10 Terrifying TV Shows You Didn’t Know Existed
5. Marianne (2019)
Despite arriving on Netflix without much fanfare, French horror series Marianne has come to be recognised as one of the most terrifying offerings on the streaming service.
Helmed by writer and director Samuel Bodin, the show centres on Emma (Victoire Du Bois), a horror author known for her popular book series about a malevolent witch named Marianne.
When the writer witnesses a harrowing event during an unexpected visit from a childhood friend, she's forced to return to the coastal town where she grew up. Once there, she discovers that the nightmares that inspired her novels are very real. Faced with her past trauma, Emma must uncover the truth behind Marianne and find a way to end her grip on the town once and for all.
From its chilling cold open, this series is relentless in its terror. Alongside pitch-perfect suspense, the scares also manifest as unsettling imagery and grotesque body horror, all of which is wrapped up in a spine-chilling folk horror mystery. Although the script wears its Stephen King influences on its sleeve, the showrunner has nevertheless created something entirely their own.
Combining nonstop frights with a captivatingly witchy mystery, Marianne is a consistently enthralling horror that ensnares viewers within its inescapable atmosphere.