14 Best Psychological Thrillers Streaming on Netflix Right Now

This fresh Netflix release is the latest menacing thriller from Jeremy Saulnier, the filmmaker behind Green Room and Blue Ruin. Hold the Dark swaps out the humidity and claustrophobia of Saulnier's previous flicks for the frigid expanse of the Alaskan wilderness. In the remote village of Keelut a six-year-old boy has vanished, the third child to go missing. Wolves are suspected, and the mother of the missing boy summons naturalist Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) to hunt down the predators. Core accepts, only to find himself tracking a mystery far darker than he could have imagined.   

The Gift operates on a tried-and-true psychological thriller premise–past wounds are reopened when a creepy figure from one's past appears. In this case, the target is Simon Callem (Jason Bateman) and his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall), and the menacing figure is Gordon "Gordo" Moseley (Joel Edgerton) who starts dropping by the house. He always shows up with gifts, but his true nature begins to reveal itself as the strange “friendship” sours. 

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City of Tiny Lights stars Riz Ahmed as a private detective. Our protagonist is, of course, drawn into a mystery that is much more complex than it first appears. There’s a lot going on here, including everything from terrorism to secretive government operations. Naturally, not everyone is telling the whole truth.

This knotty, psychological thriller from David Fincher is perfect for fans of Alfred Hitchcock or Christopher Nolan. Wealthy banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) receives a curious birthday gift from his brother Conrad (Sean Penn): He's invited to play a game orchestrated by a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Nicholas accepts, but soon finds himself lost in an increasingly disturbing immersive experience where fiction is indistinguishable from reality.

2001’s weird surrealist horror flick Donnie Darko was must-watch material for a generation of disaffected teens, horror buffs, and stoners. You may be surprised to discover that it still holds up, and its unsettling psychological thrills are the perfect find if you’re hunting for a good psychological thriller on Netflix. Hey, maybe this time you’ll “get” the weird bunny-suit thing. Maybe.

It’s a bit shocking that Toby Jones hasn’t been in more psychological thrillers. Something about his presence transmits the perfect mix of pathos and psychosis. This film, written and directed by his brother, nails the growing sense of unease so necessary for a potent psychological thriller. Although it’s flown a bit under the radar, Kaleidoscope is one of the best psychological thrillers on Netflix.

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Just in time for Halloween! M. Night Shyamalan's paranormal horror thriller wowed audiences when it hit theaters in 1999, thanks in no small part to powerful performances from Bruce Willis, a young Haley Joel Osment, and the film's now-classic twist ending. Years later, it still delivers—even if you already know the surprise reveal that awaits. Queue it up, dim the lights, and relive the nightmare.   

Hungry for a second dose of scares? This dark psychological thriller based on a book by Stephen King is sure to do the trick. Jessie and Gerald head out to an isolated lake house in hopes of spicing up their love life. But when Gerald's sex game goes terribly wrong, Jessie is left handcuffed to the bed. Soon she begins seeing warped visions, and must confront the ghosts of the past if she hopes to survive. 

This Spanish psychological thriller is one of Netflix’s best offerings in the genre. A moody thriller with a flair for the dramatic, it takes itself seriously enough to get the viewer wrapped up and then follows through with a thrilling, satisfying ending that ties up every twisted thread. 

The Interview focuses on a police interview that pits a detective against a man with nothing left to lose. Viewers are initially left in the dark as to the nature of the crime, and the claustrophobic movie contains its action almost entirely within the small interrogation room. Through dialogue and flashbacks, a clever and unexpected plot soon emerges.

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Moon is a science-fiction movie that begins quietly–more psychological than thriller, perhaps. But as it builds ominously towards its climax, it begins to feel more and more like a thriller after all. Marked by scientific realism and a paranoid claustrophobia that makes it feel part-thriller, part-horror, Moon is a film that everyone should see at least once.

This British thriller plays of the paranoias of parenthood. Our protagonist is a mother who lives with her husband in an apartment building. Her downstairs neighbors are strange, to say the least: They are jealous first of her pregnancy and then of her child. Their jealously soon becomes too insistent to ignore.

Stephen Graham stars in this creepy psychological thriller about the power of secrets. The troubling plot kicks off when a novelist and TV host, Sandy Duffy, is caught shoplifting by a security guard. Shoplifting is a habit for Duffy, but the security guard is willing to keep what he saw to himself in exchange for “friendship.” The thrills arrive soon after, as Duffy’s new “friend” turns out to be a pretty demanding and creepy guy to pal around with.

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This enthralling thriller sets up a tense relationship between two women that grows more unsettling as the movie unfolds. Janie is being held inside her home by Irma (scream queen Barbara Crampton), who puts her through a variety of tests and rituals supposedly meant to restrain her violent tendencies. But which of the two is the bigger danger is never fully clear …