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If you're yawning at all your streaming recommendations and totally missing ~spooky szn~, get ready for a fresh (and hair-raising!) take on the typical high school drama. Make School Spirits, the new YA thriller show from Paramount+, next up on your must-watch list. 

The show is adapted from an upcoming graphic novel, slated to be released in fall 2023. They say to never watch the movie before you read the book, but because the novel's authors—sibling duo Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud—are also very involved in the production of the show, we can make an exception just this once. Star showrunner Oliver Goldstick, who worked on Pretty Little Liars and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, serves as the executive producer and brings his talent for accurately capturing the ups and downs of being a teen...with his trademark eerie twist.

Up for solving a murder mystery? We've got all the deets you *need* to know below. 

What is School Spirits about?

@peytonlist

High school is hard enough as it is: trying to find a date to prom, cramming for exams, surviving gym class. But imagine being stuck there forever! In School Spirits, Peyton List, who you may recognize from Disney Channel's Bunk'd, Netflix's Cobra Kai, or even the cover of GL in winter 2018, plays student Maddie Nears. Maddie seems like a normal teenage girl, save for one tiny detail—she's a ghost! Maddie knows she was killed on school grounds but has no memory of the events leading up to her death. 

To escape an eternity in high school and find peace in the afterlife, Maddie's got to uncover the circumstances of her disappearance and figure out who killed her. Luckily, she doesn't have to do it alone. Although she can't communicate with her still-living friends, Maddie joins a community of ghosts who've been haunting the school for years, like Rhonda, who was murdered in the '70s by her guidance counselor, and Charley, who died in the '90s because of a nut allergy. With the help of this ragtag group, Maddie sets out to solve the mystery of her own murder. 

Is it scary?

@schoolspritshow

If you've already burned through all the episodes of Wednesday, Riverdale or Pretty Little Liars, School Spirits supplies that same spooky vibe. Like the meme above suggests, the show definitely has its creepier, more intense moments. Its got suspenseful drama, chilling paranormal activity and some depictions of grief. But with its clever dialogue and heartfelt onscreen relationships, School Spirits delivers more than just the fear factor. The creators of the show were intentional in trying to lighten things up by both writing in lots of humor and highlighting the close bonds that form between characters as they navigate the world (from beyond the grave, of course). 

Fans of School Spirits are committed to sleuthing out the truth, and different theories about the identity of Maddie's killer have been popping up everywhere online. Some swear by the fact that her shady boyfriend Xavier is to blame. Others accuse her best friend Simon, who seems sweet on the surface, but may have a hidden dark side. 

When and where can I watch?

@peytonlist

School Spirits premiered at the beginning of March in the U.S. and Canada, and all episodes are currently streaming on Paramount+. Grab your besties and stock up on popcorn so you can come prepared to find out whodunnit once-and-for-all.

Content warning: Language, violence, sexual references, depictions of grief

Are you currently *obsessed* with School Spirits?
Tell us your theories on Twitter @girlslifemag!

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Slider image: @schoolspiritshow
Top image: @peytonlist

by Madelon Basil | 5/24/2023