Halloween may be over, but the hunt for great thrillers is always on. Netflix has quite a few excellent options this month, including an original movie from the end of October and a surprising movie you might not know about.
Every month, we handpick a few of the best thrillers on Netflix that fit the current season. Sometimes they pair well with an upcoming release. Other titles might be new additions to the platform.
This month we’ve got a Netflix new arrival, a horrifying dystopian movie from just a few years ago, and a very underappreciated gem that deserves a whole lot more attention.
Editor’s pick: Woman of the Hour
Director: Anna Kendrick
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut chronicles the story of one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, his victims, and the women who — against all odds — managed to survive him. Kendrick stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a struggling actress in late-’70s Los Angeles who is coaxed into appearing as a contestant on a daytime dating show in hopes of it being her big break. Little does she know that one of the male contestants, Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), is secretly responsible for the murders of numerous women for over more than a decade. Inspired by a true story, Woman of the Hour is a terrifying depiction of not only an inscrutable killer, but of the inadvertent complicity of a justice system that refuses to act until it is almost too late. —Toussaint Egan
Take Shelter
Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham
Michael Shannon is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and his performance in Take Shelter easily ranks as one of his most memorable and enduring roles to date. Set in rural suburban Ohio, Shannon stars as Curtis LaForche, a construction worker who is stricken with apocalyptic visions of an impending storm that will destroy everything in its wake. As Curtis descends deeper into his obsession, remodeling the storm shelter in his backyard and distancing himself from friends and family, his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) grows concerned that his behavior might be linked to his familial history of mental illness. A breathtaking drama that probes the hazy divide between faith and superstition, as well as mental illness, masculinity, and the tenuous bond between families and their community, Take Shelter will have you questioning what’s real and what isn’t right up to its shocking conclusion. —TE
The Platform
Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Cast: Iván Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan
Verging on the absolute edge of simply being a horror movie, The Platform is among the grossest and grisliest of Netflix’s thriller options. The movie takes place in a dystopian world in which prisoners are kept in a massive vertical tower with different levels. Everyone is fed via a platform that starts at the top filled with delicious food, then slowly floats to the other levels below, leaving only disgusting leftovers by the time it reaches the inmates kept in the lowest depths. Eventually, one inmate decides he’s going to do something about only ever getting scraps and attempts to change the system.
Look, there’s really no way to escape this movie’s metaphor, and on that level, it’s both unsubtle and pretty ineffective. However, as a harrowing thriller about a man trying to break out of a horrifying prison, it’s quite a bit of fun and absolutely worth a watch. And if you have a good enough time with this film, you can always check out the sequel, which only came out last month. —Austen Goslin
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