hurdle, as their employer, ruthless hedge fund One Crest Capital, decides to promote Emily shortly after firing its previous portfolio manager.
The relationship takes a dark turn when Emily receives a promotion the day after her engagement to Luke, as the pair engage in a power play to climb the corporate ladder, putting their relationship at risk.
Also read: The 7 most spine-chilling Korean horror movies on Netflix
