The 30 Best Suspense Movies on Netflix

• Directed by: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
• Runtime: 2 hrs 15 min

Nothing says suspense like this 2020 Safdie’s brother film. Full of twists and turns that will have you the edge of your couch, Uncut Gems follows jewelry seller Howie Ratner (Adam Sandler) as he jumps through hoops to pay off his gambling debts by selling an expensive and risky gem. Ratner’s foolproof plan quickly falls through, as he entangles himself further into debt collectors, marital problems, and Kevin Garnett (yes, Kevin Garnett). Oh, and Adam Sandler's drip was mad nice as well.

• Directed by: Stefon Bristol
• Runtime: 1 hr 27 mins

This science-fiction debut put the thrills first, as it follows as a group of kids desperate to go back in time. C.J, a killer science genius who is shocked when her brother is killed by a police officer. Instead of giving in, C.J builds a time machine and is forced to race against the clock to change her brother’s fate, without changing the future forever. 

• Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
• Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins

This mystery thriller tells the tale of a demoted police officer (Jake Gyllenhall) who's torn between saying "f*ck this job," and doing the morally right thing of helping a young kidnapped woman who calls the police station to help save her. Slight spoiler alert: The police officer does indeed do the morally right thing of assisting in helping the woman. That's all we can tell you without spoiling, but just know that The Guilty is a wild ride.

• Directed by: Chloe Domont
• Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Directed by Chloe Domont, this psychological suspense film depicts a newly engaged couple who's relationship gets pushed to the brink when a cutthroat financial firm announces a coveted promotion. This excellent suspense watch was and still is lauded as a great Netflix Thriller, and will keep you on the edge of your seats the whole time.

• Directed by: David Fincher
• Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

If films about psycho killers are your thing, or you enjoy watching David Fincher films, then this is the movie night for you. The Killer follows the story of a stone cold killer (Michael Fassbender) that waits in the shadows for his next unsuspecting victim. He also goes insane the longer he has to wait which is almost a different storyline altogether—the man is kinda of nuts to stay least—and dangerous. The movie received good reviews from critics as well, making it a film to check out.

• Directed by: Joe Penna
• Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Starring Anna Kendrick Toni Collette and Daniel Dae Kim, Stowaway follows a three-person crew that embarks on a mission to Mars, only to have an unplanned criminal eruption when a passenger decides they are going to jeopardize the lives of everybody on board. With every scene being quite tense, Stowaway is one that you'll definitely want to add to your watch list.

• Directed by: Bennie Safdie, Josh Safdie
• Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Another goodie from the Safdie brothers, this suspenseful crime movie features Robert Pattinson racing against the clock, after his disabled brother is taken into police custody. Beyond the chases and neon lights, this film is shot beautifully, which means your eyes will have a treat while your heart continues to race.

• Directed by: Susanne Bier
• Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins

Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen Bird Box. But since it’s been a few years (I know don’t remind me) since the film dominated our Twitter feeds, now might be the perfect time for a rewatch. Even if you know how the film ends, its twists and turns can still feel suspenseful, especially if you didn’t watch hard enough the first time. 

• Directed by: Antonio Campos
• Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins

If you’re looking for a suspense film you’ve never seen before, you’re in luck. Netflix just released The Devil All The Time, a mind-bending thriller that uses the passage of time to examine giant themes of evil, revenge, and power in a tiny town. If that synopsis doesn’t intrigue you, the absolutely stacked cast might. The film features Tom Holland, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennet, Eliza Scanlen, Bill Skarsgard, and Robert Pattinson. 

• Directed by: Matthias Schweighöfer
• Runtime: 2 hr 7 mins

Want something that’ll leave in awe? Watch Army of Thieves. A Matthias Schweighöfer directed classic, this film is all about bank heists. The story follows Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert (Schweighöfer), a bank teller who meets Gwendoline Starr (Nathalie Emmanuel), a skilled jewel thief who recruits him into her heist crew after seeing one of his videos about safecracking. If you want a suspense film that also has a bit of comedy in it, then Army of Thieves is right up your alley.

• Directed by: Alexandra Aje
• Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

What happens when you randomly wake up in cryogenic chamber and you have no idea how you got there? Well, you have to put the pieces together to try to rebuild your memory, and then you have to find your way out of there. The only problem is—you've only got a total of 90 minutes before you run out of oyxgen Cue the suspense. 

• Directed by: Nathaniel Martello-White
• Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

If you haven’t seen 2023's The Strays, we think you'll enjoy it if you like suspense movies. Set in suburban town somewhere in London, The Strays takes suspense to the next level, embroiling audiences in what happens when two strangers spoil woman's meticulously-crafted life by way of showing up to her town to wreak havoc. Give it a shot. It's an interesting couple of hours to spend.

• Directed by: Peter Sullivan
• Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins

This new age psychological suspense film features Nia Long as Ellie Warren, a wife who must contend with a college roommate who turns stalkerish. With a mystery to unravel, Ellie must uncover the truth with her life on the line. 

