Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s ongoing issues have not only caused production on season 5 of Hulu’s “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” to shut down, but their mental stability is also now coming into question.

Per new reports, the exes and parents to son Ever, have been ordered for mental health evaluation following a domestic violence incident between the two.

Taylor Frankie Paul And Dakota Mortensen Reportedly Ordered To Undergo Psych Evaluations Following Domestic Violence Incident

According to TMZ, Mortensen has called the Utah Division of Child and Family Services multiple times alleging Paul has been physically abusive to their son, allegations that Paul vehemently denies. 

Per the outlet, in late February, the constantly feuding exes got into a verbal altercation while inside Mortensen’s car after Paul reportedly spilled a drink. Inside sources shared that Mortensen became “enraged” and “got physical” with Paul, however, he called the police and told them that she was the one who assaulted him. 

Following the incident, a source close to Paul told TMZ that Mortensen disappeared for weeks and ditched filming, which led to production being put on pause. However, sources with “Mormon Wives” said that filming stopped because cast members refused to film amid the domestic violence and child abuse allegations, despite production wanting to continue filming season 5. 

Additionally, due to Mortensen repeatedly calling DCFS on Paul, alleging abuse, both are now required to undergo psychological evaluations. 

When production on “Mormon Wives” resumes, it has not been decided what capacity, if any, Mortensen will be part of the show.

Domestic Violence Incident Revealed To Be Cause Of ‘Mormon Wives’ Shut Down

Shortly after reports surfaced that “Mormon Wives” season 5 had shut down production, new details emerged revealing it was due to an incident between Paul and Mortensen.

According to PEOPLE,  the Draper City Police Department confirmed to the outlet that an open “domestic assault investigation” exists between Paul and Mortensen. Per the police department’s spokesperson, “allegations have been made in both directions” and “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th.” 

An inside source connected to “Mormon Wives” confirmed the production pause. “They are not filming,” the source said. “Taylor [Frankie Paul] has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off.”

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Things are reportedly so serious that Paul’s fellow #MomTok members have all distanced themselves from her. “None of the women want to be associated with her,” the source told the outlet.

Paul and Mortensen were previously involved in a domestic violence incident in 2023 that resulted in her arrest, but the charges in the case were later dropped.

Ahead Of Her ‘Bachelorette’ Debut, Taylor Frankie Paul And Ex Dakota Mortensen Involved In Altercation

On Monday, March 16, per TMZ, inside sources from “Mormon Wives” told the outlet that a heated altercation between Paul and Mortensen grinded production for season 5 to a halt. 

Sources further added that production on the show is “taking the matter seriously and handling with caution.”

Viewers can see the ongoing issues between Paul and Mortensen on the recently released fourth season. 

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Paul Admitted Season 4 Of The Show Was ‘Extremely Hard’ To Watch

In an Instagram post, following the release of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” season 4, Taylor Frankie Paul revealed the difficulties of filming the season.

“I for the first time sat down and watched this season, and it was extremely hard to do,” Paul began in the caption of the post. “These aren’t just story lines, these are our actual lives we are sharing. I’ll speak for myself on this, I’m not sharing to appease or switch ‘story lines’ for anyone’s entertainment.” 

“A big reason I continue on is to potentially help someone,” she continued. “I know this because I’ve personally watched and listened to people’s experience and it helped me. Takes courage to share such vulnerable topics with an audience. My heart goes out to those around me that share and everyone else that continue to do so the hugs will always outweigh the hate for me.”

Will #MomTok Survive This?

“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was greenlit due to Taylor Frankie Paul’s scandalous love life, via a viral “soft swinging” scandal that ultimately ended her first marriage, and production continued even when she was arrested for domestic violence.

Many members of #MomTok continue to be granted big opportunities that take them away from the group’s origins of influencers making content together. Could this and Taylor’s latest incident be the beginning of a permanent shift?

Fans will have to wait to find out if the show’s frequently uttered phrase, “Will #MomTok survive this?” Result in the end of the group or make them stronger?

