Netflix has a new No. 1 movie, but that doesn’t mean we have to be happy about it. The new chart-topper is “The Seemingly Perfect Family,” a based-on-a-true-story Lifetime thriller about an 18-year-old former foster kid (Rylee Reagan) who lies to get an au pair job, only to discover that the affluent “dream” family she’s working for is harboring deep, dark secrets.
But despite rocketing to the top of Netflix’s weekly rankings in only a matter of days (it premiered on the streamer on September 15), viewers have been equally quick to pan the new title. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, some are calling it “probably the worst movie I have ever seen,” with “predictable, awful writing and acting.”
Rather than waste your time with that kind of streaming schlock, here are a trio of Netflix thriller movies that are actually worth a watch.
'Leave the World Behind'
Written and directed by Sam Esmail, this 2023 apocalyptic thriller has a truly star-studded cast — Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon and Myha'la among them — and equally high-profile backing. (Barack and Michelle Obama are producers via their Higher Ground Productions.)
The story centers on Amanda Sandford (Roberts) and her husband, Clay (Hawke), who have planned a luxurious weekend away from the city to a Long Island rental with their kids. However, their coastal respite gets a bit less relaxing when the homeowner (Ali) and his daughter arrive in the middle of the night with news of citywide blackouts, cyberattacks and suspicions of a much larger conspiracy.
Based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, the Netflix adaptation was called “an exceptionally well-acted apocalyptic thriller” that “steadily draws the viewer in despite its leisurely pace and somewhat simplistic messaging,” by critics, per Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream "Leave the World Behind" on Netflix now
'The Occupant'
Hailing from Spain, this 2020 thriller from David Pastor and Àlex Pastor is all about the relatable pain of losing a really great apartment. Javier Muñoz (Javier Gutiérrez) was once a big-shot advertising executive with the cushy Barcelona apartment to boot. However, when he loses his job and can’t even score an unpaid internship, he and his wife Marga (Ruth Díaz) and son Dani (Cristian Muñoz) are forced to leave their palatial pad and downsize to a much smaller rental.
Javier, though, still has keys to his old place and secretly begins entering the property and growing ever more obsessed with its new occupants: businessman Tomás (Mario Casas), his wife, Lara (Bruna Cusí) and daughter Mónica (Iris Vallés).
Stream "The Occupant" on Netflix now
'Gone Girl'
![Gone Girl | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2-_-1nJf8Vg/maxresdefault.jpg)
This David Fincher classic is leaving the Netflix platform on October 1, so you have just a couple of weeks to watch Rosamund Pike's Amy Elliott Dunne exact sweet revenge on her lying, cheating husband, Nick (Ben Affleck). When his bride seemingly goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary and becomes the focus of an intense media circus, writing professor Nick is considered the prime suspect by law enforcement and the larger public.
With a searing lead performance by Pike, who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role, “Gone Girl” is one of the most iconic thrillers of the past two decades, with critics praising it as “dark, intelligent, and stylish” and successful in “bringing the best out of stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike,” per Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream "Gone Girl" on Netflix now
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