Everything You Need to Know Before You Press Play
1. The Call (2020)
Genre: Sci-fi / Psychological Thriller | Runtime: 1h 52m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung
Story: Seo-yeon, alone in her late father's house in 2019, receives a phone call from Young-sook — a woman living in the exact same house in 1999. The two form a bond across two decades, until Seo-yeon realizes that changing the past has terrifying consequences, and that Young-sook isn't who she first seemed.
My take: This is genuinely one of the better Korean thrillers on Netflix — tense, well-acted, and the time-loop concept is used cleverly rather than as a gimmick. Just stop watching once the credits roll; the post-credits scene undercuts the ending.
▶ Watch on Netflix2. Homunculus (2021)
Genre: Psychological Horror / Mystery | Runtime: ~1h 57m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Go Ayano, Ryo Narita, Yukino Kishii
Story: Susumu Nakoshi, a homeless amnesiac living out of his car, agrees to undergo "trepanation" — a hole drilled into his skull — for cash from a mysterious medical student. The procedure unlocks a strange ability: he can now see people's deepest hidden trauma manifested as grotesque visions.
My take: Based on a beloved manga, and it shows — the first half is genuinely eerie and visually inventive. It loses its nerve in the second half, though, swapping tension for melodrama. Watch it for the atmosphere, not for a faithful adaptation.
▶ Watch on Netflix3. You (2018–2025)
Genre: Psychological Thriller Series | Runtime: 5 seasons, ~45 min/episode | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Elizabeth Lail
Story: Joe Goldberg, a charming and articulate bookstore manager, becomes obsessively fixated on women he's drawn to — stalking, manipulating, and ultimately killing anyone who threatens the fantasy relationship he's built in his head. Told entirely from his internal monologue, so you're trapped inside a killer's justifications the whole time.
My take: Addictive in a way that's almost uncomfortable — Badgley's narration makes you empathize with someone you should be horrified by, and that's the whole point. Seasons 1–2 are the strongest; later seasons lean more satirical but the core hook never really lets go.
▶ Watch on Netflix4. Mrs. Serial Killer (2020)
Genre: Crime Thriller (Bollywood) | Runtime: 1h 46m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee, Mohit Raina
Story: Dr. Joy Mukerjee is framed and jailed for a string of gruesome murders. His pregnant, devoted wife Sona sets out to commit a copycat murder herself — proving the real killer is still active and that her husband couldn't have done it.
My take: Honestly, skip this one. It's routinely named among the worst Netflix Originals ever made — the writing, pacing, and acting all struggle, and even a strong premise can't save it. Manoj Bajpayee is the sole bright spot; everything else is a slog.
▶ Watch on Netflix5. His & Hers (2026)
Genre: Mystery Thriller (Limited Series) | Runtime: 6 episodes, ~45 min each | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Jon Bernthal, Pablo Schreiber
Story: When a woman is found murdered in a small Georgia town, estranged spouses Anna (a disgraced news anchor covering the story) and Jack (the detective leading the investigation) each start to suspect the other is involved — and both have secrets worth killing to protect.
My take: Genuinely one of the better recent Netflix mystery drops — Thompson and Bernthal's chemistry does a lot of heavy lifting, and the six-episode length keeps it tight instead of padded. The finale gets a little over-the-top, but it earns its twists more than most.
▶ Watch on Netflix6. The Silence of the Marsh (2019)
Genre: Mystery Thriller (Spanish) | Runtime: 1h 32m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Pedro Alonso, Nacho Fresneda, Carmina Barrios
Story: Q, a cold-blooded crime novelist in Valencia, researches his next book by getting entangled with real drug traffickers and corrupt politicians — and the line between his fiction and reality starts to blur in increasingly violent ways.
My take: A genuinely intriguing setup — Pedro Alonso (Money Heist) is magnetic as always — but the film juggles too many plot threads and never fully resolves them. Atmospheric and well-shot, but expect to finish it with more questions than answers.
