The murder mystery has been riding the crest of a wave as one of the entertainment industry’s hottest genres, while horror is going through a purple patch of its own. So what happens when you combine the two and throw in some nostalgia for the 1990s into the bargain? Netflix’s newest original smash hit Phenomena, which is off to a fantastic start.
Per FlixPatrol, the Spanish-language supernatural comedy with a whodunnit twist ranks as the seventh most-watched feature on the streaming service’s worldwide charts, having communed with the dead on the Top 10 in 49 countries. The setup is simple, but still manages to put a fresh spin on a formula that takes the best of both worlds and combines them into a fun-filled romp.
A paranormal investigation team make it their mission to uncover any otherworldly goings-on, but when Father Girón gets attacked and hospitalized by a spectral ghoul, his associates Sagrario, Paz, and Gloria are left to pick up the pieces and figure out what happened. The source of the shenanigans appears to be a dusty old antique shop, but there’s more to the innocuous storefront than meets the eye.
Nothing is ever quite what it seems in Phenomena, which is what makes it such an inviting addition to a subgenre that’s become increasingly in danger of ending up at saturation point. Clearly, it’s got enough in the tank to sink its hooks into Netflix subscribers, underlining that both of its disparate elements remain as enduringly popular as ever.
