3 excellent Netflix movies to watch this week (August 31-September 6)

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Aug 31, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades. Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear. Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade. An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Netflix is set to flip its calendar over to September tomorrow, and with it comes a flood of new catalog movies to get into—including the Alien films, the whole Resident Evil pile, and dozens more. If you're a U.S. subscriber to the service, however, you might still be salivating over the 26-minute Grand Theft Auto VI preview or the chilling crime thriller Facing El Chapo. This week's picks walk the line between August and September movies. One is a murder thriller currently sitting atop the Netflix U.S. movie chart; one is a 2007 comedy that turned a Canadian stoner into a leading man; and my top pick this week is a 51-year-old fish tale that's still making people scared of the water. 3 The Whisper Man Netflix's No. 1 movie is a serial killer chiller I recently watched and wrote about the haunting and terrifying documentary Beware the Slenderman on HBO Max, and this new thriller on Netflix, currently holding at No. 1 on its movie charts since its August 28 debut, shares some of Slenderman's creepy rhymes and mythos that make it a surreal watch. The Whisper Man (the titles are even similar), however, is all fiction, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less scary. Reuniting Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton on screen for the first time since Jackie Brown in 1997, James Ashcroft’s (Coming Home in the Dark) adaptation of Alex North’s 2019 bestselling crime novel of the same name is one of Netflix’s best thrillers of the year so far. Widowed crime writer Tom Kennedy (Severance's Adam Scott) and his eight-year-old son Jake have just moved to a small town to heal and start over. But tragedy soon strikes again as the boy disappears, and it's the work of a copycat imitating a long-incarcerated serial killer known as The Whisper Man, a.k.a. Frank Carter (Keaton), whom Tom’s estranged father, retired detective Pete Willis (De Niro), put behind bars. While Pete works with Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) on the case, Tom starts to uncover some dark truths about his dad and his own past. The Whisper Man Release Date August 28, 2026 Cast Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Michael Keaton, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, Acston Luca Porto, Will Brill, Jacob Berger, Myrna Cabello, Josh Bonzie, Arsi Nami, Jen Burry, Zoya Bogomolova Runtime 106 minutes Director James Ashcroft Writers Ben Jacoby, Chase Palmer, Alex North Producers Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Michael Disco, Angela Russo-Otstot, Mike LaRocca Main Genre Thriller Studio(s) Netflix Executive Producer(s) Tim Connors, Malcolm Gray, Mike LaRocca, Elizabeth Niles, Marcus Viscidi 2 Knocked Up Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl are comedy couple gold Among Netflix’s September movie dump, Judd Apatow’s follow-up to The 40-Year-Old Virgin only cost the Freaks and Geeks mastermind $25 million to make, but grossed a powerful $220 million and rocketed Seth Rogen from giggling supporting player to giggling leading man. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeName the Judd Apatow movieTrivia challenge Think you know your Apatow classics? Use these clues to name the film before the credits roll. ComedyCastPlotQuotesDirectors Begin In this 2005 comedy, a kindhearted electronics store employee has his coworkers attempt to help him experience a major life milestone he somehow missed. What is the movie? AKnocked UpBFunny PeopleCThe 40-Year-Old VirginDPineapple Express Correct! The 40-Year-Old Virgin launched Judd Apatow's directing career into the stratosphere. Steve Carell's improvised chest-waxing scene — where his screams of pain were completely real — became one of the most iconic moments in modern comedy. Not quite. The answer is The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Steve Carell played Andy Stitzer, a sweet-natured guy whose colleagues find out his secret and make it their mission to help him out. The real chest waxing scene is comedy gold. Continue Which 2007 Apatow-produced comedy features Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as best friends trying to score alcohol for a party on the last night before they head to separate colleges? APineapple ExpressBSuperbadCStep BrothersDKnocked Up Correct! Superbad was directed by Greg Mottola and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who based the characters loosely on themselves as teenagers. The movie's hilarious fake ID — 'McLovin' — became a pop culture phenomenon almost immediately. Not quite. The answer is Superbad. Though Apatow produced it rather than directed it, the film has his fingerprints all over it. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script as teenagers, and the McLovin gag is one of the most quoted bits of the 2000s. Continue In this 2007 film, a career-focused entertainment journalist has a one-night stand with a slacker, and the two must figure out their relationship after she discovers she is pregnant. Name the movie. ABridesmaidsBThe 40-Year-Old VirginCFunny PeopleDKnocked Up Correct! Knocked Up starred Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in a comedy that balanced big laughs with genuine heart. Judd Apatow drew on his own experiences as a father and husband, even casting his real-life wife Leslie Mann and daughters Maude and Iris in the film. Not quite. The answer is Knocked Up. Directed by Apatow himself, the film starred Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl and was a massive hit. Apatow famously cast his own family — wife Leslie Mann and their daughters — in supporting roles. Continue Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play middle-aged men forced to become roommates and eventually best friends in which Apatow-produced 2008 comedy? AAnchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyBPineapple ExpressCStep BrothersDFunny People Correct! Step Brothers reunited Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly after Talladega Nights, and the duo's chemistry is on full display. Directed by Adam McKay, the film's improvised moments — like the Catalina Wine Mixer — have taken on a life of their own in pop culture. Not quite. The answer is Step Brothers. Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Apatow, the film follows Brennan and Dale — two overgrown man-children who feud and then bond after their parents marry. 