Netflix’s 2025 vault is a sinister spread of horror, comedy, and action, but it is the twisted thrillers that sink deepest into the skin. Stories of cursed towns and creeping dread have always struck a nerve, and this year, the shivers arrive wrapped in shadows. Enter Wayward. Or is it Tall Pines? One name beckons, the other haunts. Both whisper secrets, both promise terror. But no one can say for certain, are they part of the same nightmare… or two horrors waiting to unfold?

One thing is certain: the series is set to become one of Netflix’s most chilling thrillers yet. But fans are fixated on one creeping mystery: two titles, or just one terror?

Netflix’s titles Wayward and Tall Pines are stirring up chills and a whole lot of confusion

Netflix’s upcoming thriller Wayward, once titled Tall Pines, is not two shows, but one chilling mystery wrapped in shadows. Created by Mae Martin, who also stars and co-showruns alongside Servant’s Ryan Scott, the limited series premieres September 25. Set in the deceptively peaceful town of Tall Pines, Wayward promises eerie twists and buried secrets. With Toni Collette, Sarah Gadon, and Patrick J. Adams in the cast, even the teaser poster hints, something in those woods does not want to stay hidden.

Beneath the picture-perfect surface of Tall Pines lies something far more sinister. When two teens break free from a so-called academy for troubled youth, they team up with a recently arrived police officer. Together, they begin to unravel the twisted history buried beneath the town’s charm. As dark secrets claw their way to light, Wayward pulls viewers deep into the horrors of a system built to break rather than heal. Mae Martin has also shared insight into the eerie vision behind the series, promising chills that linger long after the credits roll.

Mae Martin opened up about their vision for Netflix’s Wayward, the spine-chilling thriller that promises a haunting tale blurring reality, fear, and deep-rooted secrets, all set against the backdrop of troubled teenage lives and the dark systems meant to control them.

How Mae Martin crafted the dark world of Wayward for Netflix

Mae Martin has long been drawn to the emotional turbulence of adolescence, often writing characters who wrestle with the intensity of their teen years. For Wayward, they chose to confront that chaos head-on, channeling the raw energy and confusion of youth into something far darker. Inspired by personal memories and real-life events, Martin pulled from the experience of being a rebellious teen in the early 2000s, particularly the haunting story of a close friend who was sent to a troubled youth facility at sixteen. “I’ve always known I wanted to more directly dive into that time,” Martin shared.

Fueled by unsettling real-life accounts, like a close friend’s harrowing stories from a teen facility, Mae Martin dove into the shadowy world of the “troubled teen” industry. That fascination evolved into Wayward, a thriller shaped by influences such as Girl, Interrupted, Fargo, and Get Out. Martin described it as what might happen if the kids from Booksmart were dropped into One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The series is poised to jolt Netflix’s thriller catalog wide awake. However, much like its title, Wayward’s mystery is bound to leave viewers deeply unsettled.

What do you think about the series title confusion? And are you excited to watch Wayward on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!