When it comes to movies, spoilers are the absolute worst. Knowing what's going to happen in the next scene or the next act can ruin the tension and drama and the fun of a slamming revelation.
That's why we're so drawn to movies with exciting plot twists—the kind that make us buzz with predictions like "It might be this!" or "It might be that!" until something we don't expect comes up.
With a great storyline and extraordinary plot twists, a movie can be thrilling and worth watching. Here are some of the best movies on Netflix with plot twists and unexpected events!
15. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
Directed by Julius Onah
Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl
Action, Adventure, Horror (1h 42m)
This movie has an experiment-gone-wrong atmosphere to it, centering on scientists who are sent out into space to conduct a project.
In terms of problems that might arise, the only possible thing we could expect is the failure of the space station and being drifted far from Earth. No one expected an interdimensional connection between multiverses to occur in this movie.
14. In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Directed by Jim Mickle
Starring Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Michael C. Hall
Action, Crime, Mystery (1h 55m)
In the Shadow of the Moon is one of those movies that mixes crime investigators with paranormal phenomena. The usual outcomes are one of two: either the case remains unsolved or the detectives resort to using paranormal methods to catch the culprit.
Instead, we have a scenario where every nine years—for the rest of his life—the investigator chases an extraordinary case that costs him his life, family, career, and friends.
The movie tackles a futuristic approach to changing a whole nation by eliminating those who might start a small movement that will eventually ruin the entire country if left unchecked.
13. Unlocked (2023)
Directed by Kim Tae-joon
Starring Chun Woo-hee, Im Si-wan, Kim Hee-won
Crime, Drama, Mystery (1h 57m)
Unlocked is a South Korean film based on the Japanese novel of the same name. It centers on Lee Na-mi (played by Chun Woo-hee), whose life is turned upside-down when her phone is infected by spyware.
It's a thrilling exploration of how hackers infiltrate their victims' personal lives and ruin everything with advanced technology.
However, the real plot twist happens at the end of the story, leaving us with a disturbing truth about the psychopath who ruined several people's lives, including Na-mi's.
12. The Guilty (2021)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard
Crime, Drama, Thriller (1h 30m)
Netflix's The Guilty is an American remake of the Dutch original. Even without gunfights and car chases, this crime thriller packs a lot of drama and action within one intense workplace setting.
The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Joe Baylor, a 911 operator who answers a distress call from a woman named Emily.
His attempts to help rescue the abducted woman are fraught with peril, and the major plot twist in the latter half shifts the course of the story to something much bigger that no one expected.
11. Glass Onion (2022)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson
Comedy, Crime, Drama (2h 19m)
Mystery and detective films are packed full of plot twists around every corner, as every deduction leads to new information, new perspectives, and new motives for every potential suspect.
Glass Onion, the sequel to Knives Out (2019), is no different. In fact, it's one of the best modern whodunit films worth watching.
Glass Onion follows the story of renowned investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) after he's invited to a tech billionaire's island for a murder mystery game night.
He's not the only one who's invited, however, and even if he's able to solve the murdery mystery game, there's a darker and more threatening mystery that engulfs everyone on the island.
10. Eli (2019)
Directed by Ciarán Foy
Starring Charlie Shotwell, Kelly Reilly, Max Martini
Drama, Horror, Mystery (1h 38m)
If you're into horror movies and feel like nothing has really quite thrilled you lately, you should watch Eli. It's the story of a young boy with a peculiar illness that causes him to keep away from everything—even the air he breathes needs to be inspected.
As the story goes on, in a clinic full of doctors who are said to be experts on his case, a creepy and disturbing story lurks behind the curtains: the secret of the boy, the hospital, and his parents are eventually revealed in unexpected twists of dark fantasy.
9. In the Tall Grass (2019)
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
Starring Laysla de Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Patrick Wilson
Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi (1h 41m)
Being lost in the woods is a scary experience for anyone, but being lost in a field of tall grass with no sure escape can be much worse.
This thriller movie features a field that changes all the time, every minute, every second, making one's sense of direction meaningless and obliterating one's survival instincts.
The story is quite unique with its combination of betrayal, time loop, creepy figures, and psychotic killer all in one place with no exit.
