The best thrillers to watch on Netflix this October

Every month, we handpick a few 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.

While Netflix isn’t exactly known for its classic movie selection, this month includes a few gems from Alfred Hitchcock, including The Birds and Marnie, which didn’t even make our recommendations this time around. As for what did make our list, we’ve got a Michael Mann movie that stars Tom Cruise as a hitman, Anthony Hopkins returning to the role of Hannibal Lecter, and, of course, we couldn’t leave Hitchcock out completely.

Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Mark Ruffalo

If you’ve ever wanted to watch Tom Cruise transform into a surgically proficient contract killer with a sadistic penchant for manipulation, boy is Collateral the movie for you. Michael Mann’s 2004 film is easily one of the best thrillers of the early aughts: a bleak and stylish neo-noir journey into a vision of Los Angeles that almost feels like a period piece in this day and age.

When Max (Jamie Foxx), a disgruntled cab driver, is offered $600 to act as the personal chauffeur of a sharp-suited man named Vincent (Cruise), he initially takes the opportunity as a boon. It’s not long, however, before Max realizes what his passenger has in mind for the evening. Collateral is exhilarating, propulsive, and expertly crafted. In other words, it’s one hell of a ride. —Toussaint Egan

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film is commonly cited as not only one of the best horror thrillers of its era, but one of the greatest films of all time. The reason for this is obvious to anyone who’s sat down to watch it: It really is that damn good. What begins ostensibly as a white-collar crime thriller involving a real estate secretary and $40,000 quickly takes a turn into slasher territory before settling in as a psychological thriller as taut and terrifying as a garrote.

Anthony Perkins delivers the performance of a lifetime as Norman Bates, the meek and menacing proprietor of an unassuming motel that’s secretly home to a host of horrors. So does Vera Miles, who plays a determined young woman searching for the whereabouts of her missing sister. You simply cannot overstate the magnitude of Psycho’s influence on American horror films; it’s nothing short of an inescapable “before and after” moment. It’s indisputably Alfred Hitchcock’s magnum opus, and a damn fine thriller to boot. If you haven’t watched it, you need to. And even if you have watched it, I guarantee you’re overdue for another check-in. —TE

Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes

Red Dragon is Anthony Hopkins’ third appearance as the infamous fictional serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and as usual, the screen legend turns in a fantastic performance that would make this entry worth watching all on his own.

A prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon follows retired FBI agent and serial killer profiler Will Graham (Edward Norton), who is brought in to help investigate the mysterious murders of two families. But to figure out what this new killer (Ralph Fiennes) is all about, Will must work with Dr. Lecter, who almost killed the profiler during Lecter’s arrest several years earlier. Of course, this cooperation leads to an endless maze of mind games and only a few helpful hints as Will races to save whoever this killer’s next victim might be.

While arguably a much lesser movie than both Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, Red Dragon is still a tremendously entertaining thriller, with just enough of that Hopkins secret sauce to always keep things interesting and fantastic performances by both Norton and Fiennes to keep the movie going between visits to Hannibal’s surprisingly comfortable accommodations. —Austen Goslin