While many would argue that nothing good ever happens after the sun goes down, let’s consider a different take: Nighttime is the best time. The world is quiet, you have some time to yourself, and there are endless possibilities hidden around every corner — you know, in a not-sinister kind of way! Or in a sinister way, depending on how you roll. Nobody is judging when it’s this late at night.
The characters (and creatures) in the movies and shows below embrace the evening and make it their own. Whether you’re looking for a drama or thriller that leans into the darkness, a comedy that gets its gags in the dead of night, or a documentary about the world’s many nocturnal beasts, there’s something for you streaming on Netflix.
Moody and packed with scenes in smoky, sumptuous clubs, this thriller centers on two siblings in New York City’s high-pressure nightlife scene. Vince (Jason Bateman) is a debt-ridden gambler and Jake (Jude Law) is an up-and-coming restaurateur. Just as one brother is about to launch his new hotspot, the other opens the door to old traumas and new dangers that threaten to bring down everything they’ve built. Black Rabbit is a propulsive thrill ride and character examination about the way an unbreakable bond between two brothers can shatter their world and everything in its orbit.
Can you make it through a few evenings with the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza gang? One year after the events of the first film, the heroic tale of security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) has been twisted into a new urban legend. But when Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio) — who has no idea of the horrors her animatronic pals Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy have wrought — sneaks out to meet up with the gang, she sets off a new series of terrifying events that reveal the true origin of Freddy’s. Matthew Lillard (He’s All That), Mckenna Grace (Scooby-Doo: Origins), and Skeet Ulrich (Riverdale) also star.
In director Antoine Fuqua’s claustrophobic thriller, Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead) plays Joe Baylor, an LAPD officer working the night shift as a 911 operator. He takes a distress call from a woman (Riley Keough) who claims she’s been abducted by a man who will soon kill her. As the police work to track the woman down, Joe uncovers more details about her life — and grows more unsettled the longer the night goes on. The film, which is a remake of the Danish thriller of the same name, also features voice work from Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone), Peter Sarsgaard (Wormwood), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Rustin), and Paul Dano (Okja).
Jake Gyllenhaal is clearly the king of late-night watches. Director Dan Gilroy’s Oscar-nominated flick follows Louis “Lou” Bloom (Gyllenhaal), who stumbles into a career as a ragtag journalist in Los Angeles. He takes to the streets and begins recording shocking and often grisly crimes. His gruesome work catches the attention of a morning news director (Rene Russo), who encourages Lou to chase increasingly intense stories in order to get the exclusive and up her station’s ratings. But Lou’s nocturnal escapades soon lead him down a darker path than he intended. Riz Ahmed (Relay) and Bill Paxton (Aliens) also star.
In this psychological thriller, Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) plays Lynette, a woman who’s been diligently saving up to buy the home she rents in Portland, Oregon, only to find that the $25,000 she’s amassed has been spent by her mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The film traces Lynette’s moves over the course of one evening as she desperately tries to secure the funds and save her family from eviction before the clock runs out. The adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s novel also features Stephan James (Selma), Randall Park (Always Be My Maybe), and Julia Fox (Him).
Nighttime doesn’t have to be scary. This three-season sitcom is a reboot of the eponymous 1984 series and stars Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) as Judge Abby Stone, the new magistrate for Manhattan Criminal Court’s night shift. Her father, Harry Stone, once sat on the same bench (in the original series), and Abby is determined to prove she can swing the same gavel. She’s joined in her oversight of New York City’s most oddball cases by cheerful bailiff Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous (Lacretta) and a cast of other eccentric court denizens, portrayed by India de Beaufort (Slumberland), Kapil Talwalkar (The ’Burbs), and John Larroquette (the original Night Court).
While you animal lovers are snuggled up in your homes, let narrator Samira Wiley’s dulcet tones guide you on a journey most humans never get to see. This gripping limited docuseries uses high-tech cameras to capture some of the crispest, clearest footage of nocturnal animals in recorded history. For the first time, people get to see what animals truly do at night. From tree frogs leaping between leaves on muggy jungle nights to bear cubs snuggling in pitch-black subzero temperatures, Night on Earth is an adventure you can’t miss.
