Sarah Paulson chills as Nurse Ratched in trailer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest prequel

Set in 1947, the story follows Ratched's early days becoming a nurse at a psychiatric institution, but secretly plans to manipulate the staff and patients for her own purposes.

In a chilling monologue, Paulson's creepy nurse says: "The doctors and nurses here, they want to give you hope that one day you can leave here. But you deserve someone to show you mercy... how different I would be if someone had."

The trailer goes on to introduce the concept of lobotomies, a major plot point in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, questioning whether it is playing God to call one feeling "right" and another "wrong".

Nurse Ratched's appearance in this series is markedly different from that in the 1975 film, where she was played by Louise Fletcher in an Academy Award-winning turn.

It is hoped the show will shed light on the person she ultimately became, although it will not lead up directly to the events of the novel and classic feature adaptation.

Paulson previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the show could catch up to that part of the narrative, were it to run for multiple seasons.

Ratched is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 18th September. You can order One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from Amazon. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide to find something to watch tonight.