Matt has been writing for MovieWeb since 2021, specializing in horror, animation, and 80s and 90s films. He obtained his first degree in Media Writing from Greenwich University.
In relation to the course, Matthew spent some time writing as an intern for music and lifestyle magazine Guestlist.
Matthew also has a Masters degree in Marketing and has worked several PR jobs where writing duties included creating press releases, quotes and byline-articles.
After establishing itself as the world’s biggest streaming platform, Netflix began making original content in 2013 with original shows House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Hemlock Grove, all becoming major successes for the company. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, with thousands of original Netflix shows and movies now under its belt, including some of the biggest and most acclaimed shows of all time.
Naturally, with a catalog this vast, some shows will fly under the radar or fade into obscurity as time goes by. When it comes to thriller shows, Netflix is responsible for some of the biggest, most talked-about and revered shows of all time, including Squid Game, Money Heist, and Narcos. However, there are plenty of great Netflix thrillers, wrought with tension and brimming with psychological intensity, that, for one reason or another, failed to have the same level of lasting impact.
Whether because of algorithmic neglect, poor marketing, short-term metrics or relentless content churn, these fantastic thriller shows fell by the wayside and have been largely forgotten when they should be considered classics of the genre.
‘Bloodline’ (2015-2017)
Set down in the Florida Keys, the Rayburn family’s quiet life is turned upside down following the return of the black sheep and eldest son, Danny, triggering tension and unearthing long-buried crimes, betrayal, and moral compromises. Bloodline is a slow-burn, character-driven thriller that leans heavily into the Southern Gothic style along with neo-noir, simmering with a palpable sense of escalating tension.
Bloodline rarely lets up, keeping viewers engaged yet uneasy, perched on the edge of their seats as they anticipate where this complex and tragic anti-hero narrative will take them. Unfortunately, by the third and final season, it drowned amongst a sea of rival thriller shows. Without the “finale buzz” it deserved, it ended quietly and swiftly vanished from Netflix’s recommendation algorithms.
‘Maniac’ (2018)
Starring Hollywood heavyweights Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, Maniac is a perception-warping trip that elicits both laughter and deep contemplation. Combing sci-fi and psychological melodrama with a heavy dose of surrealism and retro-futuristic aesthetics, it follows the duo as they join a group of strangers in a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial designed to cure all their emotional ills. Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, the participants travel through a series of simulated, hallucinatory worlds where it becomes apparent that the solutions designed to “fix” them are just as broken as they are, and the world they live in.
Perhaps this kind of genre-defying, fractured narrative was always more inclined to generate cult devotion than long-lasting mainstream appreciation. Nevertheless, Maniac was met with critical acclaim and praise for its mesmerizing visuals and thought-provoking narrative. The series deserves to be in the same conversation as modern sci-fi thriller classics like Severance and Black Mirror.
‘Bodies’ (2023)
Based on the DC Vertigo graphic novel of the same name, Bodies offers a unique blend of period drama, time travel sci-fi, and noir-style mystery. When the same dead body appears in the same location in four different time periods – 1890, 1941, 2023, and 2053 – it leads to four investigations by London’s Metropolitan Police detectives that eventually become interlinked, with far-reaching consequences.
Full of twists and turns, moral quandaries and philosophical ponderings, Bodies is a sharply written, well-acted, sci-fi thriller that keeps its audience guessing until its final moments. Anchored by a typically powerful performance from Stephen Graham, primed for the global stardom he’s since achieved post-Adolescence, Bodies was a hit in its native Britain but didn’t quite live up to its potential in terms of viewership across the pond. It’s since been overshadowed by other more high-profile Graham projects.
‘The Midnight Club’ (2022)
From the wildly imaginative mind of Mike Flanagan, The Midnight Club takes place in a hospice and follows eight terminally ill young adults who form the titular club, meeting late at night to tell each other scary stories. As their bond strengthens, they make a pact that the first one to succumb to their illness will be responsible for communicating with the others from beyond the grave. The show’s overarching story is punctuated by on-screen visual retellings of many of these stories.
Flanagan has been steadily establishing a name for himself as one of the most interesting storytellers in horror. In The Midnight Club, his blend of jump scares, psychological terror, heartfelt emotion, and dark mystery has been a hit with critics, scoring an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, The Midnight Club, which broke the record for most scripted jump scares in a single episode of television at 21, was canceled after just one season. That disappointed fans and left many unresolved storylines as it gradually disappeared from the public consciousness.
‘The Society’ (2019)
After the adult population of West Ham, Connecticut mysteriously vanishes and its survivors find themselves cut off from the outside world, the town’s teenagers are left to run their own community. The Society focuses on a dangerous, Lord of the Flies-style scenario packed with tension, conflict, and, at times, violence.
Canceled after just one season due to complications as a result of the COVID pandemic, it was never really given a fair chance. Still, The Society is a great binge-watch. Additionally, since it was labeled a ‘teen drama,” it also suffered from certain deep-rooted misconceptions and many wrote it off as mere “teen fluff” despite its sophisticated storytelling, layered character building, and foreboding, darkly atmospheric setting.
‘Alias Grace’ (2017)
Traumatized amnesiac, cold-blooded killer, or a victim of circumstance? This is what Dr. Simon Jordan is tasked with establishing as he interviews Grace Marks, a young Irish domestic servant in 19th Century Canada, imprisoned for the murder of her employer and his housekeeper, a crime she claims to have no recollection of.
Scoring a near perfect 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Alias Grace wowed critics with its biting social commentary and hypnotic lead performance from Sarah Gadon. Despite this acclaim, less than a decade after its premiere, it’s as if the miniseries never existed, quietly lost in the ever-expanding pool of contemporary thrillers.
‘Marcella’ (2016-2021)
Dark and uncompromising, Marcella takes a refreshing approach to the crowded detective genre by injecting it with a healthy dose of gritty realism and psychological drama. Anna Friel delivers a ferocious, deeply committed performance as the titular detective who is plagued by blackouts, violent impulses, and a mind that she no longer trusts.
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By trading the clear-cut “good guy” detective with a more morally complex protagonist and introducing cases that confront cultural taboos, Marcella may not be as sleek and easily accessible as many of its more algorithm-friendly contemporaries. However, that certainly doesn’t mean that it’s not as good.
‘The innocent’ (2021)
One of the many Netflix Harlan Coben adaptations, The Innocent packs one heck of a punch. It follows a seemingly ordinary man whose life is thrown into disarray when a past act of violence comes back to haunt him, and he soon finds himself embroiled in a spiraling web of murder, corruption, and buried secrets. The twists are relentless, throwing curveball after curveball, keeping viewers guessing right until the end credits. It also happens to be one of the most overlooked of the recent adaptations, now largely forgotten after being overshadowed by a slew of more high-profile Coben projects.
Carried by a standout performance from Mario Casas, it’s a shame it hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves. The Innocent stands among the strongest mystery thrillers in recent years, scoring a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Was your favorite forgotten Netflix thriller on the list? Is there another one you would add that you always recommend? Let us know in the comments!
Quiz 5 Questions Rediscover Netflix’s Hidden Thriller Gems Your Top Score — Attempts — Start Quiz 0 0 Report Error
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