Top 6 Psychological Thrillers To Watch On Netflix In May 2020

So we've got another month to go before the lockdown ends in Singapore, but don't worry - we've got you covered! Honestly, I've been watching SO many psychological thrillers on Netflix during the Circuit Breaker that it's started to make me paranoid and give me nightmares. Totally worth it though, and I really recommend that y'all start watching some of them.

The list below consist of movies and shows that I've personally watched (yes, I watched all of them) on Netflix during the lockdown, and they're all thrilling/ creepy/ disturbing/ WTF in their own unique way. Watch alone if you'd like, but I recommend you to find someone to watch with because - you know, it can get scary.

Note: Also, for some reason, all movies on this list starts with "The". It's purely coincidental.

1. The Stranger (TV series)

I don't know why this movie isn't that popular, because it's SO GOOD. Starring Richard Armitage, the British thriller starts off with a man approached by a Stranger, and she tells him a secret that leaves a devastating impact on his life and marriage. This secret is so huge that he confronts his wife about it, and she eventually goes missing.

I loved this show so much and it's hands down the most binge worthy on this Netflix list. There's only 1 season, and each episode is about an hour long. The show also has amazing cliff hangers at the end of every episode, and I just couldn't help it but continue watching.

Expect a lot of twist and turns, and have seemingly innocent, harmless characters turn out to be the twisted bad guy. I also love how the finale manages to tie everything together almost seamlessly. After the show, you may be going to bed feeling a little disturbed, but at least all your questions will be answered.

Watch The Stranger trailer here.

2. The Gift (Film)

Jason Bateman seems to constantly be in psycho-thrillers and crime dramas such as Game Night, Ozark, and The Outside - but I'm not complaining. When I found out that he was starring in The Gift, I immediately added it to my Netflix list.


The story starts with a couple who is intimidated by a figure of the husband's past, who starts delivering gifts and keeps dropping by unannounced. The ending is quite disturbing, and it left me feeling pretty uneasy after watching the movie, which to me is a good thing because that's the feeling these kind of shows should elicit in me.

The Gift is also based on the alleged psychic experiences of the show writer's mother, and I think it makes this show even creepier.

Watch The Gift movie trailer here.

3. The Invitation (Film)

I hate reunion dinners. Not the CNY kind, but the high-school reunion kinds. Of course, it's mainly because of my social anxiety, but more importantly, reunions are where shit gets stirred.

Of course, that's the case of this movie - The Invitation. And if you think a reunion with friends is terrifying enough, imagine a reunion dinner with your ex-wife.

a w k w a r d

Anyhoo, the movie starts off with a man attending his ex-wife's dinner party, and he brings along his girlfriend. We then find out that he and his ex-wife separated after their child's death. During the dinner, he relives all this trauma and slowly becomes suspicious that she has ulterior motives for inviting him.


And ulterior motives indeed! This movie was just batshit crazy, and I screamed a lot. Do expect to see blood too, because shit's gonna hit the fan.

Watch The Invitation movie trailer here.

4. The Sinner (TV series)

This is another amazing show that my boyfriend and I binged so much that we ended up sleeping at 6 in the morning for days. It's that good. There are 3 seasons in total, and a 4th season is currently in the making. Unfortunately, Netflix is only showing Season 1 and 2, so you gotta pubfilm Season 3.


The Sinner is essentially a murder series, and follows a detective called Harry Ambrose who goes on to solve weird, out-of-this-world cases season by season. So yes, each season tells the story of a new murder, whether it's a young boy murdering a couple, or a troubled woman who doesn't know why she stabbed a mean to death. The murders are often so mysterious, and you won't be able to guess WTF is happening until the very last episode.


There are also some psychological elements to the story, touching on certain mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, psychopathy, and (maybe?) schizophrenia. I'm a psych student and I loved relating the show to stuff I learned.


I also recommend watching the show in this order - Season 2, Season 1, Season 3. Also, if you need some motivation to watch Season 3 since it's not on Netflix, well - Matt Bomer's in it.

Watch The Sinner Season 1 trailer here.

5. The Perfection (Film)

I was a bit reluctant to include this show in the list because I'm not sure if it was good or just plain disturbing. Honestly until now, I'm still having PTSD from the show. It was just disturbing, gross, creepy, insane, and in a nutshell a whatthefuckisgoingon kind of film that made me want to wash my eyes after that.

An it's not just me, because The Perfection was reported to even make viewers physically ill. I can't make this up.


The movie involves music - which we know is creepy when used right - and portrays a troubled musical prodigy and a new star pupil who fall in love and embark down a sinister path. If you like seeing people puke maggots and chop off each other's arms, this is the movie for you!

Watch The Perfection trailer here.

6. The Platform (Film)

There are a lot of shows nowadays talking about privilege and social inequality, and there's no better time than now - which is during the pandemic - to reflect on these societal issues. The Platform is a Spanish movie, and is set in a large "Vertical Self-Management Center". Here, residents are fed via a platform that is filled with food from the top floor, and this food gets less and less as the platform descends.


This show gets you in the bad feels because it's fiction, but at the same time a very accurate of how society is today. I won't explain much, just watch it yourself!

Watch The Platform trailer here.

So that concludes the list of my favourite psycho-thrillers on Netflix. I apologise in advance for the lack of sleep y'all will be getting, and I hope you have more pleasant dreams than the ones I had!



Love this post? Feel free to share and comment below or check out my other TV show review here.