3 exciting Netflix thrillers to watch this week (July 27-August 2)

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Jul 27, 2026, 2:00 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. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Kevin Hart has become one of Netflix's most valuable stars. His latest comedy movie, 72 Hours, quickly shot to No. 1 on Netflix, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Perhaps one of these thrillers will surge into the Top 10 this week. With an epic like The Odyssey now in theaters, my top selection is another epic historical action film, but this time, it's set during the Viking age. My other two picks are an MCU Spider-Man entry and a wild chase movie from Michael Bay. All three movies can be streamed in the U.S. 3 Ambulance Michael Bay doing Michael Bay things Love him or hate him, Michael Bay is unapologetically himself. The filmmaker has a distinct style he brings to every project. Whether it's fast cuts and breakneck pacing or loud explosions and chaotic action, Bay always seems to bring a little "Bayhem" to his movies. Ambulance is an action thriller that plays the hits many Bay fans have come to know and love. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeNew Netflix movies and shows in July 2026Trivia challenge From Enola Holmes to Heartstopper Forever — how much do you know about Netflix's biggest July 2026 arrivals? MysteriesDramaRomanceReality TVAdaptations Begin Enola Holmes 3 brings back Millie Bobby Brown as the young detective. Who plays her famous older brother Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film series? ABenedict CumberbatchBHenry CavillCTom HiddlestonDKit Harington Correct! Henry Cavill plays Sherlock Holmes alongside Millie Bobby Brown's Enola in the Netflix film series. Cavill brings a warmer, more brotherly interpretation to the iconic detective than many previous portrayals. Not quite — it's Henry Cavill who plays Sherlock Holmes in the Enola Holmes Netflix films. While Benedict Cumberbatch is famous for playing Sherlock in the BBC series, Cavill takes on the role in this franchise. Continue Netflix's Little House on the Prairie is a reimagining of a beloved classic. The original television series, which ran from 1974 to 1983, was based on the autobiographical book series written by whom? ALouisa May AlcottBLaura Ingalls WilderCWilla CatherDL.M. Montgomery Correct! Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the beloved Little House book series based on her own childhood experiences settling on the American frontier. Her books have inspired generations of readers and multiple screen adaptations. The correct answer is Laura Ingalls Wilder, who drew on her own pioneer childhood to write the Little House series. Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, while L.M. Montgomery is known for Anne of Green Gables — easy mix-ups! Continue Heartstopper Forever is the concluding chapter of the beloved Netflix series. Heartstopper is based on a graphic novel series created by which author? ARainbow RowellBDavid LevithanCAlice OsemanDBecky Albertalli Correct! Alice Oseman created the Heartstopper graphic novel series, which began as a webcomic before becoming a bestselling book series and the basis for the hugely popular Netflix show. Oseman also wrote the screenplay for the adaptation. The Heartstopper graphic novel series was created by Alice Oseman, who also serves as a writer on the Netflix adaptation. Rainbow Rowell and Becky Albertalli are both celebrated LGBTQ+ YA authors, but this particular story belongs to Oseman. Continue Ransom Canyon is a Netflix drama adapted from a series of Western romance novels. Which author wrote the Ransom Canyon book series on which the show is based? ANora RobertsBJodi ThomasCDiana GabaldonDKristin Hannah Correct! Jodi Thomas wrote the Ransom Canyon series, a collection of Western romance novels set in the Texas Panhandle. Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author celebrated for her richly drawn Texas settings and multigenerational stories. The Ransom Canyon novels were written by Jodi Thomas, a celebrated Western romance author known for her Texas-set stories. Kristin Hannah and Nora Roberts are both massively popular romance authors, but Ransom Canyon belongs to Thomas's catalog. Continue Worst Neighbor Ever is a Netflix reality series. Based on its title and premise, what type of content does the show focus on? AHome renovation disasters caused by feuding neighborsBTrue stories and accounts of extreme, outrageous, or nightmare neighbor disputesCA competition where neighbors compete to win cash prizes for their communityDA hidden camera prank show staged in suburban neighborhoods Correct! Worst Neighbor Ever dives into real-life stories of outrageous and extreme neighbor conflicts, exploring just how bad living next door to the wrong person can get. It taps into a universally relatable fear with dramatic real-world cases. Worst Neighbor Ever is a Netflix reality series centered on true stories of extreme and outrageous neighbor disputes — not pranks or renovation competitions. Neighbor conflict content has proven hugely popular with streaming audiences drawn to real-life drama. Continue Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is a Netflix survival documentary. What distinguishes documentary survival content like this from scripted survival dramas on streaming platforms? ADocumentary survival content uses actors trained in wilderness skillsBIt is based on real events and features the actual people who lived through themCDocumentary survival shows are always filmed in real time as events unfoldDThey are produced exclusively for linear television before streaming release Correct! Survival documentaries like Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea are grounded in real events and typically feature the survivors themselves recounting their harrowing experiences. This authenticity is a key part of their appeal compared to scripted survival dramas. The defining quality of a survival documentary like Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is that it's based on real events and features the actual people involved — not actors. Documentaries reconstruct events after the fact rather than filming them live as they happen. Continue 72 Hours is a Netflix thriller arriving in July 2026. Thriller titles using a specific time frame — like 72 Hours — are a well-established genre convention. How many days does a period of 72 hours represent? A2 daysB4 daysC3 daysD5 days Correct! 