What’s New to Stream on Netflix for February 2023

Crossing the Streams is a series of columns spotlighting all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Netflix arrivals for February 2023. They include We Have a Ghost, the first two Bad Boys films, and more!

Netflix Pick of the Month for February 2023

It’s probably a bit unfair of me to make my pick of the month a title that doesn’t even premiere until the end of the month, but there was no way I wasn’t going to choose We Have a Ghost (premieres February 24th) this month. Writer/director Christopher Landon has already earned a healthy following with comedic genre gems — Happy Death Day (2017), Happy Death Day 2U (2019), and Freaky (2020) — that more than makeup for Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). His latest looks a bit more family-friendly than those other titles, but it looks no less fun. Anthony Mackie heads up a family that moves into an old house only to discover a ghost in their attic, played by David Harbour. Comedic chaos ensues as the ghost goes public, and the CIA gets involved for some unknown reason, probably related to the man’s death. Tig Notaro and Jennifer Coolidge co-star, and it looks to be good fun.

New Netflix Original Films!

We should probably expect the covid pandemic to continue popping up in films for a while to come. That’s not a bad thing as there have been a few solid movies to lean on our shared trauma, and the latest hopeful is the new Spanish thriller Infiesto (premieres February 3rd). Two detectives, already run ragged by the pandemic, become entangled in a mystery involving a woman who was thought dead. The ultimate threat is unclear, but the film appears to have a grim atmosphere that, paired with suspense and paranoia, will hopefully deliver a thrilling time.

Jessica Watson was only sixteen years old when attempting to sail around the world, and while documentaries and books already cover her journey, she’s also gotten a biopic. True Spirit (premieres February 3rd) sees Teagan Croft playing the young sailor facing trials and tribulations as she attempts an incredibly challenging journey. It’s an inspiring story, and here’s hoping a feature film captures the awe, danger, and ambition from Croft’s life.

We don’t get enough werewolf movies, so it’s always worth paying attention when a new one comes along. Viking Wolf (premieres February 3rd) is a Norwegian horror/thriller that follows a teen who moves to a new town just as a vicious murder rocks the community. She witnesses — something — and is a survivor of the attack, and it soon becomes clear that it won’t be the last. The trailer suggests a mix of practical and CG effects, and it’s happily going straight for the jugular rather than taking a lighter, comedic approach. And not for nothing, but this is Norway’s first werewolf film, and that’s something to celebrate!

More New Netflix Original Films!

Japanese filmmakers certainly didn’t invent the supernatural horror genre, but they’ve more than made it their own over the years with films like Ringu, Kwaidan, Dark Water, and more. Re/Member (premieres February 14th) looks to play around with ghostly elements, but it’s also adding in a Happy Death Day hook with a time loop trapping six high schoolers in a deadly nightmare. They’re trapped, reliving the same night, hunted by an inhuman killer until they can find a body hidden somewhere on campus. Shadows, creepy corridors, and CG shenanigans follow.

It’s not the usual career path in the film industry, but director Kim Tae-joon is making his feature debut with Unlocked (premieres February 17th) after being a character actor for the past decade. The film is a suspense thriller playing on identity theft and our lack of privacy in a modern world, and it follows a young woman who loses her smartphone only to have her life turned inside out by nefarious players. Things get deadly along the way, and by the looks of this trailer, it’s more of a serial killer situation than conspiracy romp like The Net. South Korean cinema is pretty damn reliable when it comes to dark, suspenseful thrillers, so consider this one of my more anticipated this month.

Writer/director Nathaniel Martello-White makes his feature debut with The Strays (premieres February 22nd). While I’m not entirely sure about the plot, it’s probably safe to say that it’s taken some inspiration from Jordan Peele. It looks to be a stylish thriller about a young woman living a perfect, upper-class life who begins to unravel from paranoia when two strangers arrive in town. The trailer wisely keeps things close to its chest, but race plays a role as both the lead and the strangers are Black in a community that appears predominantly white. Maybe they’re siblings she left behind? Ghosts whose demise she’s responsible for? Either way, it looks intriguing.

The Oldest New Arrival on Netflix for February 2023

The biggest complaint about Netflix these days is the streamer’s penchant for canceling shows before they’ve had a chance to build an audience, but it’s not the only one. The lack of non-branded content being added each month continues to decrease, and even the added titles tend to be newer films. Point being that Netflix is not the streamer for fans of movies more than twenty years old, and so we “celebrate” that by highlighting the oldest new arrival each month. February’s winner is Michael Bay’s Bad Boys (1995), starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami detectives tasked with protecting a witness from some tough-as-nails baddies. I’m in the minority in thinking 2020’s Bad Boys for Life is the best of the franchise so far, but this original is still a great time for action/comedy fans. If you have an extra three hours and don’t mind filmmakers ripping off Jackie Chan, Bay’s 2003 sequel Bad Boys II is also streaming this month.

The Complete Netflix List for February 2023

Follow all of our monthly streaming guides.

Related Topics: Netflix

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.