Stream away the March movie blues with great suspense thrillers

The mid-March blues are officially in full swing, film fans. If this post-Oscar, pre-summer netherworld of humdrum movie releases has got you down, it might be a good time to catch up on some home viewing.

Nothing can cure this feeling quite like a solid, enthralling suspense thriller, so here’s some recommendations for new releases on Blu-ray, Netflix and Amazon Prime:

Criterion has the best back-catalog around, and many of its titles are now streaming on iTunes and Hulu Plus, but “Don’t Look Now” is still brand new to their collection, so it’s only available on Blu-ray right now. This creepy gothic thriller has influenced an entire generation of filmmakers and is regularly included on critics’ “best of” lists of classic horror/suspense films.

Released in 1973, it stars Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as a couple mourning the loss of their daughter in a drowning accident. A business trip to Venice only heightens their pain, and weird things start to happen.

Director Nicolas Roeg highlights the couple’s growing unease with a non-linear editing style that mirrors their own alienation and leaves the viewer emotionally spent.

Netflix

On Netflix streaming right now, the thrillers section is mostly a cesspool of forgotten films, straight-to-DVD releases, or b-movie knockoffs of Hollywood titles, like “Curse of the Zodiac.” (You can be cursed into becoming a serial killer?)

That said, there are a handful of straight-up classics available to stream now, like “Taxi Driver,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” and “The Crying Game,” so if you haven’t seen those yet, do yourself a favor and put them in your queue straight away.

But Netflix also has some fantastic newer, under-the-radar movies from last year. “The Two Faces of January” is an adaptation of a novel by hard-boiled writer Patricia Highsmith (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”), and it stars Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst as an American couple vacationing in Greece in 1962. Oscar Isaac plays mysterious stranger who is either fleecing them or helping them out of trouble. It’s a great daylight noir with some surprising turns.

Jeremy Saulnier’s directorial debut “Blue Ruin” is a revenge thriller, but don’t let that turn you off. This independent feature is as taut and nerve-wracking as they come, especially because the more you learn about its lead character, the more out of his depth he seems.

“The Double,” starring Jesse Eisenberg as an office drone in a grim alternate reality, is as much a dark comedy as it is a thriller. Writer/director Richard Ayoade based the film on the novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Depending on your interpretation, it either has elements of magical realism or Eisenberg’s character has suffered a crippling psychological break, because he is suddenly competing at work with an identical version of himself.

More recommended from Netflix:

• “Following,” the low-budget, black-and-white debut crime film from Christopher Nolan.

“A Simple Plan,” a neglected Sam Raimi neo-noir starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton.

“Amores Perros,” the debut film from Oscar-winning “Birdman” director Alejandro González Iñárritu.

“Funny Games,” Michael Haneke’s controversial and meta 1997 spin on the home invasion genre — not the 2007 remake.

“Tell No One,” a twisty French mystery with several layers of murder and intrigue.

“With a Friend Like Harry,” a darkly comic film about an old high-school friend turned stalker.

“Manhunter,” the Michael Mann-directed adaptation of Thomas Harris’ “Red Dragon,” and the first screen appearance of Hannibal Lecter, played here by Brian Cox (also available on Amazon Prime).

“Headhunters,” a heist film directed by Oscar-nominated “The Imitation Game” director Morten Tyldum (also available on Amazon Prime).

“You’re Next ,” a fun, twisty home-invasion thriller from both the writer and director of “The Guest” (also available on Amazon Prime).

Amazon Prime

The best movie of 2014, Jonathan Glazer’s brilliant and disturbing “Under the Skin,” is currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime, along with two other chilling soon-to-be classics.

“Coherence” is a fascinating low-budget indie that stretches a bizarre premise (the effect of a passing comet on a dinner party) as far as it can go, while limiting its focus. It’s a smart strategy because it lets the mind-bending screenplay do the heavy lifting, avoiding the need for multiple locations and special effects.

“Borgman” also stems from psychological terror, as if it were borne out of the nightmare of mothers everywhere. A stranger worms his way into the trust of a family, but he clearly has ulterior motives in this allegorical thriller, which was the Dutch entry for the best foreign language film at the 2014 Oscars. This one will haunt you. Here’s more.

More recommended from Amazon Prime:

“Mother,” a dark tale that defies expectations from “Snowpiercer” director Bong Joon-ho.

“We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Lynne Ramsay’s divisive tale about a mother (Tilda Swinton) at the end of her rope.

“Timecrimes,” a modest time-travel movie that’s helped by its limited scope.

“The Grifters,” a crackling Jim Thompson adaptation about a con man with mommy issues, starring John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening.