Netflix added the Dutch horror series Ares to its library back in January and now, fans who’ve watched the show are warning first-time viewers that it may just be too scary to finish.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the title, Ares follows a student who discovers the existence of a secret society and must then decide how much she wants to become involved in it. Shot mostly in and around the city of Amsterdam, it stars Dutch actors Jadie Olieberg, Tobias Kersloot and Lisa Smit, who all give believable and strong performances.
Created by Pieter Kuijpers, Iris Otten and Sander van Meurs, it’s also the latest foreign show to gain a fair bit of traction with the streamer’s American audience. Ever since the unexpectedly-huge success of Bong Joon-ho’s thriller Parasite, Netflix has been trying to cash in on our newfound appetite for foreign media. And while the company has been busy adding content produced in South Korea and Japan, it’s also shifted its focus onto Europe.
A Polish drama called 365 Days, for instance, has become one of Netflix’s most notorious offerings. Telling the story of a kidnapped woman who finds herself turned into the sex slave of an aggressive mobster, it’s drawn ire from numerous activists for its explicit content.
While Ares features a more politically-correct plot than 365 Days, the series is still jam-packed with disturbing stuff, so much so that viewers are seeing fit to caution one another about it, as you can see below:
Just watched the first 3 minutes of #ares on #netflix. So guess I'm not sleeping tonight
— mrsjones17 (@mrsjones171) July 12, 2020
This Ares show on Netflix is too wild
— Jasmin Ⓥ (@tspofjasmin) July 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/lovex_meg/status/1282067898824118276
Just finished up #Ares on Netflix. A cabal of powerful Dutch elite families have a secret in their basement… An unsettling descent into #Lovecraft mystery with gruesome visuals & a decent pay off. Will worth a watch! https://t.co/SlBOaxQeeZ
— Steve Merrifield (@stevemerrifield) July 13, 2020
I just finished @AresNetflix and tbh it was actually quite disturbing need S2 asap
— di (@ZaynKomKrypton) July 14, 2020
Team, Jeff & I started watching @AresNetflix over the last week and JFC it is NOT for the weak of heart.
Those content/trigger warnings are 110% earned. pic.twitter.com/gbwNVcbKT9
— Alex Palombo (@AlexPalombo) July 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheHalf_Breed/status/1280972007689973760
Ares on netflix was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— shannon marie. (@EchelonShannon) July 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/bradygmcneil/status/1281971031943585794
https://twitter.com/_angpowers/status/1226166896032174081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I hope #ares gets renewed for another season. That was a good show. @netflix
— Fleur de Nys 🧚🏼♀️ (@nysmxrie) February 6, 2020
Has anyone watched this 'Ares' series on Netflix? Hoooly shiiiit!
— Mike Stuchbery 💀🍷 (@MikeStuchbery_) February 4, 2020
I don't even know why I finished #AresNetflix, it freaked the hell out of me, it's a good horror series I guess.
On a less flippant note, I would love to read black female critics' thoughts on the show – it's got as much social commentary as a Jordan Peele film.
— Christopher Chiu-Tabet (@CCTabet) February 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/shesmessyx/status/1223293455889305600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1223293455889305600%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dreadcentral.com%2F%3Fp%3D333055
I wanna watch Ares on netflix so baaaad but I'm too scared 😭
— CJ (@ceejfernando) February 5, 2020
#ares on netflix is a pretty effed up series. But a surprisingly well rounded finish.
— Bloodhound 🇬🇧 (@YALMOUL) January 19, 2020
It seems Netflix has been acquiring a ton of horror content lately, which is interesting given the world we currently live in. Although it may appear counter-intuitive that people want to see dark content in dark times, a recent study from the University of Chicago actually suggested that watching horror can help you cope better with the global pandemic.
So maybe give Ares a try if you haven’t already? Be warned, though, that you might not sleep very well for a while after viewing it.