Netflix subscribers looking for worthwhile thriller movies are in luck this week. The streaming service dropped dozens of movies to kick off October 2026, and the sizeable list of new library additions contains some excellent thrillers.
For starters, there’s Christopher Nolan’s 2006 mystery thriller that focuses on two magicians, once a double act, and now sworn enemies after an on-stage accident results in tragedy. Or how about an M. Night Shyamalan horror-thriller with a stunning turn from James McAvoy. And if neither of these grab your attention, and you’re craving something completely new, Netflix’s latest original movie is a Ben Affleck-directed crime thriller that looks intense.
These are the latest thriller movies added to Netflix for your watchlist. And if you can’t get enough of the genre, I’ve also got a roundup of the best thrillers on Prime Video this week.
3 new to Netflix thrillers to watch this week
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
Just a year after Christopher Nolan broke into the mainstream with “Batman Begins,” he delivered “The Prestige.” And 20 years later, it remains one of the acclaimed director's most enjoyable, not to mention twist-driven works. It hooks you from the moment the curtain rises and tells the tale of two stage magicians competing to become the world’s greatest illusionist. Starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, it’s as magical as its cast of characters.
Nolan showcases his masterful handling of non-linear storytelling here, as the movie frequently skips forwards and backwards, but “The Prestige” is never jarring or difficult to follow. Instead, with each new revelation, the mystery thickens, and when answers do arrive in the grand finale, they’re supremely satisfying. If you haven't seen this one and don’t know the secrets behind its bag of tricks, then I encourage you to make streaming it a priority.
Watch "The Prestige" on Netflix now
‘Split’ (2016)
M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” is worth watching for one reason alone: James McAvoy. The Scottish actor has a knack for playing unhinged characters, none more so than in “Split.” You might notice I didn’t name McAvoy’s character there; that’s because he plays a man with dissociative identity disorder with 23 individual identities in his head. It’s essentially 23 roles in one, and McAvoy fully commits to each. It’s an impressive acting feat.
The narrative around McAvoy’s performance is a little more pedestrian. The movie focuses on a trio of teenage girls kidnapped and trapped in an underground lair, one of whom is played by a young Anya Taylor-Joy. While I have my issues with “Split’s” narrative, and to this day I think the twist ending (it’s a Shyamalan movie, of course there’s a twist ending) doesn’t quite work, McAvoy’s memorable turn is reason enough to give “Split” a watch this week.
Watch "Split" on Netflix now
‘Animals’ (2026)
This week sees the arrival of “Animals,” one of Netflix’s tentpole original movies for the fall season. The jury is still out on its quality (reviews haven’t dropped as of writing), but I can confidently say that it’s a near certainty to leap to the top of the platform’s most-watched list over the weekend. So, if you want to stay in the streaming loop, then give it a watch. And there’s reason to be confident it could break Netflix’s original movie cold streak.
Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, who already featured in Netflix’s biggest original movie of 2026 to date, “The Rip,” this crime thriller focuses on an L.A. mayoral candidate faced with an unthinkable dilemma when his son is kidnapped. With the family’s savings spent on the campaign trail, Mark Kimball (Affleck) and his wife (Kerry Washington) must get their hands dirty and expose a side of themselves never supposed to see the light of day to come up with a ransom payment in just a matter of hours.
Watch "Animals" on Netflix starting October 9
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