Have a Hannibal-shaped hole in your heart? Are you a lover of international crime dramas? Allow us to introduce you to La Mante – “The Mantis” – a new Netflix original series that puts a fresh spin on the serial killer thriller. Starring Carole Bouquet, Fred Tesot, and a handful of other famous French actors, the French-language series wastes no time in introducing us to a grisly murder that sets up what is to come. Bouquet stars as Jeanne Deber, a serial killer who terrorized France over 25 years ago and has since spent her days alone in prison. When the news of this murder and others like it reaches her and it becomes apparent that it is a copycat killer, she offers to lend her assistance – on one condition: her son Damien, who has not spoken to her since her arrest and is now a police officer, must work by her side. Desperate to help catch the killer, Damien agrees – even if it means throwing his own life into turmoil.

As a whole, La Mante is best enjoyed spoiler-free, but we’d be remiss not to mention just how strong the storytelling and performances are. The show’s heart lies in its stars; Bouquet is truly charismatic, making you wonder how she’s capable of such horrors and frightening you to your core all at once, while Fred Testot is remarkable and relatable as her tortured son, serving as the perfect everyman surrogate for viewers.

The twists and turns that the story undergoes in each of its six episodes never fail to be compelling; this dark, bloody thriller never holds back with even the most gruesome of developments, and that’s what makes it so successful. Like Hannibal, the show is visually rich and doesn’t skimp on even the most heinous of murder scenes, but it never feels too gratuitous – everything has a purpose. It’s not just Hannibal, either; the premise harkens back to its cinematic predecessor, The Silence of the Lambs, in which Hannibal Lecter is recruited to help catch a similar serial killer on the loose. What makes this series special is its stealthy use of tropes and eventual subversion of them, keeping audiences on their toes with every installment – you may very well find yourself understanding the reasoning behind Jeanne’s heinous crimes by the time you’re finished.

La Mante is certainly not for the weak of heart; if your stomach isn’t the strongest, we’d recommend passing – or watching the more bloody sequences with one hand over your eyes. The suspense and performances at its core, however, make it worth every hard-to-watch scene. You’ll soon forget you’re listening to French and perhaps find yourself embracing your darker inner Francophile – and wondering why there isn’t more La Mante for you to consume.

Stream La Mante on Netflix