RATCHED: We watched the first episode and it was creepy AF

Netflix’s new drama Ratched starring Sarah Paulson, Cynthia Nixon and Sharon Stone tells the terrifying story of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s Nurse Ratched - here’s what you need to know about it...

What is it?

Released on Netflix September 18th, Ratched is about to become the show everybody’s talking about. Inspired by the character Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (it’s basically the backstory of how she became who she is) we watch asylum nurse Mildred Ratched arriving to save the day at a struggling, underfunded mental facility. Or so we think. But instead of Louise Fletcher stepping into the villainous nursing flats of Ratched, it’s Sarah Paulson taking the helm this time around. And boy, is she good (or bad, depending on your take on it).

What to expect:

Created by Evan Romansky with exec producers including Ryan Murphy (Glee, The Politician) and Paulson herself, we find ourselves stepping back in time to 1947 (because everything was creepier back then) to see Mildred arriving in Northern California, with hopes of gaining employment at a psychiatric hospital. There, she discovers new and ‘unsettling’ experiments have just started on the human mind. So far, so terrifying. Seemingly an experienced and composed nurse, cracks in her ‘perfect’ facade soon begin to appear. And naturally, it’s wickedly brilliant to watch.

Fear factor? 10/10.

Fans of horror will go mad for the sadistic nurse’s antics and backstory, but Ratched's aesthetic manages to be impressively stylish too, considering its gristliness. With impeccable wardrobe styling (we’ve never hankered after a nurse’s uniform quite so much) a haunting soundtrack and plenty of eerie and unsettling shots inside the hospital itself (give the lighting team an Oscar already goddammit) do yourself a favour and don't watch it alone. Fans of Paulson won't be disappointed either - while we've already seen her impress in gritty roles (think: The People V OJ Simpson, Ocean’s 8 and The Goldfinch) this could be her very best work yet. But one warning - you'll never want to step foot in a hospital ever again.

Who’s in it? The full cast:

With Sarah Paulson playing Mildred Ratched, SATC’s Cynthia Nixon plays Gwendolyn Briggs, campaign manager to an unpleasant local politician. Judy Davis plays Nurse Betsy Bucket, with Sharon Stone as intriguing heiress Lenore Osgood. Jon Jon Briones is Dr. Richard Hanover, Finn Wittrock plays Edmund Tolleson and Charlie Carver is Huck. Remaining cast include: Alice Englert, Amanda Plummer, Corey Stoll, Sophie Okonedo, Brandon Flynn and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Sophie Goddard is the Entertainment Editor of Marie Claire UK, as well as working across other titles in a freelance capacity. She has over 10 years journalism experience working on both digital and print platforms and prior to Marie Claire, worked at Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazine. Sophie writes about a number of topics, specialising in celebrity interviews and features. At Marie Claire, she is responsible for booking and interviewing cover stars and other celebrity interviews and is always open to pitches from publicists (she is always open to discussing sausage dogs, too).