Cillian Murphy's Forgotten 2011 Horror Thriller On Prime Video Will Leave You Stressed Out

As 2025 draws to a close, most of us will be trawling through endless lists of Christmas movies to stream in search of something new (before giving up and revisiting Buddy the Elf and Kevin McCallister for the billionth time). Then there are those of us who like a little horror with our holiday entertainment, and there are plenty of great Christmas horror movies to choose from. If, however, you're looking for something dark but not outright horrifying this December — perhaps a solid thriller set in one location with a compelling cast — then "Retreat" is ready and waiting for you over on Prime Video.

"Retreat" is a psychological thriller starring Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton, and Jamie Bell. It was the directorial debut of Carl Tibbetts, who has since directed episodes of Netflix's "Hemlock Grove" and "Black Mirror," including the chilling episode that inspired "Severance." Before all of that, however, he started out with "Retreat," which he also co-wrote with journalist and author Janice Hallett.

The 2011 British film follows Murphy and Newton's unhappy couple as they try to mend their relationship with a secluded getaway on a remote island. Things descend into chaos and paranoia, however, when a strange man washes up on the shore of the island and claims that a global pandemic is wiping out the population. If that sounds like a jolly old time for Christmas 2025, the movie is now streaming at no extra cost on Prime Video and is entirely free over on Tubi.

"Retreat" isn't quite as gripping as Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams' psychological thriller "Red Eye" but it's worth a look as many aspects of the film are really well done. The cast are typically great in their roles and Tibbetts does a great job of maintaining a tense atmosphere throughout — which, given the intriguing premise of this thriller, probably wasn't all that difficult. 

Cillian Murphy and Thandiwe Newton play Kate and Martin Kennedy, an emotionally wounded and distant couple who try to mend their relationship by going on vacation together. In order to truly focus on their relationship, they've picked a cottage on an otherwise uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland, which should have provided them with the ideal secluded oasis in which to nurture their fraying love. Instead, things very quickly devolve into a nightmare.

As the couple are ferried over to the island by cottage owner Doug (Jimmy Yuill) we learn that Martin's cell phone has lost service, reinforcing just how isolated the couple will be on their trip. So, when Jamie Bell's Jack Corman shows up out of nowhere claiming the world is being decimated by a deadly airborne virus, there's absolutely no way to tell if he's telling the truth or not. The wounded former soldier is taken in by the couple and quickly transforms from a helpless figure in need of shelter to a sinister madman, barricading the trio in their cottage as they try to avoid a horror that may or may not even exist in the outside world. Of course, the real horror eventually emerges from within...

"Retreat" premiered at the 2011 Fantasia Film Festival before being given a limited theatrical release in the United Kingdom and the United States that same year. But it largely flew under the radar, and has since remained as isolated as the trio of beleaguered shut-ins it follows. Now, however, it's available on Prime Video, which is otherwise offering Dwayne Johnson's 2024 Christmas flop "Red One" — a movie you should definitely skip in favor of "Retreat."

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a score of 62%, based on 13 reviews, which isn't half bad for a film nobody remembers. In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave "Retreat" three out of five stars, describing it as "a neat, well-crafted three-hander" that makes "good use of its location." Most of his praise is reserved for Jamie Bell, who "lets rip in what might be his most eye-catching part since 'Billy Elliot.'"

Letterboxd has similarly middling reviews. "Retreat" managed a 2.8 average score, with one user lamenting, "The things I watch for Cillian Murphy." Still, many enjoyed the movie, with another user describing it as "a wild Covid-like tale" that "keeps you guessing if this man is telling the truth or is a total nut job."