8. Fractured (2019)
Directed by Brad Anderson
Starring Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Lucy Capri
Drama, Thriller (1h 39m)
Fractured is a story that brings life to dissociative amnesia and gives it a whole new meaning. The thrills and events in this movie will surely raise the hairs on your neck right up to the end of the story.
It all starts with a man who brings his daughter to a hospital for an X-ray, and that launches a series of events dripping with suspicion. It all ends with him getting his family back, but with an unexpected thrill.
7. His House (2020)
Directed by Remi Weekes
Starring Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba
Drama, Horror, Thriller (1h 33m)
His House is a film about a man who's granted the opportunity to live in a community and leave his former life. In it, he's given a house—one that's more than good enough for starting again with his wife—but they eventually run into a series of unexplained occurrences.
The story runs deep into traditional culture and beliefs that show a curse is behind everything that's happening to them, in line with denial, guilt, and conscience.
6. Don't Listen (2020)
Directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández
Starring Rodolfo Sancho, Ana Fernández, Ramón Barea
Adventure, Drama, Horror (1h 37m)
Here's another horror film that'll have you glued to your seat. Don't Listen features a family who regularly changes their residence because their father's line of work demands it.
At first, the movie seems to carry a typical family-murder theme because of the eerie background and huge house, but as the story progresses, you can see that there's more to it.
You'll find elements that relate to European witchcraft and its history, which give a more uniquely thrilling experience to the film.
5. Awake (2021)
Directed by Mark Raso
Starring Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos
Action, Adventure, Drama (1h 36m)
Awake is an interesting movie that features a world deprived of sleep. With all people losing their ability to think properly due to lack of rest, chaos and turmoil flood the community.
This movie also features a mother who tries her best to survive along with her two kids, with one being the answer to the catastrophic sleeplessness epidemic that's ravaging everyone.
4. The Discovery (2017)
Directed by Charlie McDowell
Starring Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, Robert Redford
Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi (1h 42m)
No matter what you think about the afterlife, The Discovery will have you thinking. This movie is about an alternative history where science has proven the existence of an afterlife.
For many, this discovery leads them to commit suicide in the hopes that they'll find better happiness in the afterlife. For the rest who remain on Earth, the world looks a lot different than it used to be.
In the end, The Discovery asks: "What would you do for someone you love?" And that makes the story exciting up to the end.
3. Forgotten (2017)
Directed by Jang Hang-jun
Starring Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol, Moon Sung-keun
Crime, Mystery, Thriller (1h 48m)
Forgotten is a South Korean psychological thriller film that's truly a work of art when it comes to suspense and its unexpected plot twists.
Starring Kang Ha-neul as Jin Seok, Forgotten is about a man who's living happily with his family when everything is suddenly upended.
There's a forbidden room in a newly acquired house, which is where the mysteries begin. As the story goes on, big secrets start to unfold about a mysterious murder that happened in the past.
2. Sightless (2020)
Directed by Cooper Karl
Starring Madelaine Petsch, Deniz Akdeniz, Matthew Yang King
Drama, Thriller (1h 29m)
As the title suggests, Sightless centers on a woman who's blind. But she wasn't born this way. She lost her sight after an assault.
Accompanying her and helping her adapt to her new life is a hired male nurse who's pretty good at his duties as a caretaker.
So, what about the plot twist? Well, Sightless comes in big with a Truman Show-esque spin, except this one's far more mysterious and threatening than The Truman Show was.
It's up to her to figure out who among her acquaintances is the mastermind. Is it the detective? The nurse? Or the rude neighbor?
1. The Mist (2007)
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden
Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller (2h 6m)
The Mist is one of the most classic film adaptations of a Stephen King story. With its darkly ominous plot that's full of terrors but not so much gore, The Mist is one of the best horror films.
The bulk of the film takes place in a shopping center where townspeople are trapped after a mysterious fog envelops the town. Why can't they leave? Because the fog is swarming with hidden dangers and frightening creatures.
As the locals try to work together—which isn't easy as everyone has their own ideas of what to do—they must survive until help arrives... assuming there's any help on the way.
There are several twists in The Mist, not to mention that it has one of the most devastating endings in cinema history.
