From thrillers, horror and action to cult classics and music films, these Peacock picks offer viewers something memorable for every kind of movie night.
When Peacock arrived in 2020, many viewers saw it as the place to revisit The Office for the hundredth time. Since then, the streaming platform has grown into something much bigger, with original series, beloved television favorites, and a film library that deserves more attention. Its movie selection may not be as vast as some rival services, but there is still plenty worth adding to your watchlist. From crowd-pleasing blockbusters and unsettling horror films to international action titles and acclaimed indie dramas, Peacock offers something for every mood. If you need a break from Scranton, these 10 films are a great place to start.
1. Monkey Man (2024)
Director: Dev Patel
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash
Dev Patel steps into the action genre with the same fierce focus that Keanu Reeves brought to John Wick, but Monkey Man has its own bruised and burning identity. Patel makes his directorial debut while playing an orphan driven by grief, rage, and a need to settle old scores. The film delivers brutal underground fight scenes and sharp bursts of violence, including a memorable kitchen sequence that refuses to hold back. Yet it is more than a revenge thriller. Hindu spiritual imagery, political unrest, and the lasting weight of trauma run through its story, giving the action a deeper purpose. Patel brings intensity to every frame, creating a film that is raw, stylish, emotional, and impossible to ignore.
2. Get Out (2017)
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut remains one of those films that deserves a full cinema crowd, a dark room, and the shared tension of people reacting together. Seven years after its release, Get Out still hits with the same force. It is sharp, unsettling, funny in the most uncomfortable moments, and packed with ideas that stay with you long after the credits roll.
Peele blends horror, satire, and social commentary with remarkable control, creating a story that works as both an entertaining thriller and a pointed look at race, privilege, and performance. Every detail has a purpose, from the awkward conversations to the growing sense that something is deeply wrong. The film helped push modern horror into a new space, where genre stories could be thrilling, meaningful, and widely celebrated at the same time. Get Out did not follow the usual horror formula. It created a new one, and it remains essential viewing today.
3. Do the Right Thing (1989)
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing remains one of the most powerful films ever made about race, anger, and life in America. Set across one scorching day on a Brooklyn block, the film keeps its world small, but its message reaches far beyond the neighborhood. Lee captures the tension between people who live side by side yet struggle to understand each other, showing how everyday frustration can build into something devastating. The film is bold, funny, painful, and deeply human. Its characters are full of life, flaws, pride, and contradictions, which makes every moment land harder. Years later, the questions around race, inequality, and social progress still feel urgent. Do the Right Thing is essential viewing, and its impact has never faded.
4. Promising Young Woman (2020)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie
Before Saltburn divided audiences with its wild, glossy excess, Emerald Fennell made Promising Young Woman, a debut that was just as bold and far more unsettling. Carey Mulligan delivers a brilliant performance as Cassie, a former medical student carrying the pain of what happened to her closest friend. By night, she places herself in dangerous situations to expose men who believe they can take advantage of vulnerable women.
What begins as a personal form of justice becomes more complicated when Cassie reconnects with someone from her college years. The film moves between dark comedy, thriller, romance, and tragedy, never allowing the viewer to settle into one easy response. It is stylish, sharp, and deeply uncomfortable, with a story that keeps challenging your assumptions. Promising Young Woman may leave you shocked or even frustrated, but it will also leave you thinking about it long after it ends.
5. The House Of The Devil (2009)
Director: Ti West
Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov
A cash-strapped college student accepts a babysitting job at an isolated country house, only to realize that the person she is meant to watch may not be a child at all. The setup sounds like a lost slasher film from the VHS era, and that is exactly what makes Ti West’s The House of the Devil so effective. Set in the 1980s, the film recreates the look, pacing, and uneasy atmosphere of low-budget horror from that decade with impressive detail. West lets the tension build slowly, using long silences, dim rooms, and growing suspicion instead of rushing towards easy scares. The result is a creepy and committed throwback that feels like it was pulled from an old video store shelf. By the end, you may need a moment to remember what year you are in.
6. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Director: James Foley
Cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin
Glengarry Glen Ross turns a New York real estate office into a ruthless battlefield, where every deal could save a career and every failure could end one. David Mamet adapts his Pulitzer Prize-winning play with sharp dialogue, relentless tension, and a cast that is impossible to look away from. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey bring the pressure to life as salesmen pushed to compete, manipulate, and survive. The film has the energy of a corporate survival game, except the weapons are sales leads, insults, and pure desperation. Mamet’s writing cuts deep, exposing ambition, fear, and the ugly side of workplace competition. It is intense, darkly funny, and packed with unforgettable lines.
7. M3GAN (2023)
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng
M3GAN takes the classic killer doll idea and gives it a glossy AI-era upgrade. It is a horror comedy that knows exactly how ridiculous it can be, balancing creepy moments with campy fun and a wicked sense of humor. The film became a major hit because it delivered scares without taking itself too seriously, while also giving the internet plenty to talk about.
Allison Williams plays Gemma, a toy designer who suddenly becomes responsible for her orphaned niece, Cady. Struggling to connect with the grieving child, Gemma introduces her to M3GAN, a lifelike robot designed to be a friend, protector, and substitute caregiver. At first, the bond seems like the perfect solution. Soon, M3GAN’s need to protect Cady becomes intense, possessive, and dangerous. Her version of care crosses every possible line, turning a helpful invention into a terrifying force that refuses to back down.
8. Prince: Sign o’ the Times (1987)
For anyone who never saw Prince perform live, Sign o’ the Times comes remarkably close to capturing that electric experience. Filmed during the tour for his ninth album, the concert film blends explosive stage performances with brief, unusual narrative scenes. Much of it was shot on a Paisley Park soundstage, but the energy never feels limited by the setting. Prince commands every moment with his charisma, musicianship, and unmistakable style. The performance footage alone makes this essential viewing for fans.
9. Bernie (2011)
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey
Jack Black steps far away from his usual comic persona in Richard Linklater’s darkly funny Bernie. He plays Bernie Tiede, a soft-spoken funeral director in the small town of Carthage, Texas, whose charm wins over nearly everyone around him. Things take a strange turn when he kills a difficult widow played by Shirley MacLaine, and the town responds with surprising sympathy for him. Based on a true story, the film finds humour in the absurdity of the case without losing sight of its darker side. Linklater makes it even more memorable by including interviews with real Carthage residents, whose comments are often stranger and funnier than fiction. Black gives one of his most layered performances in this unusual and entertaining film.
10. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge
Dave Bautista proves once again that he is far more than a former wrestling star in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin. His performance gives the thriller its real weight, bringing a strange mix of gentleness, fear, and conviction to a character who could have easily become one-note. Bautista plays Leonard, the leader of a group that arrives at a family’s holiday cabin with an impossible demand. They claim the family must make an unthinkable sacrifice to stop a global disaster.
The story grows increasingly tense as the group tries to convince the family that the threat is real. Even when the plot takes a few uneven turns, Bautista remains completely compelling. He makes Leonard terrifying because he seems sincere, which gives the film a disturbing emotional edge.
Set your weekend with any of these, and you won’t regret a minute!
