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Stephen King loves Baby Reindeer. We know that already, thanks to his glowing, short-but-sweet review of the hit Netflix series on Twitter just a few days ago. Now, though, the horror author has doubled down on his praise, penning a love letter to the show for UK-based publication The Times.
In the essay, King goes so far as to call the darkly funny drama, which sees aspiring comedian Donny's life spiral out of control after he starts being stalked (and slowly unpacks his lingering trauma over a previous sexual assault), "one of the best things" he's ever seen. He compared it to Misery, too, his 1987 horror-thriller novel about a romance novelist who gets kidnapped and held hostage by his self-proclaimed number one fan.
"My first thought was to thank God my novel came first, or people would assume I’d stolen it from Richard Gadd," he joked, shouting out the show's writer and star, who based its somewhat fictionalized story on his own real-life experiences.
"Unlike most streaming series' episodes, which can feel bloated at 50 minutes – or even longer – the episodes of Baby Reindeer, each about 30 minutes, are like short, swift stabs administered by a very sharp knife," King wrote.
"The great gift (I will not call it a trick) of Baby Reindeer is that we come to understand why it has taken so long for Donny to report his abuse. In his heart, Donny believes he deserves it. We feel empathy for him rather than impatience, and we come to feel empathy for Martha as well."
Baby Reindeer is streaming now on Netflix. Already binged it? Check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.
