True Crime Thrills and Supernatural Chills: Your Must-Stream Picks!

This week offers a strong mix of high-stakes tension and historical intrigue, led by the harrowing true-crime retrospective Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, alongside the evocative documentary Breakdown: 1975 and the supernatural mystery of Beneath the Light.

If you are looking for a feature-length experience that fits neatly into a single evening without the bloat of a multi-part series, these 90-minute picks represent the best of what is currently surfacing for UK subscribers.

For those who value a story told directly by the person who lived it, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart on Netflix is essential viewing.

Clocking in at 91 minutes, this documentary moves away from the tabloid sensationalism of the early 2000s to let Smart herself recount her nine-month abduction and the resilience that followed. It is a frank, powerful piece of filmmaking that manages to be both deeply difficult and profoundly inspiring.

Elsewhere this week, Netflix offers a dive into the cultural landscape with Breakdown: 1975. Narrated by Jodie Foster and directed by the Oscar-winning Morgan Neville, this 90-minute cinematic essay explores how a year defined by political and economic turmoil birthed some of Hollywood's grittiest masterpieces, from Taxi Driver to Network. It’s a treat for film history buffs who want a fast-paced look at how real-world chaos becomes art.

If you are in the mood for something with a supernatural chill, Beneath the Light on Prime Video provides a classic slow-burn mystery. The story follows a young man taking a job at an abandoned lighthouse, only to find the isolation playing tricks on his sanity as a haunting apparition from his past begins to surface. For a more historical take on the "haunted house" genre, Borley Rectory: The Awakening is also worth watching on Prime Video, dramatising the chilling events that led to a Victorian mansion being dubbed the most haunted house in Britain.

Also worth watching is Murder in Monaco on Netflix, which unpacks the bizarre 1999 death of billionaire banker Edmond Safra. For those after something lighter or more traditional, Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas on Disney Plus offers a thoughtful, documentary-style look at the journey of Mary and Joseph.

For fans of pure genre thrills, the "90-minute" runtime is a gold standard for horror. Mile 666 on Prime Video takes a hiker’s journey across the Appalachian Trail into a terrifying obsession, while Traction Park Massacre delivers a high-concept slasher set in the ruins of a haunted amusement park. If you prefer your tension grounded in action, Project Assault and the psychological horror Sculpture—which follows an artist’s descent into psychopathic terror—ensure that your Friday night remains thoroughly unsettled.

Where to watch this week:

Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart – Streaming on Netflix

Breakdown: 1975 – Streaming on Netflix

Beneath the Light – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas – Streaming on Disney Plus

Murder in Monaco – Streaming on Netflix

Borley Rectory: The Awakening – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Mile 666 – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Traction Park Massacre – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Dead Before Christmas – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Project Assault – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Sculpture – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video