If you’ve read my work long enough, you know that I’m conflicted when it comes to Netflix original films. While some of them are good and worth a stream, there are a lot that are either underwhelming, forgettable, or awful (sometimes all three). Having said that, there is one segment of Netflix original movies that I actually enjoy — the thriller.
This is the one genre that Netflix absolutely gets right on a consistent basis. Yes, most Netflix thrillers do tend to do things “by-the-book,” and go with the tried-and-true thriller tropes. But, if these thrillers are one thing, they are entertaining, which is ultimately what I want out of a Netflix thriller. With all my years of watching and covering movies and TV, I can spot in just the first five minutes whether I’m turning it off and looking for something else, or I’m locked in for the ride. Here are the Netflix original thrillers that fall in the latter category.
10
‘Don’t Move’ (2024)
In the intro, I said that most Netflix original thrillers don’t stray too far from the tropes that typically define the genre. Notice that I said most, and not all. That’s because Don’t Move is one of the rare thrillers that actually presented us with an original story that will have you stuck in your chair for the entire 92-minute runtime.
Starring Yellowstone‘s Kelsey Asbille, Don’t Move is a harrowing tale of a woman who comes across a serial killer, who injects her with a substance that paralyzes her. Watching her try to escape while not being able to move is very creative and intriguing. Don’t Move doesn’t overstay its welcome, and tells its story in a brisk fashion that matches the suspense. I didn’t expect a lot from Don’t Move when I first watched it, but I like being thoroughly surprised.
9
‘The Occupant’ (2020)
Imagine that you’ve moved into your dream apartment, only to discover that the former tenant begins hanging around all the time because he’s obsessed with you. Even worse, he doesn’t contribute to the rent. That’s the central plot of The Occupant, a Spanish thriller that is dripping with creepiness at every turn.
Once you meet Javier Munoz (Javier Gutiérrez), you will immediately get the sense that there is something “off” about this guy, and that’s when the movie will hook you into this interesting plot. The Occupant takes a different route to tell the usual stalker story, and after you’re done, you’ll be wary of the people you let into your home. This movie is thrilling and creepy. At least the guy could have helped them with the rent.
8
‘Woman of the Hour’ (2023)
There is a good reason why I hate dating apps. You never know the true person behind that screen that wants to talk to you. It’s a truly creepy thing, so imagine what it was like when people found out that a serial killer actually made it onto a dating game show. Think of how weirded out you would be if you found that out.
You know now what the contestants of The Dating Game felt when they found out that one of the contestants was an actual serial killer. Woman of the Hour is the retelling of how Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) was able to be a contestant on the famed game show without anyone knowing that he killed five women. Even more remarkable, this happened in real life, with Alcala known as “The Dating Game Killer.” This movie is suspenseful, and Anna Kendrick, who directed and also starred in the movie, did a masterful job at detailing the sick nature of Alcala and how he was able to slip past suspicion and get on The Dating Game.
7
‘Straw’ (2025)
Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson) is living a life too many people know well. She is having the worst day of her life. Her child was taken from her by Child Protective Services. Her cruel boss fires her for tending to her kid. She’s evicted from her home after failing to pay the rent. And, to top it all off, an off-duty cop throws a drink at her car, and it gets impounded due to expiring paperwork. Only Tyler Perry can create a world in which one woman goes through the entire Book of Job in just 24 hours. So, what is she to do? Well, rob a bank, of course.
I’m not too much of a fan of Tyler Perry melodramas, and to be honest, Straw had all the hallmarks of Perry’s insistence on unnecessary trauma. But this movie had me hooked. Henson’s portrayal of the down-on-her-luck Janiyah was great and heartbreaking, and it almost moved me to tears at times in between all the suspense.
6
‘Under Paris’ (2024)
I miss cheesy disaster movies. You know they were unrealistic, and the acting was questionable, at best. But, man, were the disaster spectacles worth it? We don’t have many of these today, which is why you should appreciate Under Paris, a rare action disaster movie that was great purely on its thrills.
