The Strays. Samuel Small as Sebastian. Cr. Chris Harris/Netflix © 2023
Netflix’s latest genre release, Nathaniel Martello-White’s The Strays, has moved into the top of the streamer’s charts, currently ranking as both the number one horror movie on the streamer and the number one movie overall.
In Martello-White’s feature debut, “An upper-middle-class woman’s perfectly crafted life begins to unravel with the arrival of two shadowy figures in her town.”
The Strays sits perfectly alongside Netflix’s current genre fare, including the recently released Viking Wolf, as irresistible, high-concept horror from filmmakers with distinct points of view. Watch the trailer below.
Twitter has been letting The Strays infiltrate their lives, remarking on the film’s twisty ending and political undertones. Fans are saying that the movie resembles the works of Jordan Peele, and collectively, they’re eager for the masses writ large to check the movie out. While some fans are excited about the new film, others find the bizarre ending a frustrating choice.
See what Twitter is saying about the new Netflix movie:
The strays on Netflix is fucking nuts n I cannot cope with how it just ends like THAT
— A M Y (@amy_cnl_1) February 22, 2023
The Strays on Netflix…. The ending
— Hachibi (@listen2edwin) February 24, 2023
Just watched The Strays on Netflix!!
Strange one but powerful
— PC Jules Bluebird
(@CCFC_jules) February 24, 2023
The Strays on Netflix is a good movie. And you see that ending, I’m not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for them.
— Maryam Abdulkarim (@theMar_yam) February 24, 2023
Have y’all watched “The Strays” yet?
if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! Between “The Reading” and this—they both got my ass in a chokehold
— Bean (Shaquin) (@shaquin_bean) February 24, 2023
“ the strays “ on Netflix is crazy as hell.
— K-Yo (@YoungGoldie11) February 24, 2023
Y’all gotta watch “The Strays” on Netflix. That shit was crazy
— Slim
(@Slim9Nine) February 24, 2023
The critical reception has been better-than-average, too, with The Strays currently holding a 75% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie stars Ashley Madekwe, Justin Salinger, and Bukky Bakray. Martello-White also wrote the script, with Anton Bitel of Little White Lies saying the movie is “a provocative allegory of black experience in white Britain.”
What do you think? Have you had a chance to check out The Strays yet? How well does it fit Netflix’s current mold for pump-and-dump horror releases? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins. And, if shadowy figures appear in your neighborhood, it’s probably best to ignore them.