10 best thrillers on Netflix to seriously stress you out

Looking for some stress to go with your stress?

We’re basically living in the end times (ask anyone on Twitter), so there’s no better time to test the limits of your entertainment consumption. For the adventurous among us, that means cranking the tension up to its maximum with the best of the best in heart-wrenching thrillers. (No, not the best horror films — that’s a different list). From psychological scares to dystopian hellscapes, any movie on this list will have you truly on the edge of your seat. Just don’t marathon them (or do, we’re not your boss).

Here are the top 10 best thrillers on Netflix streaming now.

1. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

Jesse (Aaron Paul) is in for it in “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.”
Credit: Ben Rothstein / Netflix

Dear Breaking Bad fans, if you haven’t watched the series’ victory lap yet, what are you doing? Coming right after the events of the finale, El Camino has Jesse (Aaron Paul) setting out on the run from both the law and his troubled history. While this epilogue might be unnecessary, it remains a riveting entry into the Breaking Bad universe.

How to watch: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is streaming on Netflix.

2. Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese adapts Dennis Lehane’s novel in this mind-bending 2010 film. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal visiting the titular island which houses patients in need of special psychiatric care. As Teddy and partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) investigate a missing patient, they grow suspicious of a larger, more sinister truth on the island. Scorsese sets it all against the ominous aesthetics of a thunderstorm, creating constant tension for the entire runtime while building to a killer reveal.

How to watch: Shutter Island is streaming on Netflix.

3. Nightcrawler

In this neo-noir thriller, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou, a man who begins recording Los Angeles’ late-night violence and selling his videos to a local news station. But how far is he willing to go for a gripping story? Nightcrawler’s narrative is eerie and sleek, carried almost entirely by Gyllenhaal’s effortless charisma.

Bird Box
Credit: Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Bird Box stars Sandra Bullock as a struggling survivor in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by mysterious entities that cause death upon being seen. Even though the audience, like the survivors, never actually sees the monsters that whittle away at the fantastic cast (Trevonte Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich, oh my!), their presence looms large over the film’s horror-tinged thrills and twists.

How to watch: Bird Box is streaming on Netflix.

In this haunting Netflix original, Madeline Brewer portrays Alice, an ambitious webcam model working hard to nurture her flourishing career. But when a mysterious doppelgänger takes her place online and begins broadcasting without her, Alice begins to fear for her safety. Immensely intense and fabulously feminist, Cam is the perfect film when you want something closer to a horror movie.

How to watch: Cam is streaming on Netflix.

6. Velvet Buzzsaw

Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal in Dan Gilroy’s “Velvet Buzzsaw.”
Credit: Claudette Barius / Netflix

From Nightcrawler writer-director Dan Gilroy comes Velvet Buzzsaw, a hugely underrated comedic thriller with just a smidge of horror at its center. Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside Rene Russo, Toni Collette, John Malkovich, and more in a satirical exploration of the cutthroat Los Angeles art scene that’s laugh-out-loud funny but still tense, and full of fun visuals. Come for the promise of Gyllenhaal playing an art critic convinced museum installations are coming to life; stay for Billy Magnussen playing a gallery worker who gets attacked by a barrel of oil-on-canvas monkeys. Yeah, it’s a fun one.

How to watch: Velvet Buzzsaw is streaming on Netflix.

Adam Sandler put his comedy skills on the back burner to play New York City jeweler Howard Ratner in 2019’s Uncut Gems. Stuck with debts he can’t afford to pay, Howard sets out to recover a rare black opal that will make up for the price tag on his nasty gambling addiction. This journey is both anxiety-inducing and interesting, revealing a surprising, more serious side of Sandler along the way.

How to watch: Uncut Gems is streaming on Netflix.

8. I Care A Lot

IEiza Gonzalez, Dianne Wiest, and Rosamund Pike in J. Blakeson’s “I Care A Lot.”
Credit: SEACIA PAVAO / NETFLIX 

J. Blakeson’s film about a legal guardian (Rosamund Pike) who targets the elderly for profit isn’t a flawless movie — but it is a helluva ride. Marla (Pike) finds the perfect mark to send to a care home while dissolving her assets, but she didn’t bargain for her new charge’s crime boss son (Peter Dinklage). Pike delivers a performance as sharp as Marla’s lethal bob, while Dinklage clearly enjoys a role equal parts dangerous and amusing. Everything escalates as the two square off, with Marc Canham’s score dialing the stakes up to 100. If you love the journey regardless of the destination, you need this on your list.

How to watch: I Care A Lot is streaming on Netflix.

9. Good Time

From the geniuses behind Uncut Gems, Good Time is a panic-inducing nightmare movie that refuses to let up for any moment of its 101-minute runtime. Robert Pattinson stars as Connie, a criminal willing to do anything to get his vulnerable brother (co-director Benny Safdie) bailed out of a New York City jail. Heart-breaking and jaw-dropping, this character study will devastate you.

How to watch: Good Time is streaming on Netflix.

10. Andhadhun

Loosely based on the French short “L’Accordeur,” Andhadhun is a serpentine adventure starring Ayushmann Khurrana as a blind pianist, Aakash. What begins as a romance between Aakash and Sophie (Radhika Apte) takes endless twists before an admittedly deflated ending — but it’s well worth the ride. Andhadhun will keep you on the edge of your seat with each turn of the plot, never leading where expected.

How to watch: Andhadhun is streaming on Netflix.

This article was updated with recent picks on July 31, 2021.