If you’re more into gritty thrillers than weepy romance flicks and jovial comedies, then you’re in the right place.
Amazon Prime Video has countless offerings in the thriller genre, with something for anyone depending on your preference, whether it be crime, sci-fi, or the more supernatural.
So, whether you’re after a film so suspenseful you won’t even want to get up for the bathroom, or a plot twist that will stick with you for days to come, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our recommendations for the best dark thriller movies to watch with your Prime Video subscription – and thank us later.
Heretic (2024)
We know and love Hugh Grant as Bridget Jones playboy Daniel Cleaver and bumbling Prime Minister David in Love Actually.
In Heretic, however, he takes on a first for his career, delving more into the psychological horror-thriller realm that’s certainly a far cry from Paddington or Wonka.
Co-starring Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes and Chloe East as Sister Paxton, the plot follows the two Mormon missionaries who knock on the door of eccentric Mr Reed (Grant) and soon wish they hadn’t agreed to go inside.
While he initially entices them with the promise of blueberry pie and expresses a keen interest in the Church of Latter-day Saints, his true intentions are ultimately exposed when the girls become trapped and must rely on their faith to help them escape… alive.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Boasting an impressive ensemble cast led by Hollywood icons Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, Nocturnal Animals follows a wealthy art gallery owner forced to confront a series of disturbing truths about her marriage.
While her handsome second husband is away, Susan (Adams) is shaken by the manuscript of her ex-husband’s new novel, despite not having seen him in years.
As she reads further, she reexamines the past and also begins to see similarities with her current relationship.
Described by audiences as ‘gorgeous’ and ‘harrowing’, despite being 10 years old, Nocturnal Animals remains a firm favourite of the genre.
Saltburn (2023)
If you haven’t watched Saltburn, you probably still know of that nude scene involving Barry Keoghan or the infamous bathwater-drinking saga that even led to Jacob Elordi-scented candles hitting small businesses.
The online discourse and memes aside, though, Saltburn does, would you believe, have a story.
Also starring Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan, the dark comedy thriller is set in Oxford and Northamptonshire, focusing on a university student who is invited into the fold by a popular aristocratic peer with an eccentric family.
As he heads to their estate for the summer, it’s safe to say he won’t forget it in a hurry.
Black Bear (2020)
Described as ‘intriguing’ and ‘unexpected’, Black Bear sees Aubrey Plaza at the ‘top of her game’, as praised by critics.
The story follows a filmmaker in search of solace at a remote lake house while pursuing a new work of art.
However, the rural retreat ultimately summons her internal demons, and Allison (Plaza) becomes entangled in another couple’s complicated relationship.
Known for her past roles in Parks and Recreation, The White Lotus, and Dirty Grandpa, among others, Plaza was highly commended for her lead performance, hailed as ‘provocative’, ‘sensual’, and ‘her best role yet’.
The Assessment (2024)
If the dystopian sci-fi branch of thrillers is more your style, then The Assessment could be your ideal next watch.
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, and Himesh Patel, the relatively new release is set in the future where, due to overpopulation, parenthood is strictly controlled.
As a result, couples must undergo intense live-in assessments over seven days to determine whether they are suitable to raise a child.
Over the course of the week, the assessment unravels into a psychological nightmare, and the hopeful parents begin questioning society as they know it.
Ma (2019)
It’s no secret that Octavia Spencer delivers a powerhouse performance as Sue Ann in Ma.
The psychological horror-thriller film sees the lonely, middle-aged woman befriend a gang of teens. She lets them party in her basement, buys them alcohol, and is essentially, in their eyes, the coolest adult ever.
At Ma’s house, pretty much anything goes – except they are forbidden from going upstairs.
As things progress, the friendship group ends up being terrorised by Ma and unable to escape her fixation. While her house was once their safe haven and the most fun place on Earth, it becomes a thing from their nightmares.
Following huge success – like grossing $61.2million (£45.7m) against a $5m (£3.7m) budget – and thanks to its cult following online, a sequel is in the works.
Dead of Winter (2025)
You’ve seen her in Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee, and Matilda, but this recent project from Dame Emma Thompson is bound to give you shivers.
Released just last year, Dead of Winter is still fresh for you to discover, also starring Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, and Laurel Marsden.
At the helm, Dame Emma plays a grief-stricken widow who stops by a remote cabin after getting lost on the back roads of Minnesota in, you guessed it, the depths of winter.
Upon discovering a couple holding a young woman hostage, she finds herself fighting for her own survival – but she’s also the victim’s only hope.
Play Along (2024)
Play Along tells the disturbing tale of a relentless captor preying on young women. Using costumes, he forces them into deadly games of psychological warfare.
But he isn’t used to them fighting back.
So, when 17-year-old Skylar becomes the first to outsmart him, a battle of wits ensues in a thrilling quest for survival.
Reviews previously compared the film to James McAvoy’s Split (2016), with online commenters saying they were ‘shook’ by the action.
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