There are dozens upon dozens of great thrillers and horror movies available on Netflix at any given moment, but make sure that this 2018 gem doesn't entirely fall off your radar. The Perfection remains one of the best and most f**ked up psychological horror stories of the decade.
Directed by Richard Shepard, The Perfection centers on an elite and prestigious music school run by an imposing headmaster named Anton (Steven Weber). The story follows Anton's previous star pupil, Charlotte Willmore (Allison Williams), and her replacement, Lizzie Wells (Logan Browning). When Charlotte's mother falls ill, she is forced to drop out of school. Later, she receives an invitation from Anton asking her to meet his latest bright-eyed student, Lizzie. The film follows the growing relationship (and rivalry) between the two.
The Perfection is a smart and unrelenting thriller that picks up speed quickly and never lets its foot off the gas. You'll never guess what direction this story goes.
A twisted queer love story
The Perfection begins with the blossoming relationship between Charlotte and Lizzie that, at first, feels like a natural progression of their characters. Despite Lizzie functioning as Charlotte's "replacement," the two women have plenty to bond over and that culminates in a romantic night together. But their relationship takes a dark turn the following day when Lizzie gets sick and starts hallucinating, leading to a horrific act of violence.
To go into too much detail about Charlotte and Lizzie's relationship would spoil some of the film's most compelling twists. All you need to know is that their bond is the anchor for this story and that becomes most apparent during the movie's third act.
Stylized body horror
Body horror is very on trend right now, with recent hits like The Substance in contention for the upcoming Academy Awards, and Neon recently acquired the acclaimed body horror film Together, co-starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco.
There's a new 2025 body horror film making audiences vomit
The Perfection achieves its own merits in the subgenre, with bodily autonomy becoming a prevalent theme. The body horror used in this film might be there to shock and disturb, but it also serves a deeper purpose that leads to its stunning conclusion.
One mesmerizing and disturbing final image
Whether you like the film or not (and it is rather polarizing), most viewers agree that the very end is worth the wild ride full of ups and downs. The final shot is, literally, perfection. The pinnacle of Charlotte and Lizzie's story comes together in one breathtaking image.
The Perfection is streaming exclusively on Netflix. Add it to your watchlist here.