'Did we just become best friends?' is one of the most quoted lines of the era. Continue Seth Rogen plays a process server who witnesses a murder and goes on the run with his marijuana dealer after the killer recognizes a rare strain of cannabis left at the scene. Name this 2008 film. ASuperbadBKnocked UpCPineapple ExpressDStep Brothers Correct! Pineapple Express blended stoner comedy with action-movie energy in a way that felt genuinely fresh. James Franco received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Saul, the lovable dealer, which surprised many who expected the film to be pure lowbrow fun. Not quite. The answer is Pineapple Express. Directed by David Gordon Green and produced by Apatow, it starred Seth Rogen alongside James Franco, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his surprisingly nuanced comedic performance as drug dealer Saul Silver. Continue A famous stand-up comedian is diagnosed with a terminal illness and hires a struggling young comic as his personal assistant in this 2009 Apatow dramedy. What is the film? AFunny PeopleBKnocked UpCThe 40-Year-Old VirginDBridesmaids Correct! Funny People starred Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen in one of Apatow's most personal films. Apatow drew inspiration from his early days living with Adam Sandler when both were struggling comedians, giving the movie an unusually honest look at fame and loneliness. Not quite. The answer is Funny People. It's one of Apatow's most autobiographical films, exploring the loneliness behind celebrity through Adam Sandler's character. Seth Rogen plays the young comic who gets a front-row seat to what fame can do to a person. Continue Which Apatow-produced 2011 comedy features the now-iconic line 'I'm ready to party!' delivered by Melissa McCarthy's character on a plane — right before things go very wrong? AKnocked UpBFunny PeopleCBridesmaidsDStep Brothers Correct! Bridesmaids was directed by Paul Feig and became a landmark comedy that proved female-led ensemble films could dominate at the box office. Melissa McCarthy's Oscar-nominated performance as Megan was a career-defining role that turned her into a major Hollywood star. Not quite. The answer is Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig wrote and starred in the film alongside a brilliant ensemble cast. Melissa McCarthy's wild performance as Megan earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress — a rare honor for a broad comedy role. Continue Will Ferrell plays a pompous 1970s San Diego news anchor with magnificent hair and an unhealthy attachment to his dog Baxter in which Apatow-produced comedy? AStep BrothersBAnchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyCFunny PeopleDSuperbad Correct! Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was directed by Adam McKay in 2004 and became one of the most endlessly quotable comedies ever made. The film was largely improvised, and so much footage was shot that a second film — Wake Up, Ron Burgundy — was assembled entirely from unused scenes. Not quite. The answer is Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Apatow, the film gave the world Ron Burgundy — a character so beloved that Will Ferrell has stayed in character for entire press tours. 'I'm kind of a big deal' never gets old. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again Knocked Up is peak Apatow, and follows Ben (Rogen), an unemployed twentysomething who spends his days goofing off with his slacker friends (including his fellow Freaks alum Jason Segel, as well as pals Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel). After a one-night stand with the out-of-his-league Alison (Katherine Heigl) results in an unplanned pregnancy, the two agree to make an honest try at a relationship. Yep, it’s a tale of growing into adulthood (mostly for Ben), full of OB-GYN visits and shopping for BabyBjörns, with Alison’s sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and brother-in-law Pete (Paul Rudd) there for comedic moral support—their strained marriage also got its own spin-off with This Is 40. Knocked Up is a hilarious watch and has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Knocked Up Release Date June 1, 2007 Cast Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, Charlyne Yi, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Joanna Kerns, Harold Ramis, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, Craig Robinson, Tim Bagley, Loudon Wainwright III, Stephanie Mnookin, Adam Scott, J.P. Manoux, Mo Collins, B.J. Novak Runtime 129 minutes Director Judd Apatow Writers Judd Apatow Producers Clayton Townsend, Shauna Robertson Main Genre Comedy Budget $30 million Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Executive Producer(s) Seth Rogen 1 Jaws Steven Spielberg’s shark masterclass swims to Netflix The reasons to add Steven Spielberg's shark classic Jaws to your weekly movie night are almost too many to list. Its haunting, Oscar-winning two-note John Williams score; iconic lines like "You're gonna need a bigger boat" that you can shout at the TV; and the greatest chomping animatronic shark you've ever seen only scratch the surface. With a 97% Tomatometer rating and several Oscars under its belt, Spielberg’s adaptation of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel was over schedule and over budget, but it defined the summer blockbuster. And with a few weeks of summer still left, the timing couldn’t be better for following Amity Island police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), who’s trying to keep Fourth of July beach goers safe from a killer Great White that’s been stalking the shores. But the town’s greedy mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) won’t close the beaches, so Brody heads out to sea with shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and unhinged hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to put an end to the massive shark’s reign of terror. All four Jaws movies arrive on Netflix on September 1. Jaws Release Date June 20, 1975 Cast Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Ted Grossman, Chris Rebello, Jay Mello, Lee Fierro, Jeffrey Voorhees, Craig Kingsbury, Phil Murray, Robert Nevin, Peter Benchley, Fritzi Jane Courtney, David Engelbach, Dorothy Fielding, Joe La Creta, Belle McDonald, Joseph Oliveira, Beverly Powers Runtime 124 minutes Director Steven Spielberg Writers Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb Producers David Brown Main Genre Adventure Website https://www.uphe.com/movies/jaws Franchise Jaws Sequel Jaws: The Revenge, Jaws 3, Jaws 2 Cinematographer Bill Butler Producer Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown Production Company Zanuck/Brown Productions Budget $7 million September movie nights just got a jolt Two of this week’s movies have been terrifying and delighting audiences for decades, while the newest release here is well on its way to ensuring none of us will be sleeping for a while. As the weather cools, we’re here with all the details on what’s good to cozy up with. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.