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Nothing says ‘CEO’ like a Zara-filled wardrobe, but who wants to drop $50 on a single blouse? Amazon is overflowing with polished, expensive-looking pieces that channel the same vibe — and they’re all on sale. We’re not talking small markdowns. The best picks start at just $8!

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale isn’t until Wednesday, March 25, but clearly, the steepest deals dropped early. From blouses and blazers to trousers and dresses, there’s something for every fashionista. Our 21 favorites are the definition of quiet luxury, so snag them before they’re gone.

21 Zara-Style Pieces on Sale Ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Zara-Style Dresses

1. Our Favorite: Be the center of attention in this sleeveless maxi. It’s complete with drapey ruffles, a square neckline and a trendy blue hue — was $60, now $36!

2. Everyday Outfit: Swap your lounge set for this comfy midi that goes from errands to brunch without skipping a beat. It stuns with a denim jacket, too — was $30, now $18!

3. Flirty Florals: Spring weddings mean floral dresses. This billowy find goes the extra mile without looking overdone — was $46, now $32!

4. European Flair: Unlock your inner Parisian in this eyelet-embellished maxi dress that begs to be worn to the farmers’ market — was $71, now $39!

5. Polka-Dot Princess: We saw a strikingly similar polka dot dress at Zara the other day. This version even has pockets — was $37, now $24!

6. Zimmermann Twist: Combine Zara and Zimmermann and you get this halter-strap maxi dress that’s colorful yet understated — was $50, now $34!

7. Drapey Pick: Love the loose things in life? This elevated T-shirt dress feels like loungewear, but looks like a million bucks — was $40, now $25!

Zara-Style Tops

8. Our Favorite: Everything about this short-sleeve top is classy, including the airy fabric, ruffle sleeves and color-block style — was $29, now $18!

9. Runner-Up: Cinch your waist without even trying in this ultra-flattering wrap top. It even has tummy-hiding ruching — was $30, now $20!

10. Bell-Sleeve Babe: This staple blouse looks seriously expensive, thanks to smooth chiffon material and crochet detailing — was $40, now $15!

11. Elegant Embroidery: People will think you found this floral lace blouse at a Hamptons boutique. It’s equally playful and polished — was $20, now $14!

12. Transitional Season: As something between a sweater and a top, this puff-sleeve number is ideal for March, April and May — was $20, now $14!

13. Half Off: Whether you’re searching for something stretchy, sophisticated or just $10, this short-sleeve blouse checks every box. You’ll wear it from the office to cocktails — was $20, now $10!

Zara-Style Pants

14. Our Favorite: Who knew dress pants could be so relaxed? These waffle-knit wonders have a secretly elasticized waistband in the back for extra comfort — was $37, now $24!

15. Pretty Pleated: Another stretchy pick? These trouser pants that have gentle pleating to elongate the legs — was $36, now $20!

16. Could Be Tailored: These tailored-looking pull-on pants hug every curve without squeezing, so you’ll feel as good as you look — was $35, now $19!

Zara-Style Cardigans and Blazers

17. Our Favorite: Meet your new favorite throw-on-and-go layer. It’s dressy, sleek and versatile with the perfect pop of color — was $20, now $8!

18. Miss Trendy: When you can’t decide between a sweater, cardigan or vest, opt for this lightweight piece that makes any outfit compliment-worthy — was $30, now $15!

19. Total Classic: You can’t go wrong with this cozy blazer, especially since it has luxurious gold buttons and a cashmere-like look — was $46, now $30!

20. Promotion Time: Ribbed and refined, this button-front sweater screams ‘put together without even trying’ — was $40, now $26!

21. Cute Colors: Even Martha Stewart can’t stop wearing butter yellow. Make it elegant with this crochet-knit cardigan — was $27, now $18!

