I am a huge fan of Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, as are the other 14 million people who have purchased her books. The Australian novelist wrote the book that was adapted into the nearly perfect thriller series on HBO. Now her most recent book, Nine Perfect Strangers, has been made into another series starring Nicole Kidman that will be out soon on Hulu. Both of these books combine creepy elements with romantic themes, but if the “creepy” part is optional for you, her books The Hypnotist’s Love Story and What Alice Forgot are some of my favorite beach reads ever.
In Nine Perfect Strangers, a middle aged successful novelist goes to an expensive wellness retreat at Tranquillum House. At first the eccentric woman running the resort, Masha (played by Nicole Kidman), seems helpful but weird. However, as the 10 strangers at Tranquillum House settle into their wellness journey she becomes more and more unhinged. Eventually the guests learn they are not free to leave Tranquillum House and their idyllic retreat turns into a horror movie.
Here’s the trailer:
Nicole Kidman stars as Masha, a former high-powered business exec whose health scare inspired her to quit the corporate world and create Tranquillum House. Melissa McCarthy plays Francis, the narrator for much of the story who is a middle aged author unused to life without her creature comforts. Samara Weaving, Tiffany Boone, Bobby Cannavale, Luke Evans, Melvin Gregg, Regina Hall, Manny Jacinto, Asher Keddie, Michael Shannon and Alyla Browne also star.
When author Liane Moriarty started thinking about writing Nine Perfect Strangers the idea came from a pretty creepy place: the irresistable allure of the wellness industry. She told The Guardian, “We live in paradise. Most of us live such comfortable middle-class lives, and so, is it the desire for suffering? And this desire we all have for transformation. I can never see an article that says, ‘Just change this one thing about your life, and you’ll be transformed forever’ – even though you know when you click on it, it won’t work, I find it irresistible.” That middle aged overweight romance novelist? That character is based on Moriarty herself.
For some reason, Hulu is being shy about the release date, but as the trailer is put together, it should be released in the next few months. As soon as a release date is announced, we’ll put a reminder in our weekly horror streaming guide and you stay up to date with horror movies streaming on Hulu here. I can’t wait to binge this one.
