5 Best psychological thriller movies on Netflix you need to watch

These psychological thriller movies on Netflix will leave you shook

The excitement for Halloween movies on Netflix may come and go, but some films are just so dark and twisted that they demand attention year-round. The best psychological thriller movies on Netflix can screw with your head from New Year’s Day to Christmas Eve.

five There are plenty of options to choose from, but if you want the best of the best, these will be right up your alley.

1. The Platform (2019)

Our review of The Platform on Netflix called the film “a dark, twisted parallel of our world today.” Even if you don’t dive into the underlying meaning, though, you’ll enjoy the heck out of this film. A man finds himself stranded in a room with another person – where they watch a platform of food periodically pass through.

It turns out that there are many levels in the building, and the occupants on each floor get to eat as much of the food as they want. As the platform reaches lower levels, it becomes apparent why this is one of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix. There’s only so much food to go around. Will the lucky ones on higher levels think of the less fortunate below them?

2. The Interview (1998)

Before he was Agent Smith inside The Matrix, Hugo Weaving played Edward Rodney Fleming in The Interview. Fleming plays a man who has recently lost his job and his wife. After having his home ransacked by police and being dragged into an interrogation room, he faces increasingly accusatory questions that eventually implicate him in murder.

As with most of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix, though, not everything is as it seems. It’s difficult to delve too deeply into this film without offering up spoilers, so just prepare yourself for some shocking revelations. This unsettling cinematic offering has stood the test of time for over two decades.

3. Gerald’s Game (2017)

Would any list of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix be complete without an entry from Stephen King? In the Tall Grass and 1922 are both stellar offerings on the platform from the master of horror, but Gerald’s Game basically destroys both of those films in the Rotten Tomatoes ranking.

The movie tells the story of a tumultuous marriage, and what’s better for that than a bit of kink? Carla Gugino plays the wife who ends up tied to the bed for an adventurous sexcapade. Of course, things go downhill when her husband dies after handcuffing her. Did we mention the house is in the middle of nowhere and no one is around to hear her scream?

The leading lady is in enough trouble with the whole slowly dying of dehydration thing, but leave it to King to add in elements that easily make this one of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix.

4. The Invitation (2015)

A few years back, we called The Invitation one of the most underrated horror movies on Netflix. Since that time, the film has gained a bit more attention. Have you seen it, though? If not, then it’s still not getting the recognition it deserves.

This offering tells the story of a man invited to dinner with his ex-wife and her new husband—and if that’s not terrifying enough, things get even scarier.

The lead character brings his new girlfriend along for the dinner, and fortunately, the situation is made less unpleasant by the presence of other guests. Of course, one of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix can’t just revolve around an awkward dinner. With the existence of a dead son and paranoia that the hosts are ready to kill, things get unsettling really fast.

5. October 1 (2014)

If you’re into international psychological thrillers, October 1 is right in your wheelhouse. This Nigerian flick tells the story of a police officer assigned to investigate a string of female murders in a remote town. The title of the film comes from its focus on the upcoming Nigerian independence day – the assigned deadline for the investigator to solve the case.

Intense accusations, extrajudicial killings and questions of innocence plague this story. And as one of the best psychological thriller movies on Netflix, you can rest assured that nothing is as simple as some might hope. This film is so underrated that there is no critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has always maintained a stellar Audience Score.

Bonus psychological thriller on Netflix: Every Time I Die (2019)

You deserve a bonus psychological thriller movie on Netflix, and that movie is Every Time I Die. It made our list of best films on the platform back in February 2020, and its spot was hard-earned. The film follows a man who was recently murdered and now finds his consciousness traveling through the bodies of his friends.

Why would he do this instead of venturing off into the great beyond? Well, because the killer might just get his friends as well. The film has a stellar 100 percent Rotten Tomato critical score, so even if you’re not into Netflix psychological thriller movies, this is one cinematic offering you shouldn’t miss.

Did we miss the best psychological thriller on Netflix?

These films will undoubtedly leave you a little messed up in the head. Of course, that’s just one writer’s opinion. There are a ton of offerings available when seeking out the best psychological thrillers on Netflix, and there’s a solid probability that we overlooked a few.

Did we miss your favorite? Tell us in the comments!