I love a good thriller, but there’s something about a dark thriller that really grips me. These shows, often steeped in psychological tension and moral ambiguity, dive into human obsession, deceit and the shadowy corners of the human mind.
None of the series on this list are easy or light-watching. If you’re looking for stories that keep you on edge, force you to question what you’d do in the characters’ shoes, and are packed with twists you won’t see coming, these five are essential. And the best part? They’re all streaming on Netflix right now.
From a tense, slow-burning hunt for a missing child to a gripping tale of survival, these are the five best dark thrillers on Netflix worth diving into now.
‘Mindhunter’
Set in the late 1970s, “Mindhunter” follows two FBI agents, Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), as they work in the Bureau’s Behavioral Science Unit. Tasked with understanding the psychology of serial killers, the agents embark on a groundbreaking project: interviewing imprisoned murderers to catalog their behavior and motivations.
Their work brings them face-to-face with some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including Edmund Kemper and Jerry Brudos, as they gain insight into the methods and patterns of these offenders.
Alongside them is Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), a psychologist who assists in structuring their research and interpreting the findings. As the team travels across the United States to conduct interviews, they collect detailed case studies and profiles, while also navigating their own personal demons.
Stream it on Netflix
‘Yellowjackets’
“Yellowjackets” follows a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes deep in the wilderness, leaving them stranded in a remote forest. The story alternates between their harrowing survival as teenagers and the present-day lives of the now-adult survivors, who are still grappling with the trauma and secrets from that time.
The young women face extreme conditions, scarce resources, and the growing tension and distrust among the group, forcing them to make life-or-death decisions. In the present, the adult survivors’ lives are increasingly complicated as mysterious events suggest that not all of their past has stayed buried.
The first two seasons of “Yellowjackets” are available on Netflix, while the third season streams exclusively on Paramount Plus, continuing the suspenseful and psychologically intense story.
Stream seasons 1-2 on Netflix
‘The Chestnut Man’
“The Chestnut Man” is set in Copenhagen, where a grisly murder shocks the city: a woman is found dead with a small figurine made of chestnuts placed at the crime scene. Detectives Naia Thulin (Danica Ćurčić) and Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) are assigned to the case, which quickly becomes more complex when the fingerprints on the figurine are traced to Kristine Hartung, a young girl who was kidnapped and presumed dead over a year earlier.
Her mother, Rosa Hartung (Iben Dorner), is a prominent politician, and the case had long been considered closed. As the detectives investigate, they uncover a series of interconnected murders, each marked by the same chilling signature, suggesting a methodical and calculating killer.
Stream it on Netflix
‘Behind Her Eyes’
Louise (Simona Brown), a single mother, meets David (Tom Bateman), a successful psychiatrist, and quickly begins an affair with him. At the same time, she befriends his wife, Adele (Eve Hewson), a reclusive woman with an unsettling past.
As Louise becomes drawn into their domestic world, she notices strange occurrences: Adele exhibits bizarre sleepwalking episodes, David behaves in increasingly controlling ways, and secrets from both of their pasts start to surface.
Louise soon uncovers shocking connections between Adele’s mysterious behavior and David’s hidden life, including ties to events Louise never imagined. Each revelation deepens the tension, building toward a series of twists that challenge everything Louise believes about the people around her.
Stream it on Netflix
‘Karma’
Six strangers become connected by a chain of events they could never have predicted, each forced to face the consequences of choices that spiral out of control. A man drowning in debt hatches a plan to claim his father’s life insurance, while a woman confronts a fear she has long tried to avoid. Meanwhile, a reckless driver’s attempt to cover up a hit-and-run sets off a dangerous game of blackmail.
As their lives intersect, secrets and lies unravel, exposing hidden connections and forcing each character to reckon with the fallout of their actions. The series builds to a tense and unpredictable climax, where every decision comes back around in shocking ways.
Stream it on Netflix
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