3 exciting Netflix thrillers to watch this week (August 17-23)

Published Aug 16, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT After graduating from Marist University with a degree in communications and journalism, Dan Girolamo has over 10 years of experience writing about entertainment and sports. Dan's work can be seen in various publications, including Digital Trends, SportsCasting, and Tom's Guide. Throughout his career, Dan has interviewed several high-profile filmmakers and creatives, including Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Caitriona Balfe, Frank Grillo, Miranda Cosgrove, Jai Courtney, Chris Columbus and James Cameron. Dan joins How-To Geek as a Senior Editor. When he's not writing about entertainment, Dan is either watching a movie or praying for the New York Knicks to win a championship. This week is all about intellectual property. The three thrillers on the list are part of long-running franchises. Some of them are certainly scarier than others, so if you love horror, you'll appreciate several of these picks. Our top selection is a direct sequel to a zombie movie from a beloved dystopian franchise. The second movie on this list was released 25 years ago. Compared to what the racing franchise has become, it's almost hard to believe what the first film was about. The last pick is a legacy sequel to a teen horror movie from the 1990s. Check out all three movies on Netflix U.S. 3 I Know What You Did Last Summer Beware of the hook The success of 1996's Scream reinvigorated the slasher genre. One year later, Scream writer Kevin Williamson penned the script to I Know What You Did Last Summer, where a hook-wielding fisherman stalks four teens who covered up a murder the summer prior. It's a bit silly at times, but it's a fun slasher with a star-studded cast that doesn't take itself too seriously. I wish more movies were like that. 28 years later, the slasher returned with a legacy sequel bearing the same title. 2025's I Know What You Did Last Summer returns to Southport, where a new group—Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), Danica (Madelyn Cline), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), and Teddy (Tyriq Withers)—covers up a deadly car accident. One year after the crash, the group is stalked by a new killer who "knows what they did last summer." To defeat the Fisherman, the group turns to original survivors Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) for help. I Know What You Did Last Summer clearly wants to pay homage to the original by following a similar formula. Some people might find it repetitive, but it's not different from other legacy sequels. Fans of the 1997 movie should give it a watch, especially to see Hewitt and Prinze back in the franchise that made them stars. 2 The Fast and the Furious We learned to live our lives a quarter mile at a time I can't hide my bias on this one. I love The Fast and the Furious franchise. Yes, I understand that people will say how ridiculous these movies have gotten over the years. I have no argument, especially after they made the head-scratching decision to go to space. However, this franchise was humming for the first seven movies. Since it's the 25th anniversary of the franchise, it's time to go back in time and watch The Fast and the Furious. LAPD officer Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) is asked to go undercover to find the criminals hijacking trucks and stealing the electronics off the back. The suspicion is that these criminals might be involved in the street-racing community. O'Connor manages to befriend Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), the leader of his crew and an elite street racer. Dom takes Brian under his wing, and the two form a special bond. However, Brian is a cop who has a job to do. Ultimately, he must choose between his job and his new friends. I honestly miss the story beats of The Fast and the Furious: showcasing fast cars and depicting electrifying races. It's Point Break with cars, and that's more than OK. You can tell that Walker and Diesel formed a genuine brotherhood, and it shows in their performances. I hope Fast Forever returns to its roots and crafts a more grounded story like the first movie. 1 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple An invigorating sequel I was shocked by how much emotion 2025's 28 Years Later packed. Here's a movie about the Rage Virus outbreak, so you expect to see a bunch of infected people running around and killing everyone. Don't worry, the infected remain as vicious as ever. However, it turns out the film is much more interested in how humans grieve and handle loss, becoming a beautiful meditation on death. Again, I didn't expect it from a movie where someone's head gets ripped off. Less than a year later, 28 Years Later received a rip-roaring sequel, The Bone Temple. After surviving the events in the first film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is forced to follow Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) and his cult of crazed lunatics ("the Fingers"). As Spike travels with the Fingers, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) begins experimenting with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), an infected Alpha leader, in the hopes of making a breakthrough. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is nastier and gorier than its predecessor in the best ways possible. Though the Academy would never reward these performances, Fiennes and O'Connell are doing some of the best work of their careers. O'Connell was born to play a villain and adds another character to his impressive list of memorable roles. What else should I watch this week? If you liked The X-Files, then I have good news. Chris Carter recut The X-Files: I Want to Believe and reinserted scenes the studio made him take out, resulting in more of a horror movie. It's now streaming on Hulu. Elsewhere, I'm also heading to Prime Video for Reacher season 4. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four