As you’ve probably heard by now, Netflix just dropped The Twister: Caught in the Storm, an intense and frightening documentary about the 2011 Joplin Tornado that left a town destroyed and took the lives of 158 people. Going into the 2025 Netflix original, I had a feeling it would wreak havoc on my anxiety and dread of storms, but there’s something that happens near the end that unlocked a new fear I never knew existed.
If you’ve watched The Twister with your Netflix subscription by this point, you probably already know what I’m talking about. But if not, come with me as I break down the documentary and one part in particular that left unlocked a whole new fear.
The Twister: Caught In The Storm Is An Intense And Terrifying Experience From Start To Finish
Much like Twisters and its honest depiction of a tornado’s devastation, The Twister: Caught in the Storm makes it painfully clear that these massive, violent, and sometimes unpredictable storms are nothing to mess around with. But unlike the thrilling 2024 movie, the new Netflix documentary is a real story, with real people, and very real trauma.
From start to finish, this 90-minute documentary is both intense and terrifying as it recounts the events of May 22, 2011, a day that will never be forgotten by those who experienced Mother Nature’s wrath on what was a seemingly normal evening. Featuring interviews with those who survived the EF5 tornado with a path of nearly 22 miles, The Twister offers numerous first-hand accounts of people staring into the eye of the storm and death itself. However, there’s one story in particular I haven’t been able to get out of my head.
The Guy Contracting Some Rare Flesh-Eating Fungus In The Storm Is Straight-Up Out Of A Nightmare
Steven Weersing, who is introduced early on in the documentary and given the nickname “Miracle Boy,” has perhaps the craziest, most harrowing, and strangest story told throughout The Twister: Caught in the Storm. Though he survived being pulled out of his car by the tornado and flying around inside the storm, he contracted Apophysomyces trapeziformis, a flesh-eating fungus that infected several other people, according to the National Library of Medicine.
In the documentary, Weersing describes how the rare fungus, which was spread by the storm picking up infected soil and organic matter, resulted in him having to have portions of his skin, ribs, lungs, and even heart removed in order to save his life. I never knew this was a thing, and now it’s honestly one of my biggest fears. Literal nightmare fuel. It sounds like something out of a great horror movie, but this is real life.
I've Had Some Close Calls With Tornados, But Now I'm Even More Terrified
My hometown has been hit by many a tornado over the years (in college I was driving through downtown when a twister ripped off the steeple of the Methodist church and crushed a car), so I’ve always been scared when a storm comes rolling in. And it’s only gotten worse over the years thanks to even more close calls and lucky breaks. Hell, there were tornados all over the place just days before I watched what could be one of the best Netflix documentaries in years.
But now, with the whole “a storm can pick up some rare fungus” scenario, I’m going to be even more on edge whenever my county is in a tornado warning. Not only do I have to worry about my family being injured, or my house being destroyed, I’ve got to think about some rare fungus (or something worse) being kicked up into the air.
Hopefully, I never find my way in the path of a storm, especially one with some mysterious illness being thrown around with debris. I’m all anxious just thinking about it.
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