This eerie Netflix thriller made me never want to go to a hospital again

(Image credit: Netflix)

I’ve always been someone who avoids hospitals whenever possible. I blame the (literally) cold atmosphere and the unnerving sense of being in a place that feels sterile and strange. So when I stumbled on the Netflix thriller "Fractured," with its claustrophobic, paranoia-fueled hospital setting, I was instantly intrigued.

Sam Worthington stars as a father whose daughter is injured in a freak parking lot accident. He and his wife rush her to a nearby hospital, where things soon go terribly, terribly wrong. What really drew me in was the name behind the camera: Brad Anderson, the director of unsettling gems like "Session 9," "Vanishing on 7th Street" (a criminally underrated personal favorite), and the Apple TV series "Invasion," which I’ve been meaning to check out.

What is 'Fractured' about"

The story opens with a tense car ride. Ray (Sam Worthington) and his wife Joanne (Lily Rabe) are driving home from an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner, bickering about their marriage — specifically, Ray’s temper — while their daughter Peri (Lucy Capri) tunes them out with her headphones in the backseat.

FRACTURED | Official Trailer | CAN YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY? | Netflix - YouTube

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They pull over for a quick pit stop, and while Joanne and Peri duck into the bathroom, Ray waits by the car. When they regroup, Peri’s toy mirror has gone missing. Joanne goes to search for it, while Ray checks the car, neither noticing that Peri has wandered off. She’s soon confronted by a menacing stray dog, inching backward toward a deep construction pit.

Ray sees her just in time to intervene, but chaos follows. He lunges, the dog snarls, and both he and his daughter fall into the pit. The world blurs. When he comes to, his wife is distraught, but Peri is breathing, just barely. They rush to the nearest hospital.

From here, the tension tightens like a vise. The receptionist treats their emergency like an inconvenience. The staff asks strange, invasive questions about insurance and organ donation. Finally, Joanne takes Peri for X-rays while Ray waits behind.

And waits ....

When he finally goes to check on them, the staff insists there’s no record of his wife or daughter ever being admitted. As Ray pleads for help, his panic spirals into paranoia, and the audience is left to wonder: Is the hospital hiding something sinister, or is Ray unraveling before our eyes?

Why you should stream 'Fractured' on Netflix

"Fractured" is one of those thrillers that keeps you second-guessing everything you see. Is Ray delusional? Are we watching a cover-up? Or is the truth something far darker than either?

Worthington delivers one of his most compelling performances in years—a man desperate to protect his family, but haunted by a past he can’t quite escape. His confusion feels raw and real, anchoring the film’s slippery reality.

Visually, the movie is striking. Anderson turns the hospital into a maze of flickering fluorescents, dim corridors, and shadowed faces—every corner heavy with dread. Even seasoned thriller fans may catch the twist before it lands, but that won’t dull its impact.

By the time the truth hits, you’ll want to go back and watch again, just to see all the pieces you missed. "Fractured" isn’t just a psychological mystery—it’s a slow descent into madness, and it’ll leave you questioning what’s real long after the credits roll.

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Nicole Pyles is a writer in Portland, Oregon. She loves movies, especially Lifetime movies, obscure TV movies, and disaster flicks. Her writing has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Mental Floss, WOW! Women on Writing, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and more. When she isn't watching movies, she's spending time with family, reading, and writing short stories. Say hi on Twitter @BeingTheWriter.

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