If a weekend marathon of edge-of-your-seat suspense sounds like your kind of fun, Paramount+ has you covered. Its library of dark thrillers runs the range from twisting psychological mind games to tense survival stories, all diving deep into obsession and the darker sides of human nature.
What really sets Paramount+ apart is how strong it is for thriller fans, with a mix of classics and originals you’ve (probably) never heard of. This weekend, it’s the perfect time to explore some of the platform’s most gripping offerings. From shocking twists to stories that stick with you long afterwards, there’s no shortage of movies worth streaming.
Here are five of the best dark thrillers to stream on Paramount+ right now.
‘Zodiac’ (2007)
Kicking off the list is David Fincher’s “Zodiac,” widely regarded as one of the finest mystery thrillers ever made. The film follows the intense hunt for the notorious Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Fans of the real case know the killer was never caught, leaving the story a chilling, unresolved mystery. Instead of neatly tying up the story, Fincher immerses viewers in the tense, uneasy atmosphere that gripped San Francisco during those years.
“Zodiac” follows a decades‑long investigation into the real‑life Zodiac Killer, who murdered local residents and taunted authorities with cryptic letters and ciphers. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a political cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle who becomes deeply involved in the case. He works alongside reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and San Francisco police inspectors Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) as they attempt to piece together clues and identify the elusive killer.
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‘Strange Darling’ (2024)
Easily one of 2024’s most underrated thrillers, “Strange Darling” is a movie where appearances are deceiving at every turn. Structured in six non-linear chapters, just as you start to piece the story together, it flips expectations and delivers a stunning revelation that will leave your jaw on the floor. Beyond its shocking twists, the film is a showcase for Willa Fitzgerald, whose performance is brilliant from start to finish. Her co-star Kyle Gallner is equally impressive.
“Strange Darling” centers on two people known only as The Lady (Fitzgerald) and The Demon (Gallner), whose chance one‑night encounter in rural Oregon quickly spirals into a deadly series of events. Told across six non‑linear chapters, the story begins with The Demon chasing The Lady, before flashing back to reveal the encounter that set everything in motion. The film’s fractured structure pieces together their connection and the shocking consequences of their interaction.
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‘Nocturnal Animals’ (2016)
Split between the protagonist’s real life and the story within a novel, “Nocturnal Animals” walks a tricky line and pulls it off brilliantly. Tom Ford delivers a gripping neo-noir thriller with a strong cast, intense storytelling, and a carefully crafted style. The film’s final act is perhaps the strongest part, leaving a lasting impression that I still remember. Ford’s visual approach is especially striking since it evokes the same tension as filmmakers like David Fincher and the Coen Brothers.
“Nocturnal Animals” follows Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), a Los Angeles art gallery owner whose life feels distant and unsettled. She receives a manuscript for a novel written by her estranged ex‑husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), whom she hasn’t seen in nearly two decades. As she reads the manuscript — titled Nocturnal Animals — the film shifts into the story within the book, where a man named Tony Hastings (also played by Gyllenhaal) and his family experience a terrifying turn of events on a West Texas road trip.
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‘Significant Other’ (2022)
Maika Monroe has become the modern scream queen to fans of thrillers and horror, building a reputation from the 2014 cult hit “It Follows” to 2022’s psychological thriller “Watcher,” always facing off against creepers and creatures. So I was intrigued to discover a Monroe film I hadn’t come across before: “Significant Other,” a Paramount+ original. There’s some bloody action to watch for, but the way the film gradually reveals who to root for adds a clever twist, carried convincingly by the performances of the two leads.
“Significant Other” focuses on Ruth (Monroe) and her long‑term boyfriend Harry (Jake Lacy), who set out on a remote backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest. Starting out as an outdoor adventure, it quickly takes a dark, unexpected turn after a strange red object falls from the sky and something unseen begins inhabiting the woods around them. As the couple makes their way through the forest, eerie discoveries and unsettling encounters force them to confront dangers they never anticipated.
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‘The Road’ (2009)
While its bleak, unsettling story might not be everyone’s idea of nearly two hours of entertainment, “The Road” stands as one of the great films of the 21st century. It’s a deeply emotional, gripping, and edge-of-your-seat movie that will leave a lasting impression if you let it. Exhausting to watch yet strangely exhilarating to experience, it’s the kind of film you may only watch once but will never forget, and a must-see for anyone who appreciates thoughtful, artfully crafted cinema.
“The Road” follows a father (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit‑McPhee) as they journey across a bleak, post‑apocalyptic America after an unspecified catastrophe has devastated the world. With scarce food and resources, they travel toward the coast in hope of finding safety, pushing a cart of scavenged supplies and facing the constant threat of violent marauders and other desperate survivors along the way. Their odyssey takes them through abandoned towns and dangerous encounters as they strive to stay alive.
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