‘Stomach-churning' thriller rockets up the Netflix charts a whopping 14 years on from its ITV debut - as viewers warn ‘it left me with chills'

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A 'stomach-churning' thriller has rocketed up the Netflix charts a whopping 14 years on from its ITV debut - with viewers warning 'it left me with chills'.
Appropriate Adult, which first aired on ITV in 2011, is a two-part mini-series of TV films dramatising how serial killers Fred and Rose West were brought to justice.
The couple tortured, raped and murdered at least twelve young women in Gloucester between 1967 and 1987 - including their daughter Heather, 16, and Rose's stepdaughter Charmaine, eight.
The dramatisation runs from their arrests in February 1994 until Fred's suicide, aged 53, behind bars in January 1995 - while Rose, 71, is still now serving a life sentence.
It stars Dominic West as Fred, Monica Dolan (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) as Rose and Emily Watson as social worker Janet Leach - Fred's appropriate adult during police interviews, so there can be no suggestion he did not understand them.
Viewers have taken to IMDb to express how gripping this older dramatisation is - after a harrowing Netflix documentary on the Wests, released earlier this month, reawakened interest in the case.
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The documentary, called Fred And Rose West: A British Horror Story, focusses on the victims' families.
For some, it was the first time they spoke out and opened up on camera about their trauma.
Appropriate Adult, by contrast, hones in on Janet's pivotal role, present in all Fred's interviews about his horrifying crimes.
The drama received a whopping eight BAFTA nominations at the time of its release, with Dominic (The Crown) and Emily (Chernobyl) winning the awards for best actor and actress respectively.
One viewer said of the series, which is currently ranking in the streamer's top ten, said: 'I was very moved by this dramatisation. Brilliant acting which left me with chills.
'I had to keep reminding myself that these events actually happened because it's so stomach-churning. This is definitely a must-see!'
Another said: 'Emily Watson's stunning BAFTA-winning performance sets the small screen ablaze in this gripping study of sociopathy and those seduced by it.
'Watson does some of her most memorable and powerful work here and it is a clear demonstration of a gifted actor at the height of her artistry.'
Viewers have taken to IMDb (pictured) to express how gripping this older dramatisation is
But not everyone was pleased with the TV show, as one commenter (pictured) took issue with what they felt was a too sympathetic portrayal of Fred
But not everyone was pleased with the TV show, as one commenter took issue with what they felt was a too sympathetic portrayal of Fred.
They said: 'It was repellent - as well as incomprehensible - to watch Leach's developing interest and fascination with Fred West.
'Anyone watching this [series] should first do some Googling to find out the details of what Fred and Rosemary West perpetrated.
'If anyone deserves to be called human monsters, it is this pair.
'In the light of this knowledge, the script's clear intention - to me anyway - to actually make West into a figure of sympathy is disgusting.'
The opening credits explain: 'This is a true story. What follows is based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts.
'Some scenes have been created for the purposes of dramatisation.'
But it felt all too real for Dominic, who told the BBC at the time of filming that playing Fred gave him nightmares: 'I have this recurring dream where I'm perched on a wall and Fred West is trying to grab me and pull me down.'
The drama received a whopping eight BAFTA nominations at the time of its release, with Dominic (The Crown) and Emily (Chernobyl) winning the awards for best actor and actress respectively
The couple (pictured) tortured, raped and murdered at least twelve young women in Gloucester between 1967 and 1987 - including their daughter Heather, 16, and Rose's stepdaughter Charmaine, eight
He also defended the series against criticisms it might be too traumatising for the victims' families to watch.
Dominic said: 'I think it's effective without being sensational in any way.
'Thousands of people still go missing in this country every year and are never found.
'Fred West preyed on runaways without being caught for 25 years. We should not forget this case because there could be others like him.'
It comes after audiences saw for the first time the eerie home videos of the West family, featured in the Netflix documentary that landed earlier this month.
Riding bicycles over hilly tracks, wading through rambling streams and with children excitedly running off in different directions, they look like an ordinary family enjoying a day trip to the countryside.
You would never guess this was footage of the family life of Britain's most notorious and sadistic serial killers: the Wests.
The extraordinary family archive appears alongside chilling police footage of the moments West began giving up the secrets of 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester.
Riding bicycles over hilly tracks (pictured), wading through rambling streams and with children excitedly running off in different directions, they look like an ordinary family enjoying a day trip to the countryside
Over a series of visits, West coldly points out where he has hidden the bodies of the vulnerable young women who were held captive, raped and tortured at the Wests' infamous address which would become known as the 'house of horrors'.
He could not look more relaxed with a cigarette in hand. At times he has a smile on his face or is cracking jokes.
It would later emerge that over 20 years the couple murdered at least 12 young women including two of their own children.
Nine were dismembered and buried under the cellar and the garden patio at Cromwell Street by builder West.
Rose was found guilty in 1995 of murdering ten girls and women, while Fred was facing trial for 12 murders before his suicide the same year.