Related: This Calming Pastel Hue Is Trending, and It Makes Any Outfit Look Expensive

Spring is typically about pinks, yellows and greens, but not this year! Everyone’s wearing cool, baby blue — and if they’re not, they’re buying it. Pinterest predicted ‘cool blue’ as a top trend in 2026, and it’s already coming true. As more fashionistas vie for the aesthetic, we found 13 pieces that nail the trend […]

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UPDATE: 3/16/26 at 9:38 p.m.: Utah jurors found children’s book author and mother-of-three Kouri Richins guilty of fatally poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail, returning their verdict after deliberating for only three hours on Monday, March 16.

Richins was declared guilty of first-degree aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and insurance fraud in the overdose death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, on March 4, 2022, at the couple’s home in Kamas, Utah.

Richins, 35, bowed her head as the first guilty verdict was read, showing almost no emotion.

At trial, prosecutors argued Richins poisoned her husband for financial gain.

Original story: 

Defense attorneys for children’s book author Kouri Richins — who has been accused of murdering her husband — claimed that state investigators have harassed and intimidated potential witnesses.

Richins’ attorneys filed a motion on Sunday, January 25, requesting the disclosure of all texts and communications exchanged between the prosecution team and any witnesses in the case, according to KUTV.

“Last week, the defense team received notice from one of the State’s witnesses … that she was being harassed by an investigator working with the prosecution and inquiring whether there was anything we could do to protect her from them,” the document stated, according to the outlet.

Attorneys claimed that the witness shared text messages she exchanged with lead detective Jeff O’Driscoll, in which the cop threatened to serve her with a warrant for her arrest.

Related: Erika Kirk Accuses Husband Charlie Kirk’s Murder Suspect of Delaying Trial

Erika Kirk has accused Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of killing her husband, Charlie Kirk, of attempting to delay his trial. An attorney for Erika, 37, filed for a speedy trial in the case against Robinson, 22, on Friday, January 16, according to multiple reports. “Nobody believed in the importance of the United States Constitution […]

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“Make your life easier and answer our calls so we can prep you on what you will be asked. Otherwise, the next time I knock on your door, I’ll have a warrant and a catch pole for the dog,” O’Driscoll allegedly said in the texts, according to the documents.

Defense attorneys argued that the conversation was “blatant witness intimidation.” Additionally, prosecutors allegedly said they did not think O’Driscoll acted improperly in the exchange.

A second witness also claimed to the defense that they were harassed by investigator Travis Hopper.

According to text messages allegedly exchanged with Hopper, the investigator asked the witness to cooperate. After the witness referred him back to his original statement, the witness told Hopper that he could send any additional questions in writing.

“Investigator Hopper then threatened to withdraw previous immunity granted to this witness and submit him to prosecution if he does not agree to come in to discuss his testimony in person with the prosecution team,” the defense claimed.

The defense attorneys went on to claim that Utah Code prohibits threatening witnesses with harm, which includes “physical, emotional or economic injury or damage.” They added that threatening to arrest someone for not providing testimony ahead of trial would “suffice as ‘harm.’”

Related: Bombshell Interview: Sherri Papini Now Denies Hoax, Names Her Abductor

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In the annals of true crime, the Sherri Papini case ranks as one of its most jaw-dropping. Now the woman at the heart of a headline-making kidnapping gives her first on-camera interview since admitting it was a hoax — and what she says in Investigation Discovery’s two-night Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie is truly […]

Additionally, the attorneys said that the prosecutors violated the Victim and Witness Rights with the way they conducted the questioning.

“The defense is hereby requesting the Court to compel the prosecution to disclose any and all text messages, voice mails, recorded calls emails, or any other digital messaging with witnesses,” their request stated.

The prosecutors have not publicly responded to the filing and told KUTV that they will be dealing with the issue privately with the court. “We will be responding non-publicly with the Court, as is appropriate this close to jury selection,” Attorney Margaret Olson said, per the outlet.

Richins, 35, has been accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, by spiking his drink with fentanyl in March 2022. Additionally, she is facing multiple counts of forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud for alleged actions she took before and after her husband’s death.

She became a local celebrity when she published a children’s book called Are You With Me?, which detailed her grieving process following her husband’s death.

Richins’ trial is scheduled to start in February. She has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, according to ABC News.

