Donald Glover's new Prime Video show Swarm is being called "shockingly violent" and "darkly hilarious"

The new psychological horror show Swarm has been landing great reviews as it debuts on Amazon Prime Video. The series, created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, follows a young woman who becomes obsessed with a Beyoncé-like pop star.

Dominique Fishback leads the cast as Dre whose love for a fictional singer takes a dark turn when she gets deeper into the fandom. The show has a star-filled supporting cast too, with Chloe Bailey playing her sister Marissa and Karen Rodriguez playing her friend Erica. The guest cast includes Damson Idris, Rory Culkin, Paris Jackson, and Billie Eilish.

The critical consensus for the mystery thriller has been pretty positive. Currently sitting at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews have called it "bloody brilliant" and "brutally violent and darkly hilarious".

"TV lost a true visionary when Donald Glover’s Atlanta wrapped up a spectacular four-season run on FX last year," wrote TVLine’s Dave Nemetz. "Lucky for us, he’s not done making great television yet, and Atlanta fans will feel right at home with his new horror thriller Swarm."

Variety praised Fishback’s performance in their review. "Because the show relies so heavily on its lead, Swarm is, above all things, a spectacular showcase for Fishback," argues Joshua Alston. "She’s been quietly building an impressive body of work for years, and judging from this ravenous turn she’s done being quiet."

The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg wrote: "Without getting into spoilers, there are episodes of Swarm that are disturbing and shockingly violent and others that are ridiculously funny (and maybe still shockingly violent)."

However, not everyone has been a fan of the new show with The Daily Telegraph’s Poppie Platt writing: "Swarm lacks cohesion, nervously treading a tightrope between pure voyeuristic horror and black comedy."

Viewers have been enjoying it too, comparing it to other shows and movies. "So I watched #Swarm yesterday and WOW," one wrote. "This show is a darker, more anxiety-inducing Euphoria that puts fan culture under a microscope." Another tweeted: "Swarm is the Stan Twitter version of American Psycho… I'm loving this show."

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.