Netflix’s new brutal crime drama comes from the creator of ITV’s Gone and Netflix’s Lupin
Fans have breezed through the series(Image: Netflix )
The latest crime drama from Netflix is already being hailed as a ‘masterpiece’.
One of the most recent releases from the streaming giant has become a huge hit amongst fans. Many have admitted that they can’t stop watching the five-part series Blood Sacrifice, as proven by its surge up the platform’s charts.
It has kept millions of viewers hooked and as a result has claimed the third spot in the top 10 series in the UK at the time of writing. It is behind new seasons of Outer Banks and Love Is Blind UK.
According to its synopsis, the Swedish produced drama is set during summer time in Stockholm, when the darkness never really creeps in. An emergency call is received following an apparent home invasion.
Two police officers are sent to the address, a summer house in the archipelago. However, they find that there is no one there, at least not that they can see. The next day the bodies of the officers are found as part of a brutal crime.
This is the start of a series of terrifying murders, all seemingly targeting police officers. The lead detective needs to ask his father, a retired detective, for help in cracking the case.
It comes from George Kay who is also the writer behind other gripping series. Previously, he has created ITV’s Gone, Apple TV+’s Hijack with Idris Elba and Netflix’s Lupin. He also wrote episodes of My Mad Fat Diary, Killing Eve, true crime drama Litvinenko and made Criminal: UK.
Blood Sacrifice, or Blodsoffer to give its original Swedish title, has become a sensation among Netflix fans. It’s been reported that it has proved to be a breakout hit across the globe where it has earned the number one spot in other countries, including the US.
It is believed that with the five episodes adding up to just over four hours duration overall, is helping it become an easy one or two day binge watch. That seems to be the case with some fans who have shared their recommendations so far.
Such as one person who claimed: “ Dark, intense, and absolutely addictive. Blood Sacrifice had me hooked from beginning to end. It’s a dark, intense, and incredibly engaging series, with the perfect atmosphere for anyone who enjoys crime thrillers. For me, it was one of those shows you start watching and simply can’t stop.”
Another agreed: “Unique. Little creepy. Excellent storyline. I loved this show. Only five episodes so it starts off fast and is edgy the whole time. This was put together very well and was a very enjoyable watch from start to finish.”
Meanwhile one critic called it “a crime thriller masterpiece that is the biggest show in the world.” Someone else said: “There are grim scenes and a deep look into personal relationships of a father and son, and others who are involved in solving the murders.”
However there have been some concerns shared about the ending. Without sharing any spoilers, one person suggested: “An intriguing mystery, few episodes, a well-developed script, and a solid cast. I found the final episode rather lacklustre and anticlimactic, I expected more. Still, I recommend it, it’s a good way to pass the time and a short series that’s quick to binge-watch.”
The documentary had viewers glued to their screens (Image: Sipa/REX/Shutterstock)
A chilling documentary about one of the world’s most infamous serial killers is streaming now.
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer was originally released in 2003 and it is still captivating viewers over 20 years on. The film dives into American murderer Aileen Wuornos’ crimes and trial, which ended in her execution in 2002.
A synopsis teases: “British documentarian Nick Broomfield creates a follow-up piece to his 1992 documentary of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a highway prostitute who was convicted of killing six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.
“Interviewing an increasingly mentally unstable Wuornos, Broomfield captures the distorted mind of a murderer whom the state of Florida deems of sound mind — and therefore fit to execute. Throughout the film, Broomfield includes footage of his testimony at Wuornos’ trial.”
The documentary is now available to watch on Channel 4, along with the director’s original 1992 film, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. Those without access to Channel 4 can alternatively stream the movie on STV Player.
Both critics and casual viewers have shared glowing reviews of the film, with Rotten Tomatoes pundits giving it an impressive 85% score.
But fans have confessed they were deeply disturbed by Wuornos’ dark story and execution. One person posted: “Very bizarre and quite chilling documentary. It affected me and disturbed me in equal measure.”
Someone else agreed: “Ultimately this is a sad documentation of one woman’s mental demise on death row and one can’t help but feel empathetic towards Aileen and what her life amounted to.”
A third viewer added: “A deeply disturbing documentary of the iconic serial killer Aileen Wuornos from the most acclaimed documentary film maker in the U.K, Nic Broomfield. The documentary goes much deeper, much further than anybody could have anticipated.”
Yet another fan chimed in: “Chilling really sad story. This is one of those films that make you question your own humanity.”
Others were completely captivated by the film, with one sharing: “Really fantastic I did not regret watching it,” and another adding: “I was completely glued to the screen watching this documentary.”
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer is available to stream on Channel 4 and STV Player.
This chilling true crime doc investigates a high school principal who hypnotised three students before their deaths.
Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter
09:05, 18 Aug 2026
An ITV true crime doc investigates a teacher who hypnotised three students before their deaths.(Image: BLUMHOUSE)
ITV’s next true crime doc delves into the deaths of three students who were hypnotised by a teacher.
Look Into My Eyes was first released in the US three years ago and now it’s finally made its way to the UK, landing on ITVX today, Tuesday, August 18.
The True Crime Story doc explores the story of former North Port High School principal Dr George Kenney in Sarasota, Florida who was hypnotising his students.
He reportedly “put them under” to help teens with their athletic performances and anxiety ahead of taking exams and is believed to have hypnotised around 70 students in a five-year span.
But in 2011, Kenney was under investigation as he admitted to hypnotising three students who all tragically died within months of each other.
Star quarterback Marcus Freeman, 16, died in a car accident, and the following two months, fellow teens Brittany Palumbo and Wesley McKinley also died by suicide.
The four-part special takes a look at Kenney’s interventions and their role in the students’ lives. The official description further explains that it “investigates events leading up to these untimely deaths and the tragic aftermath as victims’ families, eyewitnesses, experts, and people involved attempt to unpack what really happened.
In the trailer for Look Into My Eyes, a parent of one of the deceased teens is heard tearily saying: “This man has ruined my life”, while another man stated: “This man just wanted to help.”
Kenney pleaded no contest to two misdemeanour counts of the unlawful practice of hypnosis without a license. He was sentenced to one year of probation, 50 hours of community service and resigned from his position as principal at North Port High School, according to the docu-series.
NBC reported that Freeman, McKinley and Palumbo’s parents sues Sarasota County school board for the wrongful deaths of the teens, stating that the school should have stopped Kenney from performing hypnosis.
In October 2015, each of the families reached a maximum sum of $200,000.
Universal Studios Hollywood appears to be taking steps to address noise complaints regarding its new high-speed, outdoor roller coaster. The office of L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian stated the theme park will install two additional sound barriers to mitigate the sound of rider screams on its new ride Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which have been described by nearby residents as “disturbing” and “untenable.”
Nazarian’s office made the announcement Monday evening on social media. A Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which is currently in a soft open phase, has come under attack from residents in the nearby Toluca Lake neighborhood.
“You think something is happening,” said Toluca Lake’s Patrick Nazari. “Like someone is getting murdered out there.”
Nazarian’s Instagram post stated that construction of the new sound barriers would be completed by early September. It also insinuated that recent testing of the coaster has met Universal’s sound requirements with the county. A community meeting is being planned by Universal and the Toluca Lake Homeowners Assn., stated the post.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift does not yet have an official opening date. The ride is operating in what Universal refers to “technical rehearsals,” which is essentially still a testing phase. It is not guaranteed to be operational on any given day, but has been cycling guests in recent days.
Universal Studios Hollywood has been proactive with Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, devoting a website to just how silent and unobtrusive its groundbreaking coaster would be. Multiple noise mitigation efforts were undertaken — sound walls, scream shields and even pea gravel in the coaster’s tracks.
Residents have stated the coaster runs relatively quiet, noting that there were no complaints until it began testing with guests. At that point, say many Toluca Lake residents, the screams became untenable.
“I heard it, and I thought to myself, ‘There are going to be problems with this,’” said Toluca Lake’s Leonard R. Garner Jr.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been about a decade in the making. It’s a feat of engineering, situated on a hill between the park’s upper and lower lots, extending out toward Lankershim Boulevard. Universal has its own interest in limiting noise from the ride, beyond being a polite neighbor, as it is still a working studio.
The theme park has made outreach into the neighborhood over the years in an attempt to assuage concerns, be it distributing fliers or attending community meetings. And many a Toluca Lake resident enjoys some theme park perks courtesy of Universal, such as free parking, and invites to preopening events at the park.
Netflix viewers are binge watching the four part series, which has already found itself in the top 10
Worst Neighbor Ever can be streamed on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
A “disturbing” true crime series that gives viewers nightmares is available to stream in full.
Earlier this week (July 1), streaming giant Netflix released four part series Worst Neighbor Ever, which comes from the same creators of shows Worst Ex Ever and Worst Roommate Ever.
Spanning across four episodes, it plunges viewers into real life neighbour disputes that often escalate to violence, and even murder. Through chilling body cam and CCTV footage as well as heartbreaking interviews with victims, the series also offers a unique approach by using animated re-enactments.
Promising to show cases that are “more shocking than ever”, an official synopsis teased: “You think you know your neighbors? Think again.
“This new series features first-hand accounts of violence, intimidation, and harassment that are more shocking than ever. Through compelling testimonials, startling body cam footage, and animated re-enactments, Worst Neighbor Ever proves the people next door aren’t just a nuisance – they’re lethal.”
The cases included a huge insurance scam explosion that had a catastrophic impact on one community, as well as a suspect’s chilling moves before a brutal shooting that left one dad dead.
