‘What the hell did I just watch!?’
Netflix viewers have been left shaken by one of the streaming platform’s latest horror offerings, The Strays.
The film was released on Netflix at the end of last month, but has left some viewers so scared that they can’t sleep, with others saying they’ve been “scarred for life.”
The Strays follows mixed-raced Neve, a deputy headmistress who lives a typical suburban life in a small English town.
She is married to a white man named Ian, and shuns anything that has to do with blackness. This is known as ‘code-switching’, when members of an underrepresented group adjust the way they behave and act to fit in with a dominant culture.
But when two strangers who seem to know Neve start appearing in her life at rather unexpected moments, she becomes deeply distressed
As a result, Neve starts to doubt her sanity and turns to her family and friends for help. But when they do not believe her, Neve is left in a helpless position.
Ashley Madekwe plays the role of Neve, while the likes of Jorden Myrie, Bukky Bakray, Maria Almeida, Samuel Small, Justin Salinger and Michael Warburton are all part of the cast.
You can watch the trailer below.
Although it may only have a Rotten Tomatoes score of 55 per cent, the film has prompted quite the response on Twitter, with many taking to the platform to give their reactions.
One user said of the flick: “Just finished watching The Strays on Netflix and I think I’m scarred for life because what the hell did I just watch!”
A second warned: “If you’re trying to sleep well tonight, don’t watch The Strays right before bed.”
Another said: “Just finished The Strays on Netflix and immediately came to Twitter because what the hell did I just witness?”
Someone else described the film as “absolutely insane!’ while a fourth said: “If you haven’t watched The Strays on Netflix, I think you should.”
A fifth added: “I just watched The Strays on Netflix and all I can say is wtf.”
The film’s director Nathaniel Martello-White told The Big Issue he was interested in the concept of “code-switching”.
He told the publication: “Code-switching is something that a lot of Black people don’t even realise they’re doing. It has just become a sort of subconscious survival mechanism.
“In the context of the Black space, I was really interested in – if a woman really self-styled herself on those people in that suburb, what would be the cost? And how much effort would that take?”
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