Prime Video’s Binge-Worthy 8-Part Psychological Thriller Series Brings Back An Iconic ‘90s Trend

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Prime Video’s new hit show, 56 Days, signals a comeback for a popular psychological thriller style from the 1990s. However, it’s not the first series to attempt this revival. Psychological thrillers can take many forms – they’re often based on bestselling books or tell original stories inspired by classics like Psycho.

Over time, the thriller genre has evolved to encompass a wider range of stories, including suspenseful domestic dramas like Gone Girl and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, as well as serial killer movies such as The Silence of the Lambs and the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Se7en. Like all genres, thrillers experience certain trends that become popular, then fade away.

Prime Video’s show, 56 Days, has become a big success for the streaming platform, but its popularity wasn’t guaranteed. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Howard and tells the story of Oliver and Ciara, a couple who decide to live together after only knowing each other for a short time.

56 Days Is A Hit Erotic Thriller For Prime Video

Fifty-six days after the events began, police found a badly decomposed body in Oliver’s luxurious apartment. Neither Oliver nor Ciara was present to shed light on what happened. Throughout the series 56 Days, the mystery revolves around identifying the body – is it Oliver, Ciara, or a completely different person?

This psychological thriller cleverly shifts between a current police investigation and flashbacks of Oliver and Ciara’s whirlwind romance. The novel explains their quick decision to move in together by setting the story during the COVID-19 pandemic, where lockdowns unexpectedly forced them to isolate as a couple.

The show’s creators decided to leave out this part of the story, likely because they didn’t want to remind viewers of a difficult time in history. After shows like HBO’s Station Eleven unexpectedly lost viewers due to their realistic portrayal of a pandemic, this caution makes sense. Despite this change, the series does retain another key piece of the original book’s plot.

“56 Days” doesn’t shy away from explicit content, and its many sex scenes are a key part of the story and how the show is advertised. The show features frequent intimate scenes between stars Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia, and their complicated relationship is central to the show’s dark murder mystery, reminiscent of thrillers popular in the 1990s.

Erotic Thrillers Were Huge In The ‘90s (& Then They Died Out)

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Stylistically, 56 Days follows the classic formula of an erotic thriller. This genre first became popular in the 1980s with films like Fatal Attraction, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Jagged Edge, but it really hit its stride in the 1990s.

The 1990s saw a surge in popularity for erotic thrillers like Basic Instinct, Sliver, Wild Things, the Poison Ivy films, and Disclosure. Audiences were captivated by these provocative, sometimes over-the-top stories, which reflected changing attitudes about gender, power, and sexuality during a period of significant social change.

Critically-acclaimed directors also explored psychological and sexual themes in films like Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and David Cronenberg’s Crash. But the popularity of this type of erotic thriller quickly faded around the year 2000.

Many reasons have been suggested for the drop in popularity of erotic thrillers, but the rise of the internet at home is often mentioned as a contributing factor. By the early 2000s, the genre had largely disappeared, with films like Trois and Basic Instinct 2 proving it was losing its appeal.

It seemed like romantic dramas were losing popularity, but then Prime Video’s 56 Days unexpectedly became the most-watched title on the platform, showing there’s still an audience for this type of story. Despite a lot of discussion about Gen Z viewers supposedly being less interested in romance, 56 Days still became a major success.

56 Days’ Success Finally Revives The Erotic Thriller After Years Of Failed Attempts

Although 56 Days is the first widely popular erotic thriller in a long time, it’s not the first to attempt this kind of success. In 2023, musician The Weeknd’s series The Idol was a critical failure, with critics finding its numerous sexual scenes more comical than sensual.

In 2023, Prime Video’s film The Voyeurs didn’t live up to its potential, despite featuring star Sydney Sweeney, and ended up being a confusing and unthrilling watch. Similarly, 2022’s Deep Water, which starred Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck and was directed by Adrian Lyne (known for Fatal Attraction), received largely negative reviews and was considered a disappointment.

Recent attempts to revive erotic thrillers with limited-run series like Fatal Attraction and American Gigolo didn’t succeed. Interestingly, the most popular shows with sexual content, such as Bridgerton and Normal People, weren’t thrillers at all. This makes 56 Days a significant return for the genre, which hasn’t captivated audiences since the 1990s.

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2026-02-24 21:29