Stephen King Praises Netflix’s New Four-Part Horror Series Arriving This Week
Stephen King has given Netflix’s upcoming horror series My Sad Dead an early vote of confidence, calling its central premise a “Cool idea!” The four-part Spanish-language series, directed by Pablo Larraín and based on the work of Argentine writer Mariana Enríquez, arrives on Netflix on September 24.
King’s interest is particularly notable given the unusual concept at the heart of the series. On September 18, he took to X to imagine what might happen if a person who could hear, and sometimes see, the dead fell into a city’s water supply and decomposed. If people then drank the contaminated water, he wondered, what if everyone gained the same ability?
He ended the post by naming My Sad Dead and its September 24 Netflix release, adding that his “old amigo” Pablo Larraín directed the series.
The comment quickly drew attention to a project that was already generating interest ahead of its streaming debut.
What Is My Sad Dead About?
At the center of My Sad Dead is Ema, a recently retired doctor who can see the dead. She is already struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death and unresolved issues in her own life when her niece Julie arrives.
Things become considerably more disturbing after three teenagers are murdered in Piedrabuena, a suburban neighborhood marked by violence.
The events trigger a strange phenomenon that disrupts the fragile boundary separating the living from the dead. What had previously been Ema’s private burden begins spreading throughout the neighborhood.
Soon, the dead begin making themselves known to the living, leaving residents unable to escape the presence, or even the sounds, of their own ghosts. Netflix’s official description similarly presents Ema’s ability and her niece’s arrival as the starting point for a much larger supernatural disturbance.
The premise gives My Sad Dead a distinctly unsettling setup. Ema has spent years living with an ability that separates her from the people around her. The series then turns that isolation into something communal, as the phenomenon begins affecting an entire neighborhood.
A Four-Part Series From Pablo Larraín and Mariana Enríquez
My Sad Dead is directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín and draws from the work of acclaimed Argentine author Mariana Enríquez. Netflix announced the project in 2025 as a four-episode horror drama produced by Fabula. The stories being adapted include material from Enríquez’s work, with the series bringing several of her characters and ideas together.
The main cast includes Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandra Flechner, and Carolina Álvarez. Netflix lists the series as a limited series and describes it as an Argentinian drama and horror production based on books.
The San Sebastián International Film Festival has also selected My Sad Dead for its 2026 Official Selection. The festival lists the production as an Argentina-Chile title with a 187-minute running time in its feature-length festival presentation and confirms Spanish as its original language.
The series is scheduled to arrive on Netflix on September 24, following its presentation at San Sebastián. Netflix announced that the four-episode production would premiere at the festival before its streaming debut.
Larraín Has Already Worked in Stephen King’s World
King’s praise also carries an added connection because Larraín previously directed Lisey’s Story, the television adaptation of King’s novel.
The filmmaker has built a varied career across films including Jackie (2016), Spencer (2021), and Maria (2024). His television work has also included projects such as Neruda, Homemade, and Lisey’s Story.
For My Sad Dead, Larraín worked on the scripts alongside Guillermo Calderón, Anastasia Ayazi, and Mariana Enríquez. Netflix’s original announcement identified the project as an adaptation of Enríquez’s stories, while the San Sebastián listing credits Larraín and Calderón as screenwriters.
The connection to King therefore runs deeper than a simple social-media recommendation. Larraín has previously brought one of King’s novels to the screen, and King has now publicly highlighted Larraín’s latest supernatural project.
Why Stephen King’s Reaction Stands Out
King remains one of horror’s most recognizable authors, with novels such as The Shining, It, and Carrie among his best-known works. He has also continued to comment on and recommend horror productions beyond his own adaptations.
His reaction to My Sad Dead focuses on the series’ basic hook rather than offering a review. King did not provide a detailed assessment of the finished four episodes. Instead, his post drew attention to the strange idea of a supernatural ability spreading through a city’s water supply and pointed his followers toward the Netflix series.
That distinction matters because My Sad Dead had not yet made its Netflix debut when King posted about it on September 18. His comments are therefore best understood as an expression of interest in the premise rather than a review of the complete series.
From Enríquez’s Stories to Netflix
The project began with Enríquez’s fiction and was developed for the screen by Larraín, Enríquez, Guillermo Calderón, and Anastasia Ayazi.
Netflix announced in June 2025 that filming would take place in Buenos Aires for exterior locations and Santiago, Chile, for interiors. The production was described as a four-episode horror drama produced by Fabula.
The San Sebastián presentation gives the project an additional festival platform before its worldwide Netflix release. The festival’s official materials identify Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, Carolina Álvarez, and Alejandra Flechner among the principal cast, with Mariana Enríquez also participating in the project’s festival events.
The Trailer Sets Up a Story About the Dead Becoming Everyone’s Problem
Netflix has released a trailer for My Sad Dead, with the official Netflix page listing a 2-minute, 4-second limited-series trailer. The service describes the show as chilling, understated horror centered on ghosts, secrets, and an intimate supernatural story.
The trailer is also available through Netflix’s official title page:
At its core, the series takes a supernatural ability that initially belongs to Ema and expands its consequences outward. The deaths in Piedrabuena set the larger story in motion, while the growing presence of the dead threatens to erase the separation between those who are alive and those who are not.
That gives the four-episode series a premise that can operate on both a personal and community level. Ema must confront her own grief and unresolved problems at the same time that something far larger begins unfolding around her.
When Does My Sad Dead Release?
My Sad Dead premieres on Netflix on September 24, 2026. It is a four-episode Spanish-language horror series starring Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandra Flechner, and Carolina Álvarez, with Pablo Larraín directing and Mariana Enríquez’s work providing the source material.
Stephen King’s endorsement has already put additional attention on the project, but audiences will have to wait until the Netflix premiere to see how the complete story unfolds.
With its unusual premise, connection to Enríquez’s fiction, Larraín’s direction, and a cast led by Mercedes Morán, My Sad Dead is set to bring its particular vision of ghosts and the boundary between life and death to Netflix on September 24.