4 Best Netflix Horror Shows That No One Remembers

Mireille Herbstmeyer in Marianne

By Cathal Gunning Published 54 minutes ago Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Although Netflix has released plenty of iconic horror shows, some titles like Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities have been unfairly forgotten in the years since their initial arrival. Netflix’s release model is a double-edged sword, to put it mildly. On the one hand, the streaming service releases so many shows, so frequently, that there is always something new to watch.

On the other hand, this means that many perfectly good shows are forgotten for no reason other than getting buried by the algorithm. One look at the best Netflix thrillers no one remembers uncovers modern classics that were lost to time despite starring A-list talent like Andrew Scott, Emma Stone, and Jonah Hill.

Marianne

Mireille Herbstmeyer as Mrs. Daugeron in Marianne (2019).

The same fate has befallen many Netflix horror shows over the years, as proven by 2019’s Marianne. This French horror series had a killer premise, as Victoire Du Bois’ horror author Emma Larsimon was horrified to realize the fictional characters she created existed in the real world. Haunting, fast-paced, and genuinely terrifying, this horror series gripped viewers when the show arrived.

As such, it is surprising to discover that the show didn’t have the cultural staying power of Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, or even one of the streaming giant’s lesser-known efforts like The Midnight Club. Instead, Marianne appears to have vanished from the public’s imagination, despite featuring some all-time great scares and superbly ominous atmosphere.

The Watcher

Dean looking confused in The Watcher

Released in 2022, producer Ryan Murphy’s The Watcher was based on a viral article from The Cut about a still-unsolved stalking incident. The creepy story followed a couple who were persistently harassed by creepy notes from someone calling themselves “The Watcher” after they moved into a seemingly perfect home.

This story is unsettling enough in reality, but The Watcher’s all-star cast was what sold the miniseries. Featuring Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, and Rosemary’s Baby star Mia Farrow, The Watcher’s cast of characters was a surprisingly starry lineup for a strange, offbeat psychological thriller.

Unfortunately, while the identity of the titular Watcher might remain unknown, the question of why the show wasn’t remembered is less of a mystery. Since the series was adapting a story that had no real-life conclusion, The Watcher’s ending was a flop that aimed for ambiguity and landed somewhere closer to simple pointlessness.

Without a substantial conclusion for its story, The Watcher could not help but feel like something of a shaggy dog story. The many red herrings and misdirections of the series felt aimless, the goofy, suspicious supporting characters now seemed bizarre, and, in retrospect, the entire story felt lacking thanks to this weak conclusion.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

Faceless woman coming out of the water in The Haunting Of Bly Manor

Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House was always going to be a tough act to follow. Both a peerlessly affecting family drama and a genuinely terrifying horror story, the epic saga managed to straddle two very different genres and succeed admirably in both of them simultaneously.

As such, it shouldn’t be a shock that 2020’s long-awaited The Haunting of Bly Manor was criticized for both its storytelling and character work, since the show was relentlessly, unfavorably compared to The Haunting of Hill House. A re-imagining of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw, The Haunting of Bly Manor was an ‘80s period piece chiller.

The series tells the story of two young children and their nanny who, alone in a massive country estate, are besieged by a haunting presence. In the original novella, the existence of the estate’s ghosts is left tantalizingly unclear, but The Haunting of Bly Manor’s lengthy runtime meant the show needed more clarity.

This is where the series fell apart and, while not all its criticisms were founded, some were warranted. The Haunting of Bly Manor’s classism was a major misstep, while its major changes to the source material didn’t do the show any favors. However, it was ultimately the downbeat ending that ensured this miniseries was forgotten far faster than any of Flanagan’s other efforts.

Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities

Guillermo del Toro presenting a necklace in Cabinet of Curiosities

A series that truly lived up to its title, Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities was a bizarre one-off compendium of horror stories that felt like an elevated, literary spin on HBO’s classic cartoonish horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt. Introduced by del Toro himself, each of the show’s eight episodes came from a new director.

These episodes ranged in tone from The Babadook director Jennifer Kent’s mournful elegy “The Murmuring” to Mandy filmmaker Panos Cosmatos’s anarchic Hollywood Hills horror-comedy “The Viewing.” Blending horror, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery, each episode provided viewers with something truly new, often surreal, and always memorable.

Considering the star power featured in the cast of each episode and the impressive directors taking part in the project, it is tough to see why this show never spawned a second season after its October 2022 release. However, Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities seems destined to be one of Netflix’s unfairly forgotten horror efforts.

6.6/10

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Anthology Drama Horror Mystery Release Date 2022 - 2022-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Guillermo del Toro Directors Guillermo del Toro Writers Guillermo del Toro, Haley Z. Boston, Emily Carroll, Regina Corrado, Panos Cosmatos, David S. Goyer, Jennifer Kent, Henry Kuttner, Lee Patterson, Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Mika Watkins

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Genres Anthology, Drama, Horror, Mystery Powered by

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Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

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Do you think Netflix's release model of frequently putting out new content is ultimately beneficial or detrimental to the platform's original shows and movies?

Cathal

Cathal

Cathal #JD414179 Member since 2023-10-24 0 Reviews 0 Ratings Following 0 Topics 0 Users Follow Followed 0 Followers View 54 minutes ago Some might argue that Netflix's constant stream of new releases keeps the platform fresh and exciting, while others may feel it causes quality content to get buried and forgotten too quickly. There are valid points on both sides - the frequent new releases keep users engaged, but it does mean many shows fail to gain the long-term following they deserve. Reply / Post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

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