▶ Watch on Netflix7. Kill Boksoon (2023)
Genre: Action Thriller (Korean) | Runtime: 2h 17m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Si-a
Story: Gil Boksoon is a top-tier contract killer with a 100% success rate at the elite MK Enterprises agency — and, secretly, a single mother struggling to connect with her teenage daughter. When she refuses to complete an assigned kill, she breaks agency rules and becomes a target herself.
My take: One of Netflix's best original action films — sharp, stylish choreography paired with real emotional stakes around the mother-daughter relationship. It ran up huge viewership numbers globally for good reason. Slightly overlong at 2h17m, but never boring.
▶ Watch on Netflix8. The Little Things (2021)
Genre: Crime Thriller | Runtime: 2h 8m | Rating: R
Cast: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Story: Set in 1990 LA: Kern County deputy Joe "Deke" Deacon, a former LAPD detective haunted by an old unsolved case, teams up with sharp-dressed detective Jim Baxter to hunt a serial killer. Their obsession with prime suspect Albert Sparma — creepy but never conclusively guilty — pulls both men toward the edge.
My take: Three Oscar winners in one room and the movie still can't quite decide what it wants to be. Washington and Leto are compelling to watch scene by scene, but the script leans heavily on "Se7en" without matching its payoff. Worth it for the performances; don't expect a tight mystery.
▶ Watch on Netflix9. Eye for an Eye (2019)
Genre: Revenge Thriller (Spanish, orig. "Quien a hierro mata") | Runtime: 1h 47m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Luis Tosar, Xan Cejudo, Ismael MartÃnez
Story: Mario, a devoted nurse in a Galician care home, ends up in charge of an aging drug lord recently released from prison — the very man whose actions once destroyed Mario's family. As Mario quietly gains the old man's trust, his real intentions slowly surface.
My take: A slow-burn revenge story that rewards patience — director Paco Plaza (of [REC] fame) trades jump scares for dread, and Luis Tosar's controlled, quietly menacing performance carries the film. The ending is the payoff; don't skip ahead.
▶ Watch on Netflix10. Loving Adults (2022)
Genre: Domestic Thriller (Danish) | Runtime: 1h 44m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Dar Salim, Sonja Richter, Sus Wilkins
Story: When Leonora discovers her husband Christian's affair with a younger colleague, what starts as a marital blowup spirals into blackmail, buried secrets from Leonora's past, and increasingly extreme choices from both spouses — narrated in flashback by a police commissioner investigating a hit-and-run.
My take: Netflix's first Danish original, and it's a competent, well-shot erotic thriller in the Fatal Attraction mold. The performances are solid, but if you've seen a few films in this genre, you'll likely call several twists before they land.
▶ Watch on Netflix11. Lumberjack the Monster (2023)
Genre: Crime Horror (Japanese) | Runtime: 1h 59m | Rating: TV-MA
Cast: Kazuya Kamenashi, Nanao, Riho Yoshioka
Story: Akira Ninomiya, a ruthless, self-described psychopath of a lawyer, survives a brutal attack by an axe-wielding, mask-wearing serial killer terrorizing the city. Obsessed with revenge, Ninomiya starts hunting his attacker — only to uncover secrets that connect the killer directly to his own past.
My take: Director Takashi Miike's fingerprints are all over this — stylish, violent, and strange in a way that's fun if you're already a fan of his work. It's not his tightest script, and the killer's reveal underwhelms, but the ride there is entertainingly unhinged.
▶ Watch on Netflix12. Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Genre: Action / Revenge Thriller | Runtime: 2h 16m | Rating: R
Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen
Story: The Bride's revenge mission continues as she hunts down her final three targets — Budd, the one-eyed Elle Driver, and finally Bill himself — while flashbacks reveal her brutal training under martial arts master Pai Mei and the full truth of what happened the day her wedding was massacred.
My take: The true standout on this whole list. Quentin Tarantino pulls back from Vol. 1's nonstop action for something slower, more character-driven, and honestly more rewarding — David Carradine's Bill is one of cinema's great villains. If you've seen Volume 1, this is essential viewing.
▶ Watch on Netflix