Here, a marine biologist (Bérénice Bejo) must find a way to save Paris from a giant shark who swims into the Seine with the intention of killing as many swimmers in the river as possible. Just think about that premise for a moment. Doesn’t it bring back the blockbuster disaster movies of old? It sure did for me, and I appreciate it for what it is, a B-grade movie that’s entertaining.
5
‘The Platform’ (2019)
So, you commit a crime, and you’re sentenced to a so-called “self-management center.” You think this will be easy, until you realize what the words “self-management” means. In The Platform, that meant spending your time imprisoned on a vertical platform that goes between 250 levels, with people fighting for the full platform of food that is presented every day. The Platform is a truly out-of-left-field premise, but it works really well as a thriller that had me hooked after the first five minutes.
You’ll be thrust into this hellscape where you will feel for those at the bottom levels, who have to scrap for the remaining food that is on the moving platform since the people at the top tend to eat most of it. It’s pretty pervasive, and the high-concept nature of The Platform will leave you feeling like you’re on a thrill ride, not wanting to get off of it.
4
‘Havoc’ (2025)
I absolutely love a good crime thriller. They’re like thrill rides, with twists and turns at every corner that are filled with excitement and suspense. Havoc is one of those action thrillers that presses its foot on the gas pedal and doesn’t let up for a second, with nonstop action that will even make John Wick (Keanu Reeves) smile.
Havoc tells the story of a drug deal gone wrong, with a detective (Tom Hardy) having to go into the criminal underworld to find a politician’s son. Along the way, we discover that the city’s landscape is littered with corruption. You’ll witness all of this within the first five minutes, and from that point on, you’re wondering what’s coming next for all those involved.
3
‘Rebel Ridge’ (2024)
What happens when you come to town looking to bail out your cousin, only to find out the cops who patrol the town are actually corrupt? You get Rebel Ridge, a high-stakes thriller that asks how far you would go to get your loved one out of a small town full of corrupt police officers.
For Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), it means going to an all-out war with the cops. I will give Netflix a lot of credit here, they sure do know how to run with imaginative plot lines. Rebel Ridge took a “by-the-book” storyline about corruption and turned it into a Rambo-style thriller that grabs your attention from the opening credits. Don Johnson, who we’re used to seeing playing the good cop, plays one heck of a bad cop as Chief Sandy Burnne, and the entire movie ends on a bonkers premise that will leave your jaw dropped to the floor.
2
‘Reptile’ (2023)
I am a sucker for anything that includes Benicio del Toro, and he once again proved how much I love him in crime thrillers with Reptile. For starters, this movie is not about a reptilian animal. No, this movie is about a detective in New England who is tasked with a case in which nothing is really what it seems.
From the opening scene, you get a sense that this is going to be unlike any crime thriller. There are plenty of unorthodox methods that are used by detective Tom Nichols (del Toro), and plenty of characters who will make a lasting impression on you. One can say that Reptile is a movie that plays your mind, and I can definitely see that as it surely played with my mind. A great and gripping movie from start-to-finish, Reptile will leave you gasping for air.
1
‘Leave the World Behind’ (2023)
What would you do if you’re stuck in a house, and you don’t know what’s going on in the outside world? You hear reports that the world is ending, but you can’t feel it, but there are definitely signs. From the first five minutes of Leave the World Behind, you get a foreboding sense that something truly isn’t right.
It’s a claustrophobic tale of two families who don’t know each other, struggling to understand why the world is suddenly going haywire, and how they can all be safe. Once you figure out how everything went down in the end, how could you not fall in love with this movie? Leave the World Behind is a textbook example of why I like Netflix thrillers. Original and not afraid to take a gamble with unorthodox plots. Oh, and watching Julia Roberts go toe-to-toe with the apocalypse? That is a treat all in itself.
