Netflix is a platform renowned for its thrillers, from its huge output of shows – such as Harlan Coben adaptation, Squid Game, Baby Reindeer and Adolescence – to its equally thrilling movies, for those short, sharp thrills.
Subscribers to the best streaming service have access to everything from acclaimed horror to mind-bending sci-fi, twisted small town thrills and stylish crime drama.
So if you’re looking for something that doesn’t involve a full series commitment but still delivers a gripping watch that’ll keep you up at night, all with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score that makes it a contender to rank among the best Netflix movies, this list might be just what you’re looking for.
Nigerian Prince (2018)
Runtime: 104 minutes
Main cast: Antonio J Bell, Chinaza Uche, Tina Mba, Bimbo Manue, Ebbe Bassey, Dean Cameron
Director: Faraday Okoro
Nigerian Prince follows Eze (Antonio J Bell), a Nigerian-American teenager sent to Nigeria by his mother. Determined to return to the US, Eze teams up with his cousin Pius (Chinaza Uche), joining his online scamming business in the hopes of stealing enough money to get back to America.
The film marks the feature debut of director Faraday Okoro and earned praise from critics for its authenticity and rarely represented setting. Variety praised the film for its distinctiveness, calling it “a drama with a vivid and personalized sense of locale (the streets are alive)” while The Hollywood Reporter commented that the film “feels authentic, but should be wholly accessible.”
It’s an interesting peek into a world so many of us have had experience with but know little about, and before all is said and done, you may just find yourself rooting for the upstart conman.
Calibre (2018)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Main cast: Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran, McClayIan Pirie, Kate Bracken
Director: Matt Palmer
In Calibre, two hunters, played by Martin McCann and Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden, find themselves embroiled in a violent incident while on a trip in the Scottish Highlands. With blood on their hands, they are left having both their nerves and morals pushed to the limit as they try to escape a nearby village.
Written and directed by Matt Palmer, the man behind Netflix’s upcoming Fear Street sequel Prom Queen, the film proved a hit with critics, with The Ringer calling it “one of the year’s best genre efforts.” Critic Karl Delossantos commented how the film leaves you “constantly on the edge of your seat,” while Den of Geek praised the complex plotting saying” it’s an absorbing, gripping story that shows […] how one horrible mistake can lead to another, until the web of deceit becomes a tangle that’s impossible to escape.”
From the inciting gunshot, this one will grab you and not let go until the bloody climax that you’ll never see coming.
Creep 2 (2017)
Runtime: 80 minutes
Main cast: Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhavan, Karan Soni
Director: Patrick Brice
Co-written by and starring indie darling Mark Duplass, Creep 2 reunites us with Duplass’ ‘Aaron,’ a serial killer with a knack for getting people with video cameras to drop by his remote home. This time, the unlucky guest is Sara (Desiree Akhavan), a YouTuber looking to boost the following of her web series about bizarre Craigslist posts.
Directed by Patrick Brice, who also helmed the first installment in the series as well as Shudder spin-off The Creep Tapes, critics have called Creep 2 a rare case of a sequel surpassing the original. Dread Central praised the film’s “impeccably timed comedy” and “anxiety-inducing tension” while Birth.Movies.Death applauded the two leads for creating “two very engaging and unusual characters.”
The entire Creep saga is worth checking out for those who enjoy their humor pitch black, but Creep 2’s unpredictable plotting and the superb awkward chemistry between Duplass and Akhavan make the sequel a highlight in the found footage franchise.
His House (2020)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Main cast: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith, Emily Taaffe
Director: Remi Weekes
Starring Wunmi Mosaku and Gangs of London’s Sope Dirisu as a Sudanese refugee couple fleeing to the UK with their daughter, His House follows their journey from their war torn home to their arrival as asylum seekers on British shores. Dealing with the grief of the fact that their daughter didn’t survive the crossing and facing racism and hatred from their new community, the couple are assigned a run-down house which, it soon becomes clear, is also home to an evil presence.
Dealing with themes of guilt, grief and xenophobia, His House wowed critics upon release, with Radio Times calling it “both visually and narratively imaginative.” Meanwhile, Polygon commented on its uniqueness saying it “breathes a fresh voice into the haunted-house subgenre,” while Screen International praised its use of horror tropes to reflect on “assimilation and the ongoing refugee crisis.”
His House is a perfect example of using the horror genre to discuss wider themes and Dirisu in particular delivers a standout performance. If you like your thrills couple with a few more chills, this is the one to watch.
The Call (2020)
Runtime: 112 minutes
Main cast: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee El
Director: Lee Chung-hyun
Loosely based on 2011 film The Caller, The Call follows Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) as she heads back to her rundown childhood home to care for her sick mother. While there, she finds a decades old phone, and begins receiving calls from a woman who says she’s being tortured by her mother. The twist? The woman is calling from twenty years ago in 1999…
What follows is a thrilling sci-fi that’s part mystery, part family drama, part horror, with our lead looking to change the mistakes of the past while unpicking riddles in the present. Dread Central highlighted the emotional weight of the inter-generational story, calling it a film that’s “certain to break your heart and scare you senseless,” while CinemaEscapist say it’ll “keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very last moments.”
From Squid Game to Kingdom, we know South Korea does terrifying, gripping horror thrillers incredibly well and The Call is no exception.
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For more Netflix TV show-based coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, One Piece season 2, Squid Game season 3, and Knives Out 3.