Already, Worst Neighbor Ever has found itself in the top 10, surpassing other new releases taking the top spot.
Viewers cannot stop binge watching the four part anthology series, with some having “nightmares” from the harrowing cases shown.
Taking to X, one person wrote: “Episode 3 of #WorstNeighborEver has in my tearssssss. J**** man.” Another said: “#worstneighborever is crazy.”
A third fumed: “this #WorstNeighborEver series is ridiculous. there’s really some evil people out here.”
A fourth added: “These #WorstNeighborEver cases get worse and worse omg.” A fifth commented: “Episode 3 of worst neighbor ever just ruined my mf dayyyyyy!!!!!”
Another stated: “Every single episode of #WorstNeighborEver has made me cry, episode 3 especially.”
Over on TikTok, one true crime fan said the show was “unbelievably shocking” as they said in a video: “It did not disappoint, it was absolutely fantastic and I am shocked beyond belief.” They added it made then “so sad and so angry”.
One person replied: “just watched it the first episode was gut wrenching”, as another echoed: “OMG just finished watching it, I was bawling my eyes out he didn’t deserve that.”
A third added: “Thought it was so good, and so disturbing.” In another video, one reviewer stated the ‘Worst Ever’ collection has them “locked in every time”, as another said they were “not prepared” when watching the heartbreaking episode. A third penned: “It gave me nightmares.”
Emily Ratajkowski posing topless, with a glass of sparkling wine in hand, while pretending to breastfeed a plastic baby dollCredit: Instagram/emrataA ‘lover’ seen in boxers as Emily poses with the dollCredit: Instagram/emrata
But that seems tame compared to her latest stunt — posing topless, with a glass of sparkling wine in hand, while pretending to breastfeed a plastic baby doll.
In the same shock shoot, a “lover” in boxers is pictured at her window as she nurses the doll.
But that seems tame compared to her latest stunt — posing topless, with a glass of sparkling wine in hand, while pretending to breastfeed a plastic baby doll.
Emily, 35, who has previously been linked to Harry Styles, shared the controversial images with her army of 27.9million Instagram followers.
It was to promote an explict essay she wrote, titled MotherF***er, for lifestyle and culture website The Cut.
But is this bizarre shoot — in which she has been accused of sexualising breastfeeding — an act of genius from the Gen Z favourite rumoured to be worth £6million? Or a sign her star power is waning?
Many believe the backlash is what London-born Emily had hoped for.
A source says: “She has perfected the art of turning internet outrage into a multi-million pound brand.
“For every ‘disgusted’ comment, she gets another thanking her for her honesty. The business she has built around her body and brain is astonishing. Emily is incredibly intelligent, but most people don’t see that.”
The insider adds: “Women abhor and adore her in equal measure, and most men lust after her.
“She wants to empower women, she is open about her sexual expression.
“When people tear her down, it only goes to prove her point about how she is perceived by people.”
A close-up of the fake ‘breast-feeding’ picCredit: Instagram/emrataEmily joins Kim Kardashian for a topless selfie in the bathroom in 2016Credit: Refer to Source
Emily’s Instagram post from her latest photoshoot drew more than 8,000 comments within hours.
Nude images The size 6 model pouts toward the camera while pressing the toy to her 32C chest.
She wears a black leather blazer and matching trousers, heavy eye make-up, and her brunette hair has been styled as dishevelled.
One Instagram user wrote: “That photo is genuinely disturbing.”
Another said of the shot: “When art becomes awkward, uncomfortable and unnecessary.”
Others called it a “desperate cry for attention” — which echoes criticism recently faced by Emily’s close pal Sydney Sweeney.
American actress Sydney shocked viewers of US coming-of-age TV drama Euphoria when the 28-year-old’s character Cassie Howard dressed as a baby while making content for her OnlyFans account.
It seems Emily and Sydney — both regulars on “hottest woman in the world” lists — will go to extreme lengths to make headlines.
Emily in ‘nude’ briefs with Thicke, for his Blurred Lines video in 2013Credit: Refer to SourceA source says: ‘She has perfected the art of turning internet outrage into a multi-million pound brand’Credit: Getty
Emily’s MotherF****er essay has also proved divisive, as she reveals she turned to casual dating after her marriage to Sebastian Bear-McClard failed in 2022 following the birth of their son Sylvester.
She writes about motherhood and marriage: “It was a violent transition into a new reality of screaming baby on my aching tit and ring on my swollen finger.
“And then, in a time period that felt both instant and excruciatingly slow, my marriage collapsed. Six months after my son was born, my husband and I stopped having sex. Less than a year later, we separated.”
The divorce was finalised last year and she reveals how it changed her as she began “compulsively dating”.
