Is ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Scary? The Novel’s Plot Summary and More

This week Hulu is taking a scathing look at the wellness industry with its latest miniseries, Nine Perfect Strangers. Based on the novel of the same name, the eight-episode series follows nine people who go to a 10-day self-help retreat. Instead of finding enlightenment they find a billion reasons to mistrust ethereal Russian women.

Out of Moriarty’s many novels, Nine Perfect Strangers is the closest this author ever gets to writing horror. But is Nine Perfect Strangers actually scary? If you’re excited about this new show from the same people that brought you Big Little Lies and The Undoing but don’t want to be scared, we have your back. Here’s your guide to whether Hulu’s new show is as scary as its trailer seems, and exactly what twists are in store according to the book.

Is Nine Perfect Strangers Scary?

You went into Nine Perfect Strangers expecting Big Little Lies Season 3. But now you’ve seen that twisted trailer and you’re worried that Nicole Kidman is about to straight up murder her guests. So is this Hulu miniseries secretly terrifying? It’s a fair question to ask.

As someone who has read Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name and seen the first six episodes of the series, I can confidently say that Nine Perfect Strangers is not a horror series. There aren’t going to be any secret killings, sexual assaults, demonic rituals, or cult sacrifices. If that’s your definition of horror, rest assured that this series will not give you actual nightmares. But this thriller will likely force you to reevaluate the wellness industry as a whole.

The terror of David E. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth’s miniseries comes from subtleties. No one actually gets hurt, but these people are forced to relinquish any sense of control over their lives, abandoning their cell phones and normal diets to follow the sacred law of Masha (Kidman). The ominous warnings of the horror genre are replaced with creepy, tight-lipped smiles from staff and endless gaslighting. It takes several episodes before guests of this 10-day retreat realize what’s actually happening. So, yes, Nine Perfect Strangers will make you uncomfortable. But it’s not designed to keep you up at night like The Haunting of Hill House or American Horror Story.

What Is Nine Perfect Strangers About? What Is the Nine Perfect Strangers Synopsis?

From what this critic has seen, the Hulu miniseries follows Moriarty’s book almost beat for beat. The spoiler-free version? Nine strangers sign up for a 10-day wellness retreat at Tranquillum House, a resort with rave reviews that promises to transform its guests. As they go further and further through the program, each guest learns more about themselves and their mysterious leader, Masha.

Now it’s time for the spoiler-heavy version of this story. Stop reading if you don’t want to know what’s ahead. The nine strangers of Tranquillum House have specifically been selected for a new program designed by Masha. Before the events of the novel, Tranquillum House achieved its great ratings by offering its guests LSD, mushrooms, ecstasy, and various other drugs. Under her new system, Masha starts to drug her guests without their consent, confident that the effects of her concoctions will outweigh any harm these drugs may cause or trepidation these people may feel. That’s when things take a turn.

In the novel, Masha convinces her guests to go to the next stage of this experience, something she calls psychedelic therapy. She and her staff once again drug the nine. But this time the treatment is less fulfilling and more psychotic. As they come down from their trip, the guests realize that Masha has locked them inside the meditation room with no food. The only way for them to escape is to solve a puzzle that has been carefully crafted by Masha and her assistant and lover Yao.

But because this is Masha we’re talking about, she changes her mind about the puzzle and removes the final clue. Instead she challenges them to play a game of her own creation, “Death Sentence.” Each of them are assigned a “lawyer” from the group and have to argue why they deserve to live. Adding to the pressure of this increasingly disturbing game, the nine smell smoke and can hear the crackling of fire. Convinced that they’re going to die, everyone gets really real really fast. That is until they realize that fire sound is on a loop. Frances tries the door to the meditation room and realizes that it’s unlocked.

The nine escape and are treated to a huge feast. Of course this goes over poorly. Heather, Napoleon, and Frances team up to knock out Masha, who is later arrested alongside Yao. In the end, everyone returns to their normal lives a little bit better and more at peace than they were before Tranquillum House. A near death experience will do that to you. But when you need therapy to cancel out your therapy, is it really worth it?

Watch Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu August 18