Alexandre Aja has spent most of his time as a filmmaker working within the realm of horror, but he’s always been keen to explore many different corners of the genre. For instance, his breakout movie High Tension was a deliberately provocative slasher, while The Hills Have Eyes took the form of a blood-soaked remake that capitalized on the torture porn craze. Throw in Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns and more, and you’ve got a director who always manages to find a fresh angle within horror to tackle.
Aja’s newest pic is Oxygen, which was added to Netflix this week. Admittedly, it’s not exactly a horror movie, but it does have a couple of serious jump scares and will no doubt be a tough watch if you’re afraid of either contained spaces or needles. Without spoiling too much, it follows a woman who awakes in a cryogenic chamber and has no idea who she is, how she ended up there or why this is happening to her. As she races against time before oxygen runs out, she must piece together both her memory and find a way out of the terrifying situation.
With strong reviews across the board, Oxygen quickly ascended to the top of the Netflix most-watched chart after debuting and as you can see from the reactions below, subscribers can’t get enough of it.
Looking for a movie to keep you entertained on Friday nights? #OxygenNetflix has you covered. https://t.co/jLk8xFBrwI
— The A-List Hype (@TheAListHype) May 14, 2021
Check out #Oxygen on Netflix it’s a breath of fresh air. https://t.co/DpmjCYIuUp
— Carleton Rutter (@DunkorJunk) May 14, 2021
Oxygen movie on Netflix, definitely worth a watch #Oxygen pic.twitter.com/LYSs4uiFRm
— Graeme McKenzie 🏴 (@theGreyMack) May 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/17sxiao/status/1393106353061650432
OXYGEN (2021) is a tense, effective sci-fi thriller with interesting twists and turns and a very good lead performance from Melanie Laurent.
Now streaming on @netflix https://t.co/NtRpvuelyb
— Adam Kuhn (@CorndogChats) May 12, 2021
It's 'Buried' meets 'Source Code' via 'Awake'….it's not the most original idea; it's full of #scifi tropes but the execution of the concept is impeccable and that makes it a must see. #oxygen #Netflix https://t.co/OpywQCqAQ3
— Al Carretta (@alcarretta) May 14, 2021
Just saw #Oxygen on Netflix…. I'm amazed
— Shujaat. (@shujaat_dev) May 14, 2021
Watched #Oxygen on Netflix. A brilliantly disturbing movie!
— James12 (@Jamesru12) May 14, 2021
Looking for something to watch on Netflix? Give ‘Oxygen’ a go. French sci-fi with some really unexpected twists! pic.twitter.com/jqjckZgwXd
— Alfredo (@soler_alfredo) May 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/nomadicliz/status/1393166810271436800
Tonight's its Oxygen @netflix & its a tense & very claustrophobic ride. Melanie Laurent is superb as a woman trapped in a cyrochamber with no idea how she got there & how to get out. And of course, the Oxygen levels are falling. Comparisons to Buried for sure, but its very good. pic.twitter.com/aCp7W7cPU3
— Steve Scarebear (@Scare158Steve) May 13, 2021
Good morning. I watched #oxygen on Netflix last night. Very good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Well acted and an exciting script that keeps you on edge.
— Kon (@gnugut13) May 14, 2021
#OxygenNetflix is fucking awesome movie
— 2B Honest, I love 2B @ ANieRme 2nd cour confirmed (@kakaichigo) May 13, 2021
Indeed, it looks like Netflix has another big hit on their hands with Oxygen, and as we head into the weekend, it’ll continue to pull in tons of viewers as audiences seek out some sci-fi thrills. Whether it’ll stick around the upper echelon of the Top 10 as we move towards the end of May and inch closer to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead remains to be seen, but for now, it’s enjoying a bit of much deserved success.