When I first heard about True Haunting, a new Netflix series diving into the realm of paranormal encounters, I thought it was going to be a run-of-the-mill docuseries. I mean, a Netflix subscription gives you access to dozens of these types of docuseries exploring ghosts, possessions, and other supernatural incidents, and this seemed like more of the same. However, after pressing play, I quickly realized I was wrong; very, very wrong.
On the surface, True Haunting gives off the impression that it would take the standard approach with stories about a college dormitory plagued by an angry spirit and a Victorian house with a chilling past, but that’s not the case. Instead, this unique take on the docuseries genre, produced by horror icon James Wan, is anything but typical…
I Thought True Haunting Was Going To Be Like Other Netflix Docuseries
When the True Haunting trailer dropped a few weeks ago, it seemed like it was going to be like a lot of the other paranormal shows or crime series streaming on Netflix. I don’t mean that in a demeaning way, but I was getting some Unsolved Mysteries and The UnXplained vibes from everything I was seeing. Again, I love both of those shows, but they aren’t necessarily the most ambitious or transformative series available on Netflix.
However, The Combination Of Documentary And Drama Aspects Creates A Unique Experience
A few minutes after pressing play on “Eerie Hall: Part 1” (the first of a three-episode story about SUNY Geneseo student Chris Di Cesare and a terrifying experience he had in the dorms as a freshman back in 1984, I realized this was something different. That continued over the course of that unsettling story as well as the two-parter about a young family’s experience after buying a haunted Victorian manor.
Remember how Netflix’s The Social Dilemma combined elements of documentary and drama to create a unique experience, diving into the pitfalls of social media? Well, it’s like if you combined that and the reenactments from Unsolved Mysteries to tell complex, and utterly terrifying stories. Basically, it’s really cool to see a show try to break the mold and attempt something new to properly tell these types of tales in an engaging way.
This Is Honestly One Of The Scariest Series I’ve Watched In Some Time
I’m not going to lie, True Haunting had me utterly terrified multiple times over the course of its five episodes. Though this is a Netflix show you could binge, my wife and I had to break it up and watch an episode a night, mainly because we needed to watch something to calm our nerves after each 30-plus-minute chapter. I had a similar experience with Apple TV’s The Enfield Poltergeist back in 2023 (another series that combines documentary and drama), in that I was fascinated and eager to learn how the story would unfold, but also scared while watching everything go down.
With James Wan as the executive producer of the series, I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised in this regard. However, the thrills and chills in this documentary series blew me away time and time again.
If you want to watch True Haunting to see what all the fuss is about (it’s still in the Netflix Top 10 at the time of this writing), it’s one of the most unique experiences that I’ve had watching the 2025 TV schedule so far.