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Movies & Series 28 September 2019, 16:29

Dark Thillers and Horror – TV Series to Make You Feel Uncanny

Many of us like to be scared every now and then. Dark stories allow us to fulfill this desire relatively safely – and many streaming platforms' offerings will cater to those needs. Meet the most unsettling series.

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The horror genre takes many forms. Sometimes, such stories are supposed to simply frighten the viewer – a night lamp becomes your best friend for the week after the screening, and going to the bathroom at night is a thriller. In other cases, viewers simply look for a dark, disturbing atmosphere, or an artistic take on fear – and there are horror films that cater to that audience as well. Occasionally, we also can encounter hyper-realistic films, in which fear is evoked by a confrontation with the evil residing within people themselves.

Today, we will review various horror and thriller series that are currently available on streaming platforms. Some series generate anxiety by embracing reality, or by barely touching the darkness; others uncompromisingly step into the territory of gore, and fantasy horror. We have focused on critically-acclaimed productions and recent hits – although there are many more series that tackle difficult themes, our choice highlights the most horrifying stories.

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Hannibal

  1. Tags: Thriller, horror, Hannibal Lecter, foodporn, artsy shots
  2. Streaming platform: Netflix

You really need some confidence to attempt remaking the all-time classics. The Silence of the Lambs, based on the prose of Thomas Harris, is as cult as it gets. This was a result of masterful execution, which built a mood of terror and anxiety. Hannibal Lecter, in the unforgettable creation by Anthony Hopkins, turned out the pulsating heart of this gruesome psychological game between two psychopaths and an FBI agent. The actor has brought to life the figure of a cannibal psychiatrist and made it quite iconic. He enchanted viewers, seduced them with his personal charm and erudition, and at the same time repelled the audience with a cold, inhuman gaze. Whoever has seen this film once will never forget it. Even in the most righteous characters played by Hopkins, you will always find traces of Lecter.

Bryan Fuller, the creator of the series, faced a huge challenge, but he managed to come out on top. He wanted to tell Lecter's story anew, and found the right man for the job – Mads Mikkelsen. The Scandinavian actor opted for an even cooler approach to the role. Ironically, his interpretation of the famous criminal turns out to be more human, but still remains somewhat terrifying. Maybe it's just a matter of Mads getting more screen time in the series than Sir Anthony Hopkins did in the film.

Anyway, Lecter is still deceptive, playing a subtle game with the subjects that fascinate him and are somehow useful to him – and they fall into his web unawarely, like Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who comes to Lecter for consulting the murder investigation. The series begins at a time when no one is aware of Lecter's unsettling culinary tastes.

Hannibal takes audience to extremely nasty areas of human behavior: sometimes, it gets very bloody and dark. Also, it often makes a turn – especially in later episodes – towards a particular psychedelic game. The series was cancelled after the third season, but both Fuller and Mikkelsen are interested in a continuation.

Hubert Sosnowski

Hubert Sosnowski

He joined GRYOnline.pl in 2017, as an author of texts about games and movies. He's currently the head of the film department and the Filmomaniak.pl website. Learned how to write articles while working for the Dzika Banda portal. His texts were published on kawerna.pl, film.onet.pl, zwierciadlo.pl, and in the Polish Playboy. Has published stories in the monthly Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror magazine, as well as in the first volume of the Antologii Wolsung. Lives for "middle cinema" and meaty entertainment, but he won't despise any experiment or Fast and Furious. In games, looks for a good story. Loves Baldur's Gate 2, but when he sees Unreal Tournament, Doom, or a good race game, the inner child wakes up. In love with sheds and thrash metal. Since 2012, has been playing and creating live action role-playing, both within the framework of the Bialystok Larp Club Zywia, and commercial ventures in the style of Witcher School.

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