'Nerve-shredding' thriller based on unsettling true story now one of Netflix's most watched titles
It is proving very popular among Netflix fans
A 'nerve-shredding' thriller that is based on an unsettling true story is now one of Netflix's most watched titles.
Despite only being recently added to the streamer's library, The Royal Hotel has been steadily making its way up the charts. At the time of writing it currently sits as the fourth most watched film on the platform.
This places it just behind new releases The Thursday Murder Club and KPop Demon Hunters. There is a small chance the title could yet climb even further to the top spot as Netflix fans seemingly can't stop watching the 91 minute long feature film.
According to the movie's synopsis, Hanna and Liv are best friends backpacking in Australia. After they run out of money, Liv, looking for an adventure, convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job behind the bar of a pub called The Royal Hotel in a remote Outback mining town.
Bar owner Billy and a host of locals give the girls a riotous introduction to Down Under drinking culture but soon Hanna and Liv find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control. Its story was inspired by a documentary called Hotel Coolgardie released in 2016.
The cast is lead by Jessica Henwick who has previously starred in Game of Thrones, Glass Onion and The Matrix Resurrections, alongside Julia Garner who has more recently appeared in Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Weapons and Wolf Man.
The film was well received by critics after its initial release in cinemas back in 2023. It managed to earn an 89% rating on website Rotten Tomatoes.
One reviewer claimed: "The Royal Hotel is a masterclass in tension-building. Green placing these characters in an inescapable place is one thing, but she is also intelligent enough to know that the scariest thing she could do is let these men be the men they are."
While another simply stated: "A highly tense thriller that has your mind racing throughout."
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While one review declared: "The Royal Hotel is captivating and intense, resulting in a razor-sharp new thriller, signifying that no matter how much you try to escape the chaotic world, the madness of it will certainly find you."
Thanks to its addition on Netflix, a whole new set of viewers are being drawn into the film's dark story. As one fan put it: "This movie was hard to watch, and hard to stop watching."
Another admitted: "I've not watched such a nerve shredding movie in as long as I can remember."
The Royal Hotel is streaming on Netflix.