Netflix's Gruesome 3-Part Horror Show Completely Rewrites the Genre's Rules

Shadows, dim halls, and the unknown terrors of the night — that's what horror is supposedly made of. Even horror comedies tend to follow this unsaid rule: the night is when disaster strikes. Nothing terrible happens on a sunny day, especially in a white-picket, cookie-cutter suburban house of two realtors who like to play it safe with their grungy teenage daughter. But Netflix's hidden gem, Santa Clarita Diet, bites the head of this formula and reinvents what horror can look like under the cloudless blue skies. It's a tremendously fun romp into suburbia, a zombie comedy that knows what it wants and sends Drew Barrymore's projectile-vomiting Sheila to hunt it down.

Netflix's 'Santa Clarita Diet' Does a Sunny Horror Comedy Like No Other

The series begins its drama almost immediately as Sheila throws up during a house inspection with her increasingly worried husband, Joel (Timothy Olyphant). Soon thereafter, they accept the help of the neighboring "creeper" Eric (Skyler Gisondo), a teenage boy who loves all things morbid, who determines that Sheila is a zombie. Much to Joel and teenage daughter Abby's (Liv Hewson) concern, Sheila's appetite evolves from raw packaged meat to fresh humans, and so... chaos ensues.

Santa Clarita Diet doesn't seem to set out to do anything new with the genre, but inadvertently does, as it delivers the sunniest, most peppy version of a horror comedy possible. It sticks to its guns by approaching the hilarious scenario of a suburban family trying to hide their undead mother/wife in a variety of new ways each episode. The show is really just a hell of a fun time, drenched in the over-saturated colors of a picture-perfect suburban life, paired with the equally saturated blood-spraying kills by Sheila. Throw in decapitated talking heads and an ancient order of Knights fighting against zombies, and you get a wonderfully wacky show scorched by the eternal optimism of sunshine.

Beneath the shiny surface are still undercurrents of darkness and poignancy that anchor the show's ludicrous ideas. We see it earliest in Joel's internal conflict about his wife's new condition, where he is initially adamant and horrified: "We can't kill people!" But over the span of an episode, his gaze softens, and he looks at his wife lovingly as their daughter crawls into bed with them to seek comfort about their situation. Turns out, they can kill people, as long as they are together. Santa Clarita Diet's ever-lasting fun is layered with the tenderness of sacrifice and the cutting edge of suburban commentary, but it holds its promise to be a damn good time through it all.

Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant Are the Heart of 'Santa Clarita Diet'

With big names like Barrymore and Olyphant at the forefront, you're guaranteed to have a laugh throughout Santa Clarita Diet. Barrymore is a natural in the role of an awkward suburban mother who is now no longer restricted by her inhibitions and happily indulges in her bloodthirsty, fleshy cravings, especially when it is paired with the heartfelt love for her family. On the other hand, you may be used to the serious side of Olyphant, but his manic grin pairs perfectly with Joel's spiraling personality, as he tries to grip tightly onto their perfect life before realizing that sometimes, you just have to let the broken toaster oven go.

Their chemistry as husband and wife is beautifully comforting and drives the heart and humor of the show. Olyphant and Barrymore find an easy rhythm for banter, arguments, and affection, flitting between each so organically that we are convinced they have been married for years when the series begins. Their relationship forms the basis of the more horror-like aspects of the scenario, feeding into the "average people thrown into an extraordinary situation" feel, while also sparking the absurd physical commentary and funny, quick-witted jabs. It's a delight to see them share a screen — a blood-stained power couple we never thought we needed.

Santa Clarita Diet is an incredibly underrated show, and should have made a bigger impact than it seems to have. It rewrites one of the fundamental rules of horror by casting everything in bright lights and peppy smiles, yet still indulges in creepy notes that temper the ridiculous comedy of it all. If you're looking for a delightfully fun watch with over-the-top gore, then you need to step into the prettified streets of Santa Clarita Diet, ones that hold a terrifyingly bloody and comical secret.