A brand-new thriller, action, crime, and drama series on Netflix is called SANTO. Given that the plot unfolds in both nations, it seems sense that it is a co-production between Spain and Brazil for Netflix.
The title refers to a drug dealer—more of a criminal lord—whose identity is so shrouded in mystery that no one has ever seen his face. However, he has a sizable following and is renowned as a guru and criminal. And by the conclusion of the first episode, you'll realize how vicious he is.
As though a thriller with a crime plot featuring the trafficking of both drugs and people isn’t enough, there is also the Satanic twist. The crime boss, Santo, performs rituals where kids are found in pieces. In episode 1, we learn that all the pieces of the child’s body are there. Except for the brain!
And yes, episode 1 also ends on quite the twist (or cliffhanger, if you will), so you should definitely be ready to continue. If you watch the trailer, there is also plenty there to make you want to keep watching.
The whole superstition via human sacrifice in Satanic rituals is a great addition to this being a tight crime-thriller. However, it obviously won’t be for everyone due to its brutal nature. As a Spanish-Brazilian production, there is a lot of very direct imagery, so be ready for that.
This Netflix production has definitely also secured some strong names for the cast. In one of the lead roles, we have Raúl Arévalo as the police officer Millán. From the very beginning, you’ll know that he isn’t entirely good. A great role for Raúl Arévalo who you might recognize from Marshland (2014), which was recently remade, or The Warning (2018).
Raúl Arévalo plays the Spanish main character, while Bruno Gagliasso portrays the Brazilian main character of Cardona. Both are police officers chasing Santo. Bruno Gagliasso was also in the 2020 sci-fi drama Loop.
Other key characters, that I won’t go into much here to avoid spoilers, are portrayed by Maarten Dannenberg (Silencio), Victoria Guerra (Auga Seca), and Greta Fernández (HBO series 30 Coins).
Watch the Santo series on Netflix now
Carlos López is the creator of the new Netflix series Santo. He previously wrote for the Netflix series Hache and also La embajada which starred Spanish horror darling Belén Rueda. Aside from Carlos López, we also have Miguel Ángel Fernández and Gustavo Lipsztein (Dead in the Water) writing on the series.
The directors in this season (which will probably be the only one, since it’s a mini-series, but you never know) are Vicente Amorim (Yakuza Princess) and Gonzalo López-Gallego (Open Grave).
Santo has six episodes and, as always with Netflix, you can watch them all now. Each episode is around 45 minutes, so it’s the kind of series you could easily binge-watch over a weekend if the mood strikes you.
Santo is out on Netflix globally from September 16, 2022.