Pop star Britney Spears is getting some love from her former lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who was by her side at the end of her approximately 13-year conservatorship, which was struck down by a judge in November 2021. Fans have continued to express concern for the “Toxic” singer’s health since that time, but things took a turn in early March when she was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence.

Britney Spears’ Former Lawyer Breaks Silence On Her Arrest

In a brief statement made to Us Weekly approximately two weeks after her arrest, Rosengart called the “Oops!… I Did It Again” singer an “icon” and shared that he will always be immensely “proud” of her and what she’s accomplished throughout her long career.

“It was my great honor to work with and protect Britney as her litigator, and I will always be proud of her and the work we did together, ranging from helping, at her request and direction, to restore her freedom, civil rights and civil liberties after a 13-year conservatorship that stripped her of those rights, to many other matters,” he said.

“Britney is and always will be an icon,” he continued. “While I do not have the facts concerning March 4, with freedom comes responsibility, and I was pleased to see that Britney will take the right steps and comply with the law. I’ll always care greatly about her and help and support her in any way I can.”

Inside Mathew Rosengart’s Role In Ending Her Conservatorship

After her court-appointed attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, resigned, the “Crossroads” actress retained the former federal prosecutor to represent her in her conservatorship battle. Rosengart was able to get her estranged father, Jamie Spears, suspended as her conservator two months before a Los Angeles judge decided to terminate the conservatorship entirely.

In addition to helping end her controversial guardianship, he also helped her obtain several lucrative deals, including her bestselling 2023 memoir, “The Woman In Me,” in which she opened up about her conservatorship in her own words.

In 2024, he stepped down after Britney and Jamie settled their court case.       

Britney Spears Settled Her Conservatorship Case In 2024

In April 2024, Britney and Jamie finally settled their conservatorship case, finally ensuring Britney’s freedom once and for all. At the time, Rosengart also made a brief statement to Us Weekly, saying that it was an “honor” for him to work with the Princess of Pop in this regard.

“It has been our honor and privilege to represent, protect, and defend Britney Spears. Ms. Spears is and always will be an icon and a brilliant and brave artist of historic and epic proportion,” he said at the time. “Although the conservatorship was terminated in November 2021, her wish for freedom is now truly complete.”

As part of the settlement, Britney would no longer have to “attend or be involved with court or entangled with legal proceedings,” as was her wish.

“Britney Spears won when the court suspended her father, and Britney Spears won when her fundamental rights and civil liberties were restored,” he added.

Britney Said That She Felt Like A ‘Robot’ During Her Conservatorship

In “The Woman In Me,” the pop star compared herself to a “child-robot” and claimed that the conservatorship “stripped” her of her womanhood, turning her “into a child.”

“I became a robot. But not just a robot — a sort of child-robot. I had been so infantilized that I was losing pieces of what made me feel like myself,” she wrote. “The conservatorship stripped me of my womanhood, made me into a child. I became more of an entity than a person onstage. I had always felt music in my bones and my blood; they stole that from me.”

Inside Britney Spears’ March 2026 DUI Arrest

On March 4, Britney was arrested near her home in Ventura County, California, after law enforcement officials suspected she was driving under the influence. Although she was released from jail the following day, she has a hearing scheduled for May 4.

“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” her rep said in a brief statement. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law, and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”

Director Guy Ritchie‘s catalog is full of hits and misses, with his latest directorial effort an undeniable hit. An instant success on the Prime Video charts, the series Young Sherlock, based on the young adult thriller novel series Young Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lane, is already proving one of the defining new streaming arrivals this first half of 2026. Starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the titular crime-solver, the series boasts a strong supporting ensemble featuring the likes of Natascha McElhone, Joseph Fiennes, Dónal Finn (Whel of Time), Max Irons, and Colin Firth.