But Emily, who spent the first five years of her life in London before moving to the US with her family, writes of her time before that: “I knew that boys didn’t treat girls they thought of as sluts tenderly. Boys didn’t fall in love with, want forever with, raise babies with, or take care of sluts.
“I wanted to be taken care of — desperately. I tried to be a ‘good girl’.
“Keeping my body count low was insurance. I thought it meant no one would ever cheat on me, that I’d always be loved, happy and safe.” But she adds: “None of that had turned out to be true.”
In graphic detail, she recalls dates with a man she refers to as the “elder millennial” — and performing a sex act not long after they first met.
She writes: “I’d found everything I’d come there for — a praying mantis devouring her mate.”
Sparing the blushes of the men she has previously dated — including a whirlwind romance with Brad Pitt, and US comic Pete Davidson — Emily uses pseudonyms in the essay.
She adds: “I decided to f*** my way into a new kind of woman. I wanted to destroy the Madonna, the special girl I’d worked so hard to be before an eight-pound baby had torn my vagina in two, and replace her with the whore.”
She goes on to write that, “men are turned on by motherhood”, adding: “I’d been so scared that, as a single mother, I was unlovable, used up and discarded. I soon came to find out it was quite the opposite of ‘they don’t care’. In fact, they liked it. There were many men who experienced the loneliness that comes with years of selfishness. They were particularly attracted to the idea that being a parent meant self-sacrifice was a given in my life. Did they want me as their mummy? Maybe.”
Emily is snapped with Harry Styles in 2023Emily has a tender moment with her real-life son SylvesterCredit: instagram/emrata
Emily was first signed as a model at age 14 but got her big break in the controversial Blurred Lines video.
She was then named as one of the world’s “hottest sex symbols” by Rolling Stone mag, and soon after announced as FHM’s “fourth sexiest woman in the world”.
Emily, who was born to an English mum and American dad, moved into acting while also modelling for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu.
But as her fame grew, she became vocal about protecting women.
In 2016, she went to war with US photographer Jonathan Leder, who used Polaroid images of her from a shoot four years earlier in a book she claimed was a “violation”.
Emily said she believed the photos were taken for a magazine — and that she did not give consent for the pictures, which included nudes, to be used in a book.
She wrote at the time: “Five out of the now hundreds of released photos were used for what they were intended: an artful magazine shoot back in 2012.
“These photos being used without my permission is an example of exactly the opposite of what I stand for — women choosing when and how they want to share their sexuality and bodies.”
Pals Sydney Sweeney, left, and Emily in New York last yearCredit: GettyEmily said: ‘Like any art, there’s a million ways to interpret it. All I can say is that when a woman is naked, that’s not immediately anti-feminist’Credit: Instagram
She was supported by Kim Kardashian — who similarly has turned controversy into cash.
The pair posed topless together for a selfie taken in a bathroom after Kim was reviled for posting a naked photo online.
Emily captioned the shot: “We are more than just our bodies, but that doesn’t mean we have to be shamed for them or our sexuality.”
It led to uproar on social media, as Emily became embroiled in a row with broadcaster Piers Morgan — who claimed they were undermining feminism.
Emily later hit back, explaining: “Kim said to me, ‘You know, when Lena Dunham takes her clothes off, she gets flak, but it’s also considered brave. When Justin Bieber takes his shirt off, he’s a grown-up’.
“When a woman who is sexual takes off her top, it plays into something. The whole idea is that when Kim takes a nude selfie, she’s just seeking attention. That’s not the issue. A woman can be seeking attention and also make a statement. They don’t need to be mutually exclusive.”
Emily later started writing essays that she made into a book, My Body, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2021 — and she also launched her own swimwear business, Inamorata.
The book saw Emily discuss being sexualised and exploited during her career — and allege she was sexually assaulted by singer Robin on the set of Blurred Lines.
Of the video and how it changed her life, Emily writes: “I wasn’t just famous; I was famously sexy, which, in many ways, felt gratifying.”
She adds: “I am complicit. But I also think it’s a mistake to shame a young woman for wearing a tight dress because she wants to be noticed by someone powerful.
“I don’t think we should continue to criticise women for saying, ‘This is how I can succeed and capitalise off of my image or my body’. That is an extension of the same misogyny I’ve seen so much in my life. We are all complicit.”
Those close to Emily believe she will steadfastly continue baring her soul despite the pushbacks that come her way.
A friend says: “Emily’s honesty is uncomfortable for some, but provides validation and solidarity for others.
“People will always have something to say. There’s nothing she can do about that.
“Emily’s said it herself, she doesn’t care what people think. It’s white noise. She is doing what she wants and saying what she wants. It is her truth and it is her choice to say it.”
As Emily put it: “Like any art, there’s a million ways to interpret it. All I can say is that when a woman is naked, that’s not immediately anti-feminist.
“I have no apologies for it, and I’m not ashamed at all.”
