Thrillers are currently dominating Netflix’s weekly top 10. The Whisper Man, which was one of our top movies to watch in August, remains at No. 1. The Secret Woman and Ready or Not also landed in the top 10, so thrillers are of interest to subscribers at the moment.
Lucky for you, I have three more thrillers that you can add to your Netflix queue. The first movie combines two things I love: rom-coms and slashers. The next movie is directed by one of Paramount’s most prolific creators. Finally, the top spot this week belongs to one of the greatest sequels ever made.
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Heart Eyes
If you see the mask, run
Where do you stand on slashers? For me, I like when the genre mixes in some comedy. That’s why Scream is my favorite horror movie of all time. I’d much rather have some laughs with Ghostface than spend any time with Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. Heart Eyes takes the genre one step further by adding romantic comedy elements to the horror premise. So you get some romance, laughs, thrills, and kills—that’s a full menu of entertainment.
It’s Valentine’s Day in Seattle, and love is in the air. Fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend, Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt) agrees to a work dinner with Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding). Little do they know that the Heart Eyes Killer (HEK) has been observing them. Who is HEK, you ask? It’s a killer wearing a heart-eyed mask who has spent the last few years murdering couples on Valentine’s Day. HEK has selected Ally and Jay as its next targets, and the masked killer hunts the duo for the rest of the night, terrorizing anyone who gets in his way.
It’s more of a Valentine’s Day massacre in Heart Eyes, as director Josh Ruben embraces its slasher roots. You’ll be surprised by how many people die by the end of the 97-minute movie. That being said, the rom-com elements are highly effective, so there’s something to satisfy everyone.
Heart Eyes
- Release Date
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February 7, 2025
- Director
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Josh Ruben
- Writers
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Michael Kennedy, Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon
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Those Who Wish Me Dead
Taylor Sheridan returns to the movies
Name a popular show on Paramount+, and odds are it comes from Taylor Sheridan. This year alone, Sheridan created The Madison, and executive produced the Yellowstone spin-off Dutton Ranch. Now is when I make my confession: I enjoy Sheridan’s movies more than his television shows. Sheridan wrote Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River, directing the latter as well. I prefer those three movies over the Paramount+ shows.
Speaking of movies, Sheridan wrote and directed 2021’s Those Who Wish Me Dead, an action thriller set in the Montana wilderness. After failing to save a group of people during a fire, smokejumper Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie) has isolated herself in a fire lookout tower. While on the lookout, Hannah discovers Connor (Finn Little), a young boy on the run from two assassins (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult) who killed his father (Jake Weber). Connor is now in possession of damning evidence against the assassins’ boss, putting him in danger. It now becomes a race to keep Connor alive long enough to get him to the authorities before the assassins kill him.
Sheridan’s knack for gritty action is on display in Those Who Wish Me Dead. The movie drew comparisons to a 1990s thriller, and I couldn’t agree with that comparison more. This 100-minute thriller is packed with suspense and action. The movie originally premiered in theaters and on HBO Max as part of Project Popcorn, but I have a feeling it will be rediscovered by Netflix audiences.
Those Who Wish Me Dead
- Release Date
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May 14, 2021
- Director
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Taylor Sheridan
- Writers
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Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, Taylor Sheridan
1
Aliens
James Cameron doing James Cameron things
Sci-fi changed with Alien. It’s easily one of the 10 greatest movies in the genre, and it completely reinvigorated sci-fi horror. When it came time to do a sequel, why would any filmmaker try to follow in the footsteps of Ridley Scott? If that director tried to replicate the success of the first film, it would have immediately failed. Thankfully, 20th Century Fox turned to James Cameron, who was fresh off The Terminator and unafraid of a challenge.
After surviving the events of the first film, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who has been in stasis for nearly 60 years, is saved by a salvage ship. Ripley is asked to accompany the Colonial Marines to moon LV-426, where the Weyland-Yutani Corporation has lost contact with a colony of humans. Against her better judgment, Ripley agrees and embarks on the trek to LV-426. Considering what Ripley eventually learns about the colony, she probably wished she had stayed in space. Ripley and the Marines only find one survivor—a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn)—before facing off against their worst nightmare: aliens, and a lot of them.
Once Ripley and the Marines arrive on the exomoon, Aliens becomes a pedal-to-the-metal thriller. It’s still scary, but Cameron smartly pivoted to fast-paced action sequences backed by dazzling special effects and memorable characters. Aliens is my pick for the best movie in the franchise. Ripley joins the pantheon of great action heroines. I’d quote her most famous line, but I don’t want to get in trouble for swearing.
More movies and shows to add to your watchlists
Right now, I’m trying to take in as much Emmys content as I can. I would put The Pitt, Pluribus, and Widow’s Bay on the must-watch list before the 2026 Emmys. If you need a new show for the weekend, try Crew Girl on Netflix or The Drop: A Snowfall Saga on Hulu.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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Two or four