It is now October, which means it is basically Halloween. As a film and TV addict, that means that one of my first Google searches of the month was “new horror on Netflix.” I was not prepared for that search to direct me to one of the most terrifying shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Netflix’s new French horror series “Marianne” is a must-see for horror-obsessed and casual viewers alike.
The show follows Emma Larsimon (Victorie Du Bois), a successful horror author who discovers that Marianne, an evil spirit from her nightmares and novels, exists in the real world. After a childhood friend commits suicide, Emma returns to her hometown, where she learns that Marianne has possessed her friend’s mother (Mireille Herbstmeyer). With the help of her other childhood friends, an eccentric investigator, and a local priest, Emma must find a way to stop Marianne.
Marianne is disturbing from the very first scene, and it only gets more frightening as the series progresses. If you’re looking for a series that delivers an exceptionally high number of scares per minute, look no further. This show will give you all the suspense, jump scares, and viscerally upsetting imagery your horror-loving heart desires. On top of all this, the cliffhanger ending will leave you excited for the next season.
Good horror is terrifying. Great horror is more than that. Marianne is great horror. In addition to taking every possible opportunity to scare its viewers, the show is beautifully shot, features excellent acting, and delves into deeper personal issues that most horror films and series tend to avoid. While Emma is fighting Marianne, she’s also battling the demons of her past. As the series goes on, viewers learn about the trauma Emma endured as a teenager. And as a result, Marianne elicits more than just fear from viewers. While Marianne will make you squirm, Emma’s personal life will make you think. The series’ combination of character development and beautiful cinematography makes it a worthwhile watch for everyone — even those who don’t consider themselves horror junkies.
But Marianne is not a perfect show. While it’s a fantastic addition to the horror genre, it’s hardly a groundbreaking one. Elements of the works of Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and Stephen King are prevalent — for instance, even casual viewers know that the score’s dissonant, staccato violin parts are direct descendants of Bernard Herrmann’s score for Psycho.
The series makes use of other conventions of the genre as well. Children chanting a creepy nursery rhyme (think Nightmare on Elm Street), demonic possession (straight out of The Exorcist), and a bleak, isolated setting (The Shining, The Thing, even Alien) all appear in Marianne.
Consequently, the series is a welcome addition to the horror genre, but not a particularly imaginative one.
Of course, not every new horror film or series needs to reinvent the genre.
All it really needs to do is terrify its audience. Marianne does exactly that and more. It is a must-see for horror fans seeking something new to watch this October. And Stephen King recommended it. Enough said.
Image: Maximilian Bühn via Wikipedia