Timothee Chalamet's '80s-Set Horror Movie On Netflix Is An Underrated Gem

From playing Paul Atreides in "Dune" to rapping in an amazing "Saturday Night Live" sketch with Pete Davidson to showing off custom Xbox controllers on YouTube, Timothée Chalamet is known for many creative endeavors. However, one of Chalamet's best performances to date can be found in the overlooked romantic horror "Bones and All." Despite being one of his highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes with a fresh 82%, it didn't receive the attention it should've at the box office.

When "Bones and All" came out in 2022, it faced intense competition. The film released just a week after the highly anticipated followup "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and the same week as fellow horror "The Menu," which sported a flashier cast including Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult. "Bones and All" ultimately underperformed at the box office, only bringing in about $15 million against an estimated $20 million budget, and wasn't on moviegoers' radars. Now, this underrated Chalamet gem is on Netflix and finding new audiences.

While director Luca Guadagnino is more often praised for his 2024 film "Challengers," "Bones and All" features everything audiences love about the Zendaya-led flick while reuniting Guadagnino with Timothée Chalamet, following 2017's "Call Me by Your Name." It boasts excellent chemistry between stars Chalamet and Taylor Russell, another great score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and a tragic story that keeps you enthralled and questioning how far you would go for love. It may not be as sexy as "Challengers," but "Bones and All" hits all the same beats, just against a different backdrop. 

"Bones and All" is the perfect dark romance. Cannibalism is common in this 1988-set universe, and those who express the urge are colloquially called eaters. Guadagnino makes you forget "eating" is what brings Maren (Russell) and Lee (Chalamet) together, instead leaving you captivated with how they fall in love. Without spoiling the ending, Maren carries out Lee's last request, but rather than being disgusted, you're wrapped up in the emotion and thoughtfulness of the action. It's hard to make cannibalism romantic, but Guadagnino does that and then some with "Bones and All."