72 hours equals exactly three days. The use of a tight, specific time window in a thriller title like 72 Hours immediately signals urgency and a race-against-the-clock narrative, a proven formula for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. 72 hours equals three days — not two or four. Thriller titles that use countdown time frames are a classic genre device designed to signal urgency and tension from the very first moment an audience sees the title. Continue The Hawk is a Netflix drama series arriving in July 2026. 'The Hawk' as a title or nickname is often used in storytelling to suggest what kind of character archetype? AA deeply empathetic healer or caretaker figureBA sharp, watchful, and predatory or highly focused individualCA comic relief character known for clumsinessDA romantic lead defined by vulnerability and openness Correct! The hawk as a symbol traditionally evokes sharpness, keen observation, speed, and predatory focus — qualities often assigned to intense protagonists, skilled hunters, detectives, or dangerous antagonists in drama and thriller storytelling. The hawk as a symbolic archetype typically represents sharpness, vigilance, and predatory focus — not warmth or vulnerability. It's a title that immediately signals a protagonist or central figure defined by intensity and acute awareness of their surroundings. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again War veteran Will Sharp needs money—and a lot of it—to pay for his wife's surgery. Will turns to his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), a career criminal, for help. Danny decides to rob a Los Angeles bank, and Will agrees to be the getaway driver. The heist goes haywire, forcing the brothers to take an EMT (Eiza González) hostage and escape in an ambulance. It then becomes a chase movie between the Sharp brothers and the police, as they try to outrun the cops in Los Angeles. Bay delivers on his Bayhem with sweeping helicopter shots, thunderous explosions, and exciting chase sequences. Like many of Bay's movies, Ambulance can be a little ridiculous. Admittedly, not everyone is going to love Gyllenhaal's intensity and boisterous nature. For a Bay fan like myself, Ambulance is a riveting watch. Roku Ultra $81.95 $99 Save $17.05 Connectivity luetooth, Ethernet, HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi 2 Spider-Man: Homecoming Peter Parker gets a solo movie in the MCU It's a big week for Tom Holland. While The Odyssey dominated theaters, Holland's next Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, opens on July 31. Holland's Spider-Man movies have undoubtedly taken the character to new heights to the point where he's arguably the most popular character in the MCU. While he debuted in Captain America: Civil War, Holland's first crack at the character in a solo outing came in Spider-Man: Homecoming. After fighting alongside the Avengers in Germany, Peter Parker (Holland) returns to high school in New York City. However, Peter still feels like he has a duty to protect the city as a friendly neighborhood version of Spider-Man. Peter soon discovers the criminal activities of Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), who moonlights as the villainous Vulture. Despite Tony Stark's warnings to stay away, Spider-Man gets in over his head and tries to stop Toomes by himself, leading to an epic showdown. Spider-Man: Homecoming is essentially a coming-of-age story for the beloved superhero. It's clearly inspired by the John Hughes movies of the 1980s. However, it's also a Spider-Man movie, and Holland is a pretty darn good Peter Parker. Marvel couldn't have asked for a better start to Holland's solo journey in the MCU than Spider-Man: Homecoming. 1 The Northman Robert Eggers tackles the Vikings ​​​​​​​ In terms of production design, Robert Eggers is one of the best filmmakers at transporting the audience into a specific world. Eggers truly understands folklore, as evidenced with films like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Nosferatu. The same can be said for The Northman, Eggers' Viking epic about honor, family, and revenge. As a child, Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak), the heir to the throne, witnesses his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang) murder his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke). Amleth vows to avenge his father before escaping an attempt on his own life. Years later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) locates Fjölnir's village in Iceland and learns his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), had a child with Fjölnir. Remembering his vengeful oath, Amleth begins wreaking havoc on Fjölnir's estate and sets his sights on avenging his father. Eggers does not hold back on the brutality. The Northman is an extremely violent depiction of Viking folklore, which is to be expected in a revenge story. Compared to his earlier movies, Eggers certainly leveled up on The Northman in size and scale. Per usual, Eggers is a master at world-building—his attention to detail is exquisite. After seeing The Northman, I hope that Eggers will one day make a contemporary revenge thriller set in the modern world. Until then, I'll keep enjoying Eggers' genre films. More movies for your streaming watchlists Streamers are about to add a plethora of movies at the top of next month. For now, add some classic movies like Casablanca and Terms of Endearment to your watchlists. Plus, check out The Martian on Prime Video if you can find IMAX tickets to The Odyssey. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four