Less than two weeks since Young Sherlock‘s arrival, and fans of the series have another new project to look forward to. Headlined by the aforementioned Finn, who stars in Young Sherlock as James Moriarty the brand-new audio drama Turpin is on its way from Big Finish Productions, the team behind a hugely successful catalog of Doctor Who audio stories. Set to follow the life of the popular British legend, highwayman Dick Turpin, the series is billed as a “gritty, visceral and darkly funny take on the legend.” Written by award-winning screenwriters Mat Braddy and Darren Rapier, and directed by the pair alongside Ken Bentley, the audio drama is scheduled to debut this Summer. In a statement about the upcoming adaptation of the folkloric figure, Rapier said:

“Ever since discovering the real-life story of Richard Turpin, of which there are many factual accounts and reports of the time, I’ve been keen on telling this story – rather than the dashing highwayman cliché. When I discovered Mat was keen on doing the same, we started talking about creating something together. The true story has more in common with the Kray twins than Robin Hood, and this is something we were eager to get across. Audio has allowed us to tell this epic tale in a fast and chaotic fashion. We like to describe it as a period action drama.”

Related

Yes, Chef! An All-You-Can-Eat Buffet About The Bear — The Collider TV Quiz

Pi Day was Saturday (3/14), but instead of testing your pie knowledge, we’re going to go a different culinary route. How much of a Bear Buff are you?

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What Is ‘Turpin’ About?

Image via Prime Video

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Sure, we know it is about the over-romanticized violent criminal, but what direction will this adaptation actually take? A synopsis of the drama begins, “Impatient butcher Richard Turpin wants his share of the emerging wealth of the new United Kingdom.” It continues, “After poaching for easy profits, he finds himself on the run and falls in with the vicious Gregory Gang. As his comrades are sent to the gallows, Turpin evades the hangman and becomes the country’s most wanted man.”

For more updates on the latest news, stay tuned to Collider. You can catch Finn in Young Sherlock on Prime Video now.

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Release Date

March 4, 2026

Network

Prime Video

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Showrunner

Matthew Parkhill

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A lot of horror movies get called masterpieces because people remember the idea of them more vividly than the actual experience of watching them. That is not what this list is. These are the ones where the premise, the execution, the performances, the escalation, the images, the endings, and the aftertaste all line up so cleanly that arguing against them starts to feel like arguing against gravity. They do not just have great scenes. They hold their nerve for the full runtime. They know exactly when to explain, when to withhold, when to go quiet, and when to make the audience feel trapped.

And the thing that makes them 10/10 without any notes is not just that they are scary. It is that each one understands the specific kind of fear it wants to create and then follows that fear all the way to the wall. Some of them work like breakdowns. Some work like infections. Some work like nightmares that seem almost rational until one detail turns everything rotten. But all ten feel complete. Nothing essential is missing. Nothing major needs fixing. These are horror movies you can revisit years later and still end up thinking, yes, that is exactly how it should be.

‘Halloween’ (1978)

Image via Compass International Pictures

Halloween became a horror, and its titular event’s phenomenon, and still is even half a century later. It mercilessly strips horror down to presence, space, and anticipation. The film does not need elaborate mythology, psychological over-explanation, or nonstop carnage to get under your skin. It understands that fear becomes much more powerful when it feels patient. Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is terrifying. The movie withholds so much of him. And that’s exactly why he is terrifying. He is an absence moving through suburban normalcy, a shape standing at the edge of frames, behind hedges, near laundry lines, outside schoolyards, always close enough to make safety feel like a misunderstanding. That is what makes the film so unnerving.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), on the other hand, feels young, alert, responsible, and increasingly trapped by a danger she can sense long before she can fully understand it. Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) helps give the movie its dread because he talks about Michael less like a damaged man and more like something that learned how to wear a man’s outline. Every time Michael appears in the background, every time Laurie realizes nobody is listening, every time the night gets quieter instead of louder, Halloween becomes more suffocating.

