The platform Netflix had long held a gaping hole in its horror section. With the announced end of Stranger Thingsthe question of the “new king of the supernatural” arose seriously. Released on July 17, 2026, the Korean series The East Palacevisible in France under the title The Eastern Palacehas just suddenly invited himself into the discussion.
Ultra-polished dark fantasy K-drama, carried by Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo And Cho Seung-woothe show is already panicking the critical meters with a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid average on Metacritic. Enough to give it the series label “rated 10/10” by some of the fans and offer it an avenue to aim for the horrific throne of Netflix.
For what The East Palace Is it Netflix’s new horror phenomenon?
On paper, the numbers speak for themselves. The East Palace has 100% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (9 reviews) and a Metascore of 78/100, with ratings of 8 to 9/10 from several specialized media. Screen Rant describes it as “one of the best thriller series in Netflix for years” and finally salutes a truly terrifying addition to its catalog.
An article from Forbesrelayed by Veja, goes further and presents it as the series Netflix the best rated at the moment thanks to this famous 100%. Above all, Screen Rant believes that “with the end of his greatest supernatural series which is Stranger Things, The East Palace has a real chance to fill this void.” The promise is clear: a new standard for fans of adult horror.
Cursed palace and spirit world: what’s the story? The Eastern Palace ?
The series takes place in a Joseon fictional, in the heart of a royal palace struck by a thirty-year-old curse. The heirs to the throne die one after the other, victims of a vengeful spirit. Cornered, the king embodied by Cho Seung-woo force enlistment Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), a shaman capable of projecting his soul into the Realm of Gwithe world of spirits.
Far from the invincible hero, Gu-cheon spends his time surviving both monsters and court plots, his head already promised to the executioner if he fails. He teams up with Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), court lady who hears the dead and hides an explosive connection with the royal family. Together, they trace a state crime disguised as a curse.
Visually, the Realm of Gwi evokes the Upside Down of Stranger Thingsbut transposed into Korean folklore, with red mist, twisted trees and grotesque creatures. The TV-MA classification is fully exploited: suggested mutilations, distorted minds, images that stay in mind long after the episode. We are closer to kingdom Or Hellbound what a nice teen series.
Where to see The East Palaceand can the series really dethrone Stranger Things ?
The East Palace has 8 episodes of approximately 50 minutes, available worldwide on Netflix since July 17, 2026, with VF and VOSTFR. The season forms a complete story while leaving some doors ajar towards a possible sequel. At this stage, no season 2 has been made official and a production of this magnitude would in any case push back a return to 2028 at least.
Can she dethrone Stranger Things ? The tone, much more adult, political and gory, targets a different audience, but ticks all the boxes of the future supernatural standard-bearer of Netflix. If you liked the sticky atmosphere of The Guest or the bloody intrigues of kingdom, The Eastern Palace is clearly the new dark series to binge-watch before it becomes the next global horror phenomenon.