• Directed by: Grant Sputore
• Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

This suspense flick has a science fiction twist, as it takes place in a bunker at the end of the world. In it, Daughter, a young girl, is raised by a robot willing to do anything to bring the world back into order. With twists that you’ll never see coming, I am Mother takes science to the next level. 

• Directed by: Vince Villigan
• Runtime: 2 hr 2 mins

Love Breaking Bad? Want to watch it in movie form? It’s incredibly suspenseful to see your favorite show turned into a feature film, which is why El Camino works so well. A movie that combines suspense themes with westerns, El Camino is the perfect watch to see some of your favorite Breaking Bad characters back together again. 

• Directed by: Gideon Raff
• Runtime: 2 hr 9 mins

This thriller takes spies from Mossad, and refugees on to a new level. Starring Chris Evans, the movie is based on Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, two undercover operations that helped Jews based in Ethiopia smuggle themselves to freedom. 

• Directed by: Jessica M. Thompson
• Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

This horror film takes suspense and shoves it down the viewers’ proverbial throats. When a woman takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost cousin, she soon realizes she's stepped into a world of family secrets and drama she wasn't prepared. It's kind of like Saltburn (she's actually and not evil), but kind of not. With heart-pounding twists, this is one film you won’t walk away from at ease. 

• Directed by: Brad Anderson
• Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Want suspense? What about the story of a husband who comes into the hospital with his family, only to be convinced that he came in alone? Welcome to Fractured. When Ray takes his wife and daughter to the hospital after a small injury, he wakes up to discover the hospital has no idea who he is. Fractured uncovers the mystery of what happened to his family, and follows a man either fighting for his life, or on the verge of a mental breakdown. 

• Directed by: Sacha Gervasi
• Runtime: 1 hr 25 mins

When Addison’s (Ansel Elgort) friend Kevin is killed at his bakery job, he must uncover the reason his friend died, something the police refuse to help with. Months from graduating, Addison must try to uncover the truth while keeping the people he loves safe. 

• Directed by: Macon Blair
• Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

This film combines comedy and suspense to bring a crime story that keeps on giving. When a nursing assistant is robbed of her prized possessions, it takes the help of a neighbor to regain her things and her sense of self. 

• Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
• Runtime: 2 hrs 55 mins

A Tarantino film turned into a miniseries, The Hateful Eight follows a bounty hunter, a fugitive, a lodge owner, a cowboy, a general, as they walk into a bar, well, um a stagecoach lodge. Another Quentin Tarantino movie that got the general public talking, the suspense is absolutely palpable, just as a Tarantino film should be. 

• Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
• Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

This suspense film takes action to the next level when a divorced father and his daughter try to visit her mother on the train. An infected person on the train quickly becomes a zombie, threatening the lives of everyone on board. As the train continues, a small group forms, that realizes the zombie attack isn’t just on the train but spreading through the entire country. 

• Directed by: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
• Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

The Platform is simple. People live in simple cells stacked on top of each other, with a common hole in the middle. Food is lowered down once a day on a platform, moving from the top to the bottom Those at the top feast, but those at the bottom starve. With ever-evolving rules, the Platform defies expectations and keeps the suspense up to the bitter end. 

• Directed by: Sam Hargrave
• Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

This thriller features the son of a drug lord, who is kidnapped for ransom. Black market gun for hire Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) must create a crew to rescue the kidnapped son. But when you’re working with criminals, for criminals, you never know who you can trust. Described as being a "high octane action thriller" by critics, Extraction is worth the watch.

• Directed by: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost
• Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

What if there was a pill that could make you a superhero, but only for a short time? That’s the basis of Project Power, where this magic drug is circulated regularly on the street, and it’s up to Jamie Foxx to stop it and rescue his daughter at the same time. 

• Directed by: Boon Joon-ho
• Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

The world is ice, and Chris Evans wants to climb to the top. In Snowpiercer, humans have survived the ice age by traversing the earth in a continuously moving train. The rich passengers party at the front, while the poor starve at the end of the train. Curtis (Evans) leads a violent expedition to the front, where the world is never as it seems. 

• Directed by: Thomas M. Wright
• Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

This 2022 film features Joel Edgerton as Mark, an undercover cop that strikes up a friendship with a murder suspect in the attempt to get a confession out of him. Edgerton is playing a dangerous game, but that's part of what makes this...suspense. The Stranger is never what it seems, and the film makes sure you never assume anything for too long. 

• Directed by: Dan Gilroy
• Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

Love the art world? Well, you might not after watching Velvet Buzzsaw. When an art critic exhibits the work of a dead man in his gallery, the success comes with a price. When the paintings come alive, the artists involved begin to fear for their lives. 

• Directed by: Jim Mickle
• Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

A police officer and a detective investigate several spontaneous deaths. When they start to look connected, the trail turns dark, weaving a web of deceit, confusion, and fear in the heart of 1980s Philadelphia. 

• Directed by: Charlie Kaufman
• Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins

You’ll never know what I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is about. And that’s the way that Kaufman wants it. Created by the celebrated director, the film takes a girlfriend trying to break up with her boyfriend on a trip to visit his parents and turns it into a mysterious tale of suspense.