It was the psychological thriller that took the world by storm with its mesmerising acting and chilling plot-line back in 2014, and this week, blockbuster Gone Girl is once again the talk of movie buffs all over the world.
Unfortunately, however, this isn't because a spine-tingling sequel to the riveting murder mystery film - which stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike - is in the works.
No - instead, Netflix has today dropped a brand new docu-series which is said to follow the nerve-shattering story of the 'real Gone Girl'.
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The three-part series tells the tale of couple Denise Huskins and Aaran Quinn who, upon falling asleep together at their California home back in 2015, were woken up in the middle of the night by a group of intruders wearing wetsuits.
After being tied up, blindfolded and drugged, the perpetrators informed Aaron they'd be kidnapping Denise and wanted money in exchange for her release.
Waking up after being sedated, Aaron realised that Denise had been taken, and as promised, he'd received an email threat demanding payment.
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Naturally, Aaron telephoned the police who, after some intense questioning, labelled him the prime suspect.
It soon transpired that he'd been exchanging messages with his former fiancé, much to Denise's dismay, being that the trio worked as physical therapists in the same hospital facility.
Much like the plot of Gone Girl - which was released the year prior - after finding blood in his apartment, authorities began pointing the finger at Aaron, accusing him of killing Denise after she discovered he'd been unfaithful.
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And again, even more shockingly, in a plot twist similar to that featuring in the 2014 thriller, a missing Denise unexpectedly reappeared three days later near her mother's home in Huntington Beach.
After she corroborated her boyfriend's claims, however, police became even more suspicious over their elaborate story.
In turn, Aaron and Denise's claims earned several comparisons to the best-selling Gillian Flynn novel and famously intense movie, which tells the story of a woman who faked her own kidnapping.
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And in this brand new Netflix documentary viewers are plunged headfirst into the case by witnessing interrogation footage and hearing interviews with those involved.
We are, of course, talking about American Nightmare - which dropped onto the streaming service today (17 Jan) after months of anticipation.
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The series has certainly bagged the approval of millions of viewers already, despite only having dropped onto the UK site a matter of hours ago.
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"Just watched American Nightmare on Netflix. If you want to be utterly perplexed and frustrated at the depths of human stupidity (as if we don't do that on here enough anyway), i totally recommend it!" one fan penned on X.
"#AmericanNightmare on #Netflix What a wild story, eloquently told and brillaint production," added another.
For those who can't possibly wait any longer and absolutely must know how this twisted tale concludes, read on. Warning: spoilers ahead!
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After months of speculation, police are able to link Denise's kidnapping to a separate case involving another masked intruder.
They tracked down perpetrator Matthew Muller - an ex-Marine and disbarred immigration attorney - who subsequently pleaded guilty in 2016 to one count of federal kidnapping.
Muller was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and faced additional state charges of rape by force, robbery and burglary.
In November 2020, however, he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Denise has since opened up about the disbelief she faced from officials during the investigation.
"I don't know if I would've had the confidence to be able to return to work knowing that people would still think that I'm some con artist or hoaxer," she later told People Magazine.
Luckily for her and Aaron, however, she successfully sued the Vallejo Police Department, in turn securing herself a $2.5m settlement and an apology.
You can watch American Nightmare on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, Crime, True Crime
Rhianna Benson