If you missed some of October’s thrillers, there are plenty worth catching up on. From the courtroom tension of Pooja Meri Jaan and Emraan Hashmi’s dangerous mission in Awarapan 2 to the political pressure of The Diplomat Season 4, these movies and shows bring crime, horror, espionage and suspense.
10 Best Thrillers of October 2026 (Movies & Shows)
1. Pooja Meri Jaan (ZEE5)
Pooja finds herself accused of abetment after a man whose feelings she rejected dies by suicide. Lawyer Sana agrees to defend her even though she has a personal connection with the dead man, making the case difficult on both a legal and emotional level. The thriller puts grief, responsibility and the search for justice at the centre of Pooja’s fight.
2. Sardar 2 (Prime Video)
Veteran RAW operative Chandra Bose, known as Sardar, is brought back from exile when a dangerous new threat emerges. He joins forces with his RAW-agent son Vijay Prakash to stop Black Dagger, a mercenary group led by Yoganandan, who plans to unleash a deadly bio-chemical weapon linked to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Karthi plays both father and son in this Tamil spy action thriller.
3. Reporting Live (Netflix)
Journalist Sandhya and veteran cameraman Vinod begin investigating illegal sand mining and soon discover links to a powerful criminal syndicate. Gathering evidence becomes increasingly dangerous, but the pair continues pursuing the story despite the threat around them. Parineeti Chopra and Deven Bhojani lead the investigative thriller with Shekhar Suman, Adil Hussain and Amol Palekar.
4. Awarapan 2 (Prime Video)
Former gangster Shivam Pandit is living near an orphanage while carrying the pain of his past when a young girl named Aaliyah disappears after a fake adoption. He learns that she has been taken into a human-trafficking network, and an Interpol officer asks him to infiltrate an Indian mafia family in Bangkok. Emraan Hashmi returns as Shivam for a dangerous rescue mission involving abducted children.
5. Carrie (Prime Video)
After losing her father, sheltered teenager Carrie White enters public high school and becomes the target of relentless bullying. At the same time, powerful telekinetic abilities begin emerging, pushing her towards an increasingly dangerous breaking point. Mike Flanagan adapts Stephen King’s novel, with Summer H. Howell as Carrie and Samantha Sloyan as her controlling, deeply religious mother Margaret.
6. Inside the Circle (Netflix)
The murder of popular actress Pamela Dosantos and the leak of a damaging video place four childhood friends, now influential public and political figures, in serious danger. Blackmail, institutional silence and a widening conspiracy begin closing around them, with the trail reaching powerful levels of the Mexican government. This political thriller is adapted from Jorge Zepeda Patterson’s novel Los Corruptores.
7. Below (Netflix)
Fisherman Calvin Penney lives in a remote Newfoundland town that suddenly faces attacks from a mysterious creature in the sea. When his son begins showing frightening symptoms connected to the threat, Calvin works with marine biologist Fonda Howander to discover what is hiding beneath the water. Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton lead this coastal survival thriller.
8. Khalifa: The Ruler (Prime Video)
Aamir Ali’s ordinary life as a textile shop owner collapses after corrupt politicians frame his honest father in a major gold-smuggling case and leave the family facing financial ruin. Searching for a way to protect them, Aamir learns that his estranged grandfather was once a powerful figure in the gold underworld. He eventually enters that dangerous world himself, building an international smuggling empire while facing enemies and pursuing revenge.
9. Animals (Netflix)
A politician campaigning to become mayor of Los Angeles is thrown into crisis when his son is violently kidnapped. He and his wife desperately try to arrange the ransom, but their decisions begin revealing secrets that could destroy the family they have carefully protected. Ben Affleck directs and stars alongside Kerry Washington in this tense crime thriller.
10. Eyes (SonyLIV)
Police officer Tina Sebastian investigates disturbing stalking cases with help from mental-health professionals studying obsessive behaviour. As the cases become more threatening, the investigation examines how affection can cross into control, fear and violence. Kani Kusruti leads this Malayalam psychological crime thriller.
Bonus: The Diplomat Season 4 (Netflix)
Kate Wyler faces another political crisis as international tensions and changing alliances make her diplomatic role even more difficult. With Grace Penn now president, Kate must handle sensitive negotiations while her relationship with Hal remains strained by the collision between professional duty and personal loyalty. Keri Russell, Allison Janney and Rufus Sewell return for another season of shifting power and difficult political choices.
If crime investigations, political conspiracies, psychological danger and survival stories are your kind of thrillers, these October releases are well worth catching up on.