Why Netflix’s ‘YOU’ Is So Terrifying

The Lifetime series is a reminder that we never really know the dangers hiding in plain sight

Source: Lifetime

I’m a sucker for psychological thrillers. Although I can’t stand the violence and jump-scares of horror movies, I’m all about a dark, gritty thriller that keeps my eyes glued to the screen.

When YOU showed up on my Netflix queue, I was immediately interested. Not only was everyone and their mother obsessing over the series, but the show spun a unique twist on your typical guy-stalks-girl thriller — instead of focusing on the victim, the series is narrated by the antagonist, Joe. We see the world through his tainted perspective, and it’s not pretty.

I’m not usually the kind of person who gets scared after watching a psychological thriller, but by the time I reached the final credits of YOU, I was terrified.

At first, I didn’t even know why the show managed to shake me to my core — was it the plot? Was it the surprise ending? Was it the emotionless expression on Penn Badgley’s face the entire time?

No, it wasn’t any of those things — in fact, the reason YOU terrified me had less to do with why, and more with how.

Unlike other crime thrillers and horror films, YOU does not intend to scare you in the…