‘Hereditary’ (2018)

Image via A24

A lot of horror films promise a family nightmare and then eventually abandon the family part for lore. Hereditary never makes that mistake. The occult machinery matters, but the movie’s real power comes from how thoroughly it understands domestic damage. Before it becomes a full supernatural nightmare, it is already one of the harshest depictions of inherited pain in modern horror. Annie (Toni Collette)’s grief is ugly, defensive, and unstable. Peter (Alex Wolff) looks like a teenager who has spent years learning that any room can suddenly become dangerous. Charlie (Milly Shapiro) feels uncanny before anything overtly demonic is confirmed, which makes every family interaction feel slightly off-center.

Then the movie gives you the car scene. And that is where Hereditary earns its reputation permanently. Not just because of what happens, but because of what follows. Peter driving home in shock. Lying in bed. Waiting. Annie discovering the body offscreen through her screams. That sequence is directed with such ruthless confidence that the film never has to beg for your attention again. After that, every argument at the dinner table, every attempt to assign blame, every sleep-deprived look on Peter’s face has weight. Hereditary is about bloodline as destiny, yes, but even more than that, it is about the feeling that your life was structured long before you understood the rules.

‘Possession’ (1981)

Image via Gaumont

There are horror movies about divorce, and then there is Possession, which makes divorce look like the first tear in the fabric of reality. The genius of the film is that it does not ask you to separate emotional collapse from physical horror. It treats them as the same event. Mark (Sam Neill) and Anna (Isabelle Adjani) are a couple breaking apart but while they’re at it, they are tearing open the world around them with suspicion, betrayal, rage, and desire.

Adjani’s performance is one of the most unhinged and physically committed performances in horror history, and the movie knows it. It builds itself around the fact that Anna does not seem like a woman hiding an affair so much as a person disintegrating under pressures that no normal language can hold. The subway tunnel scene alone would be enough to justify the film’s legend. It is not scary in a conventional sense. It is something worse. It feels like the body revolting against reason.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)

Image Via Bryanston Distributing Company

What still feels unbelievable about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is how immediate it is. There is no cushion. No elegant buildup. No reassuring genre distance. Tobe Hooper makes the whole thing feel sunstruck, filthy, dehydrated, and cruel. The movie does not feel like it is presenting horror for your enjoyment. It feels like it found horror already happening and shoved you into it.

The movie’s plot is brutally simple, which is part of why it works so perfectly. A group of young people drifts into hostile territory, and one by one they disappear into a house that seems to exist outside ordinary human order. The first kill with Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) is still one of the great shock cuts in the genre because of how fast and practical it is. What follows is a descent into industrialized madness. Bone furniture. The grandfather at dinner. The family’s grotesque parody of domestic ritual. Sally (Marilyn Burns) playing it all like a human being whose mind and body are being stripped for parts in real time. That is why her hysterical laughter in the back of the pickup truck feels so right. Escape does not restore order. It just leaves her alive enough to understand what she saw. That ending, with Leatherface spinning the chainsaw in the sunrise, is iconic.

‘The Thing’ (1982)

Image via Universal Pictures

There may not be a better horror premise than the one The Thing gives itself: a shape-shifting organism that can perfectly imitate any member of an isolated group. John Carpenter understands immediately that the monster is not just the creature effects, incredible as they are. The real monster is the collapse of trust. Every conversation becomes unstable. Every glance starts to look incriminating. Every test, every accusation, every delay matters because one mistake could mean absorption, imitation, extinction.

What makes the movie 10/10 is how mercilessly it escalates while staying totally lucid. You always understand the geography, the stakes, and the emotional logic of the men at the station. MacReady (Kurt Russell) is such a great central figure because Russell never plays him as a superhero. He is competent, skeptical, and increasingly cornered. When he starts forcing blood tests with a flamethrower in hand, the movie has already earned that level of paranoia. And then there are the effects. The chest opening into a mouth. The spider-head. Norris (Charles Hallahan) convulsing into a thing that has no respect for anatomy as we understand it. It’s an amazing r-rated horror film.

‘The Exorcist’ (1973)

Image via Warner Bros.

