A Frightening Way to Push Netflix Stock to New Highs

Television audiences can't seem to get enough of bloody murder, and Netflix is more than happy to oblige. The streaming sensation releases all 13 episodes of new horror series Hemlock Grove on April 19, just three days before releasing first-quarter earnings.

Unlike political thriller House of Cards, which earns a remarkable nine out of 10 stars over more than 26,000 ratings at IMDB, Hemlock Grove is a genuine chiller in which a Rust Belt town is paralyzed by an unknown werewolf lurking among them:

Sources: Netflix, YouTube.

Can actor and horror director Eli Roth deliver as Kevin Spacey and David Fincher have? Netflix stock jumped nearly 10% in the week following the Feb. 1 debut of House of Cards, a high bar. In terms of ratings, the show also purportedly rivaled the HBO hit Girls during this debut week.

Roth, meanwhile, is known for playing the "Bear Jew" in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and for directing profitable torture flicks Hostel and Hostel II for Lions Gate Entertainment . Hemlock Grove doesn't appear to be as harsh, but it's a sure bet Roth's werewolf will have a sharper and bloodier bite than the shirtless lycanthropes featured in the Twilight films.

Netflix is also airing Hemlock Grove at an interesting time. AMC Networks is coming off yet another record-setting season for apocalyptic drama The Walking Dead, which drew 12.4 million viewers during its Easter Sunday finale. Shares of AMC are up more than 27% year to date.

So get ready to get scared. Especially if you're among the brave souls shorting Netflix stock right now.

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The article A Frightening Way to Push Netflix Stock to New Highs originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of, and had a long-term call options position in, Netflix at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Netflix. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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