The Body Review
Director: Quinn Shephard, Gina Gammell, and Kevin Phillips
Date Created: 2026-11-11 16:02
3.5
The Body Review: Directed by Quinn Shephard, Gina Gammell, and Kevin Phillips, the Netflix horror-thriller drama stars Kristina Bogic as Anya Butler, Geena Meszaros as Lisbeth Anderson, and Sara Boustany as Elise Zakaria, with Sofia Wylie as Grace Franklin, Shirley Chen as Maddie Delaney, Jackson Kelly as Leo Anderson, Louisa Krause as Catherine Anderson, and Nnamdi Asomugha as Father Franklin. The series has eight episodes, each running approximately 50 to 60 minutes.
The Body Review
Netflix’s The Body centres on a set of girls in a Catholic convent school who are fans of dancing. The dancing team, called Lions, is headed by Anya, a girl who is seemingly self-assured in her position despite keeping some secrets. Lisbeth, on the other hand, is an outsider trying hard to find her place. She comes from a cult family and feels that being part of the Lions would make her belong somewhere. Elise is another very important character who plays an important role in the complex dynamics of the friendship.
Nevertheless, after a tragic turn of events takes place at a party, when an initiation ceremony for a new member takes an unexpected turn, and the girls then start having visions and hearing unexplainable sounds, their lives start changing dramatically, with fear, distrust, and religion playing an important role in it.
Netflix series The Body isn’t as focused on scaring the audience as on revealing the awkwardness of young girls’ relationships. The paranormal factor can draw viewers’ attention first, yet the true suspense is created by observing how the girls struggle with their friendships, feelings of envy and attraction, insecurity, and the strong desire for acceptance. I personally appreciate that approach, as it gives the show one more thing to play with rather than just the story about a group of teens encountering some horror. There’s an interesting theme behind all of the events in the show: what happens to people when they have trouble comprehending themselves, and they are confronted with the experiences they can’t explain?
Without a doubt, Anya, Lisbeth, and Elise are the most intriguing aspects of the story despite the fact that the girls are certainly not likeable people. The three of them have an unhealthy relationship that involves a lot of mutual resentment, manipulation, emotional dependence, and competition. What makes their interactions interesting is the fact that each one of them holds an equal share of the blame. Anya, as a member of the Lions, does possess some form of power.
On the other hand, Lisbeth enters the scene seeking nothing more than friendship and acceptance. Yet, because of her desire to belong, her interactions with the other girls are bound to be anything but simple. What caught my attention is the fact that, through Lisbeth’s eyes, one is able to see how tough it can be to join an existing group of friends.
Elise takes the relationship one step further, particularly as it gets progressively harder for all three to sustain their friendship. One thing I really liked about this series is that it never tries to make their arguments fit into the stereotypical scenario of good girl versus bad girl. These girls do some crazy things, make mistakes, and hurt each other.
But this is also where my issues with the writing began. The girls are often in the middle of disagreements, mind games, and emotional battles, but the story does not always allow for these moments to have an impact on their development. As the series moved forward, I would have liked to see more growth rather than seeing these moments arise over and over again.
Another dimension that is unique about Netflix’s The Body series is the religious dimension. By making the story revolve around a Catholic school, the authors have been able to examine how faith, guilt, desire, and fear work in a situation that is deemed unacceptable. The girls in this case are at an age where they are figuring out who they are as well as getting to know their sexuality.
What I especially enjoyed was the fact that the paranormal events somehow get linked to these emotions. The visions are not only included to frighten the viewer now and then, but they also help build up the mounting tension about what the girls think, fear and accept as real. There are quite a number of issues addressed in the series, from queer identity to anorexia and the need to live up to expectations.
I believe that the series attempts to cover too many things at once, which is also a problem. There is the horror mystery element, the religious undertones, the friendship aspect, the sexual awakening of the characters, and the personal issues of the girls. They all may go together, but the script sometimes fails to link them in the proper manner. The supernatural plotline is sometimes going in its own way while the drama surrounding the characters is developing on its own.
In addition, the series should have gotten scarier as things were escalating, but instead it becomes quite clear that the psychological horror aspect was much more important to the showrunners than actual frights. Some of the developments were not very successful. Yet another issue is the pace of the 2026 The Body series. While eight episodes lasting around an hour seem unnecessarily elongated at some points, the main storyline revolving around the friends is intriguing. However, all the fights and arguments do not bring anything new to the characters.
A more compact story would make the events much more significant. Visuals should also be mentioned, although not necessarily in a positive way. Firstly, it is great to avoid using a polished look that is common for teen dramas. The oppressive lighting, shadows, camera work, and disturbing sound design give the series a particular mood. At times, however, the dark scenes are so dark that it is impossible to tell what is going on.
Fortunately, the performance is a highlight of the show. Kristina Bogic provides an excellent portrayal of Anya, especially in terms of her confidence and vulnerabilities. The same can be said about the character of Lisbeth, played by Geena Meszaros, as she exudes unpredictability and thus leaves a lot of uncertainty regarding her motives. The character of Elise, played by Sara Boustany, adds additional complexity to the core group. The chemistry of the leading characters plays an integral role since the majority of the show revolves around them and their relationships.
Netflix The Body Review: Summing Up
Overall, 2026 The Body can be considered an intriguing series with plenty of good concepts, outstanding performances, and a unique take on the horror genre among teenagers. I enjoyed the examination of friendship, personal identity, feelings of guilt because of religion, and the awkward phase of being a teenager, but at the same time, I wished for more coherence in the writing of the episodes. The character development should have been more elaborate, the plot could have been tighter, and the supernatural concept could have been more compelling. Nevertheless, there is a lot of good in the series, making it worth watching, especially if you are fond of psychological horror shows.