The brilliance of The Exorcist is that it takes its time making evil feel intolerably intimate. Before the head-spinning and levitation, the film is about a mother watching her daughter become unreachable. Regan (Linda Blair)’s transformation is horrifying because William Friedkin grounds it in procedure first. Doctors, tests, specialists, scans. The movie makes you sit through medical attempts to explain what is happening, and that choice matters because it strips away easy comfort. Rational systems are not ignored but exhausted first and that makes it authentic.

By the time Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) arrives and the exorcism begins in full, the film has already built such a dense atmosphere of dread that the set pieces do not feel like gimmicks. They feel like the final proof of something ancient and hateful entering a room and refusing to leave. Regan’s obscenities, the voice, the bed shaking, Karras trying to reach the girl inside the possession rather than simply shouting doctrine at it — all of it still hits because the movie never loses sight of the child at the center. The horror is cosmic, but the pain is personal.

‘Suspiria’ (1977)

Image via Produzioni Atlas Consorziate

Suspiria is one of the clearest examples of a horror film becoming perfect by refusing realism entirely. The colors are too rich, the sets too deliberate, the sound too invasive, the deaths too designed. And because every element is pushed so hard, the film achieves a kind of total nightmare logic that very few horror movies can sustain. It’s so artificial that it becomes so good.

The opening is enough to announce the film’s control. Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) arrives in a storm, sees a terrified student fleeing, and within minutes Argento gives us one of the most visually extravagant murder sequences in horror history. The hanging body crashing through stained glass is the movie teaching you the rules of its world. Beauty and violence are not opposites here. They are partners. What makes Suspiria a 10/10 is that it never accidentally slips into ordinary mode. From the maggot infestation to the blind pianist’s death to the final revelation of Helena Markos, the movie maintains an atmosphere that feels enchanted and diseased at once.

‘Alien’ (1979)

Image via 20th Century Studios

There is not a single wasted idea in Alien. It starts by doing something genius and deceptively simple: it makes space travel feel like labor. The crew of the Nostromo are tired workers arguing about bonuses, chain of command, and procedure. That ordinary, slightly annoyed human texture is what makes everything that follows hit so hard. When Kane (John Hurt) encounters the egg, when the facehugger attaches, when the chestburster explodes out at dinner, the violation lands inside a world that had already convinced you of its physical reality.

Ridley Scott, through Alien, showed that he understands that horror is often strongest when the environment itself feels indifferent. The Nostromo is a maze of chains, steam, shadows, and industrial corridors. Once the xenomorph is loose, the ship stops feeling like shelter and starts feeling like a gigantic delivery system for fear. The crew is always a step behind, and the film never cheats that dynamic. Dallas (Tom Skerritt) in the vents remains one of the best suspense sequences ever shot because you can feel the trap closing in before he does. And then there is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who does not play her as an instant action icon. She becomes great through attention, caution, and the refusal to panic as quickly as everyone else. Her insistence on quarantine protocol early on is one of those details that gets better every time you revisit the film.

‘The Shining’ (1980)

Image via Warner Bros.

What makes The Shining almost impossible to shake is that it never lets you settle on one neat explanation for what Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes. Is the Overlook awakening what is already inside him, or simply giving it a grander stage? Jack arrives at the hotel with resentment, vanity, failure, and buried violence already in him. The horror is that the Overlook does not create those things. It curates them. Every part of the film contributes to that feeling of elegant corruption.

Danny (Danny Lloyd) riding the tricycle through the halls. Wendy (Shelley Duvall) hearing too much and understanding too late. Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) sensing the danger from far away. The woman in Room 237 turning from seduction into rot. The ballroom populated by the dead as if they were merely waiting for Jack to accept his place among them. These are not isolated scary scenes. They are parts of one sustained assault on psychic stability. The Shining is not just about madness. It is about a place that knows how to make madness look ceremonial.

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

Image via Orion Pictures

Yes, it is a thriller. Yes, it is a procedural. It is also horror, and one of the most perfect horror films ever made, because it understands that terror can come from intelligence, from violation, from humiliation, from being watched, from being psychologically read faster than you can protect yourself. That is what makes The Silence of the Lambs untouchable. And Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is the reason the movie rises above almost everything else. Foster plays her as capable, observant, and ambitious, but also very aware of how every room reads her.

