Watch the Brutal Sequel to One of Netflix’s Biggest Hits

There’s no way to discuss the modern state of cinema without discussing the big, streaming behemoth in the room: Netflix. For better or worse, the modern state of filmmaking is both bolstered by and simultaneously constrained by the auspices of the streaming generation. I love that Netflix regularly acquires and releases underrated international gems—Incantation, Don’t Listen—while also bemoaning how passive it has rendered most modern audiences. At least there are some gems, and Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform is one of them.

The Platform, currently streaming exclusively on Netflix, is one of the most-watched movies of all time, joining the likes of Carry-On, Under Paris, and—yes—K-Pop Demon Hunters as a certified streaming success. What’s most odd, however, is how little cache The Platform yields in the modern cinematic zeitgeist. It was nasty and gnarly, and I really liked it, but no one ever really seems to be talking about it. Doubly bizarre is that last year, Netflix stealth-dropped a sequel. It’s just as good, though similarly, no one is talking about it. So, take this as a sign—board The Platform 2 on Netflix now.

Per Netflix: New inmates enter a prison with a cruel feeding system in this dystopian film with Milena Smit (The Snow Girl) and Hovik Keuchkerian (The Money Heist)

The Platform 2 is both a sequel and a prequel, taking us back in time to another poor troupe of souls eponymous within the titular platform. Returning director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia doubles down on the nastiness of it all, never shying away from the dystopic brutality of his not-far-from-fiction rendition of fascism and totalitarian regimes. It’s great, criminally underrated stuff, and the perfect new watch for October, whether you missed just the sequel or the original as well.

Maybe the culture has shifted, and gory, extreme horror isn’t resonating with audiences like it did back in 2019, but if you’re down for it, The Platform 2 is a ride worth taking. Among audiences who have seen the sequel, the reception has been nothing but positive. Check out some choice social media reactions to The Platform 2 below: