The 7 Best Psychological Thrillers on Netflix in October
Netflix has an impressive collection of psychological thrillers hidden in its library, some of which are considered cult classics and others which have flown decidedly under the radar for years. Whether it be an unfairly maligned detective thriller starring “One Battle After Another” scene-stealer Benicio del Toro or a beloved sci-fi gem that helped announce Jake Gyllenhaal as an up-and-coming star back in 2001, Netflix has just about every kind of psychological thriller to interest you.
With that in mind, here are the seven best psychological thrillers streaming on Netflix in October 2025.
“Watcher” (2022)
“Watcher” is a lot of things — a sharp, switchblade thriller, a promising directorial debut and a wildly underrated gem. Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Chloe Okuno, the film follows an American couple (played by Maika Monroe and Karl Glusman) who move to an apartment building in Bucharest. While there, Monroe’s Julia is unsettled when she discovers one of their neighbors watching her through her apartment’s picture window.
Things escalate when she begins to suspect that her neighbor is not only stalking her, but also potentially responsible for some of the other murders and disappearances in her neighborhood. Brimming with infectious paranoia and directed with Hickockian, wicked flair, “Watcher” is a simple thriller that manages to hit with the force of a shotgun blast in all the right moments.
“Fair Play” (2023)
Writer-director Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play” is a lean, mean psychological thriller. Set in the cutthroat world of hend fund management, the film follows a young man (Alden Ehrenreich) and woman (Phoebe Dynevor) whose secret, unauthorized relationship is threatened when an unexpected promotion sends one-half of the couple into a personal, insecure spiral.
Before long, a one-sided battle of the wills has commenced between Dynevor’s Emily and Ehrenreich’s Luke. Produced by “Knives Out” filmmaker Rian Johnson, “Fair Play” is a contemporary-minded update of the erotic thriller and a steely-eyed, unflinching takedown of male ego. It cuts deeper — and more often — than you will likely expect.
“Reptile” (2023)
Like “Watcher,” 2023’s “Reptile” is an underappreciated, unfairly oft-forgotten psychological crime thriller. Directed by longtime music video director Grant Singer, the film follows an unassuming police detective (Benicio del Toro) who begins investigating the gruesome murder of a local real estate agent.
His investigation grows increasingly dangerous over time as the clues and suspects gathered begin to point toward deeper levels of corruption than he could have ever anticipated. Covered in thick shadows and muted colors courtesy of cinematographer Michael Gioulakis, “Reptile” is a measured, entrancing thriller that is both held together and elevated by Benicio del Toro’s casually spell-binding performance at its center.
“Gerald’s Game” (2017)
One of the films that helped put “Midnight Mass” director Mike Flanagan on the map, 2017’s “Gerald’s Game” is a terrifying psychological thriller. Based on Stephen King’s 1992 novel of the same name, the contained, single-location film follows a woman (Carla Gugino) who is left stranded and handcuffed to a bed in a remote house after her husband (Bruce Greenwood) dies suddenly of a heart attack in the middle of an extremely private moment.
As Gugino’s trapped Jessie fights for her life, she finds herself forced to confront personal ghosts and demons from both her past and present, all while the lines between reality, memory and delusion gradually blur. Under Flanagan’s assured hand, “Gerald’s Game” emerges as a rare triumph — a horror movie about trauma that works as both a cathartic drama and a grisly piece of popcorn entertainment.
“Windfall” (2022)
Here is another underrated psychological thriller that you likely missed when it was first released. Directed by Charlie McDowell and co-written by “Seven” screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, “Windfall” follows a wealthy CEO (Jesse Plemons) and his wife (Lily Collins) whose vacation is disrupted by a burglar (Jason Segel) who takes them hostage and demands a large sum of money in exchange for their freedom (and lives).
Not all of the film’s twists fully land, but “Windfall” is a thriller that knows how to keep you on your toes. It will keep you guessing about what is going to happen next right up until its final, shocking climactic moments.
“Donnie Darko” (2001)
“Donnie Darko” is a strange, brooding sci-fi psychological thriller the likes of which audiences had never really seen before — or since, for that matter. Written and directed by Richard Kelly, the film follows a troubled teenager (Jake Gyllenhaal) who experiences visions of a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who tells him the world will end in a set number of days.
Hypnotic, surreal and increasingly disconcerting events follow, as Gyllenhaal’s Donnie falls in love, experiences instances of time travel and finds himself compelled to burn down the status quo. The film is purposefully ambiguous for much of its runtime, and yet it exerts a powerful, clear hold over its viewers, which just makes the thriller’s final, tragic turns just feel all the more revelatory and overwhelming. It’s a cult classic for a reason.
“The Wonder” (2022)
“The Wonder” is one of the most underrated Netflix original films of the past five years. Directed by “Disobedience” filmmaker Sebastián Lelio and based on a 2016 novel by “Room” author Emma Donoghue, the film follows an English nurse (Florence Pugh) who is sent to a rural Irish village shortly after the country’s Great Famine to inspect and observe a local “fasting girl” (Kíla Lord Cassidy), who claims to be able to survive without eating.
Gothic in both its atmosphere and its look, “The Wonder” is a miraculous psychological thriller that builds its tensions and emotions slowly underneath its surface before letting them spill over in its final 30 minutes. What emerges from that is a compelling thriller about the lies we choose to believe — sometimes to save others and sometimes to save ourselves.
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