The film never stops showing the pressure she is under as a young woman moving through male institutions, male violence, and male scrutiny. That texture matters because it makes her scenes with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) even more electric. Hopkins is legendary here not because he is loud, but because he is so composed. Lecter’s stillness is what makes him monstrous. Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), meanwhile, gives the film its physical horror: the basement, the pit, the moths, the skinning, the dog, the night-vision climax where Clarice is inches away from death and does not know where to aim until instinct finally saves her. The movie balances those two horrors perfectly — the refined monster behind glass and the predator in the dark.

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The Silence of the Lambs

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Release Date

February 14, 1991

Runtime

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119 minutes

Director

Jonathan Demme

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Writers

Ted Tally, Thomas Harris

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Thanks to the high-profile build-up to the 98th Academy Awards, movie fans have had a chokehold over media discourse for the past couple of months. Last night, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the biggest night on the cinema calendar finally took place, and the dust is still settling on an eventful ceremony. If you’re more of a television fan and have been waiting for all this Oscars fuss to die down, now is your time to shine. But how should you take advantage of your favorite medium getting the chance to be in the spotlight once again? With that in mind, here’s a list of three other shows you should give a try on Netflix this week.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix.

Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.

1

‘A Friend, A Murderer’ (2026)

IMDb: 6.5/10

True-crime fans are in for a treat this week, courtesy of Denmark. A brand-new three-part true-crime docuseries, sure to have your jaw on the floor, A Friend, A Murderer follows one town, Korsør, haunted by a serial killer for almost a decade. Horrific assault, kidnapping, and murder keep the community fearing for their lives, and how will a trio react when the identity of the perpetrator is revealed to be one of their close friends?

A shocking story recounted by the three friends themselves, true-crime documentaries rarely come as gripping as this. Not only interested in discussing the crimes themselves, but the three episodes also look at how these crimes ripped apart a once-close-knit friendship group from the inside out. Fascinating and engrossing, this is perfect for true-crime fans.

2

‘Beastars’ (2019–Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 7.6/10

There is no better time than now to begin your binge-watch of this arguably underrated anime. Based on Paru Itagaki‘s manga of the same name, Beastars is set in a world where creatures and beasts co-exist, as a classmate’s murder and the awakening predatory urges of a wolf threaten to upend his friendship with a rabbit.

Earlier this month, the long-awaited second half of Beastars Season 3 finally debuted after over a year’s wait since Part 1. Back with a bang, the excitement around the series continues to grow as more discover a real anime gem. With that in mind, and with 48 gripping episodes available, make sure you don’t miss out on this supernatural coming-of-age tale this week.

3

‘Younger’ (2015–2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 7.8/10

If true-crime or anime aren’t to your taste, and you’d prefer a more traditional series to try this week, look no further than Younger. From the mind of Sex and the City creator Darren Star, Younger follows Liza Miller (Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old who is struggling to get ahold of her spiraling life following a messy divorce and her daughter leaving for college. However, all that changes when she is mistaken for a 26-year-old on a night out, giving her a chance to start afresh.

Hilarious, poignant, and packed with guest stars, Younger ticks all the comedy series boxes. Starring Foster at her absolute best, the series also boasts the talent of the likes of Hilary Duff, The Kill Room star Debi Mazar, Nico Tortorella, Pluribus‘ Miriam Shor, Peter Hermann, and Chicago Med‘s Molly Bernard. An acclaimed gem that deserves more love, Younger should be at the top of your watchlist.

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Release Date

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2015 – 2021-00-00

Network

TV Land, Paramount+

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Showrunner

Darren Star

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Directors

Peter Lauer, Steven K. Tsuchida, Todd Biermann, Andrew Fleming, Jennifer Arnold, Tamra Davis, Tricia Brock, Brennan Shroff, Darren Star, Miriam Shor

Writers

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Joe Murphy, Rick Singer, Lyle Friedman, Sarah Choi, Jessie Cantrell, Terri Minsky, Eliot Glazer

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