Hemlock Grove is a Familiar Place

Article first published as HEMLOCK GROVE Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 83%

Netflix’s latest drama is called HEMLOCK GROVE. Based on the novel of the same name, HEMLOCK GROVE begins with kinky sex and the murder of a teenager, which are unrelated, I think, but make for a one-two punch with some serious drawing power. It’s important, in a television field crowded with horror and murder mystery entries, that the opening grab viewers. But many a series has had a great hook, then failed to deliver.

HEMLOCK GROVE, not even released yet, has already been beset upon by bad press. Many note that it fails to live up to Netflix’s last original series, House of Cards. Although, just about every series ever created would fail to live up to House of Cards, a brilliant drama, so by comparison, yes, HEMLOCK GROVE is not nearly as good.

Which doesn’t make it bad, necessarily.

HEMLOCK GROVE feels pretty familiar. It’s about a bunch of brooding teens and their equally mysterious parents living in a gloomy town. There are hints in the first episode of both a vampire and a werewolf, and one girl looks like something straight out of FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum. In fact, HEMLOCK GROVE seems to take inspiration from Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, and The Killing, to name a few.

What it lacks in originality, it does attempt to make up for in pay-cable level content. You will see a topless girl in the first few minutes. The body of Brooke Bluebell (Lorenza Izzo), the character killed early in the pilot’s run, is pretty gory. There is a homosexual predator introduced who goes after girls far too young for her. These are things that HEMLOCK GROVE, being on Netflix, can use to set itself apart from the tamer fare.

I also think Netflix’s model of releasing all thirteen episodes of the first season at once will serve it well. This is the type of show that begs marathon viewing. Want to know who killed Brooke? Just keep watching. You don’t have to wait twelve weeks, with the puzzle slowly doled out forty minutes at a time. That immediacy should help retain viewers who are on fence after the first installment or two.

That being said, I don’t know that HEMLOCK GROVE has real staying power. I only have access to the beginning of the season, not the entire thing, so I can’t say for certain the impact of the complete picture. But, only a few hours after viewing the first episode, I am having trouble remembering very many of the characters’ names, and I’m not entirely sold on the premise, which isn’t completely apparent. The effects are good, and I remember moments, just not people. The cast is capable, but their roles aren’t well defined as unique personalities at this point, certainly no one really standing out right away. I will probably watch more. But I’m not super excited to get back to it, a I was with House of Cards.

At the start of the first episode, “Jellyfish in the Sky,” a Gypsy boy named Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron, Terra Nova, Degrassi: The Next Generation) comes to town with his mother, Lynda (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under). Because they are new to the area, obviously they quickly become suspects in Brooke’s murder case. But they seem gentle enough. Also, they move into a deceased’s relative’s place, so they may have some connection to the locale.

The other major family introduced in “Jellyfish in the Sky” consists of Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgard), his mother, Olivia (Famke Janssen, X-Men), and his sister, Shelley. They are rich and not very nice, and we soon see that there is likely more to them than meets the eye. Olivia is accused of being some type of monster, and Shelley visually is one, providing the only really cheesy bit in the pilot, as Shelley shuffles around with her grotesque face covered up, presumably to save on effects, though I have trouble complaining about not seeing her face too often.

While the Godfreys appear evil and the Rumanceks seem good, it’s clear that it won’t be as simple as that. We do get more backstory on the Godfreys in the first episode, so of course we get to see the darker aspects of their clan, including what happened to Mr. Godfrey, and how they interact with remembers of their extended family. But we don’t know much about the Rumanceks, and they may have a gritty side, too, as we see that they aren’t above stealing.

Either way, these are the main characters, or the two boys are, at least, so it’s unlikely that one of them is the killer. Instead, we’ll eventually find out who they are and what their motivations might be. A description of the series says they end up working together to find the killer, which seems an odd pairing, but I’m sure that will explained as things unfold, and it could be interesting.

The guys are surrounded by many other strange characters, each of whom could possibly be the murderer, based on the little bits we see of them. There’s the weird girl next door, Christina (Freya Tingley), who fancies herself an investigator. Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott, Desperate Housewives) is Roman’s uncle, who has had, or is having, an affair with Roman’s mom. The town sheriff is Tom Sworn (Aaron Douglas, Battlestar Galactica), whom we know nothing about. And surely there will be others in the coming episodes.

I feel like HEMLOCK GROVE distracts us with a large number of characters so that they have room to keep us guessing, which is a good thing, sort of. If only there were any clue that might help us begin that process in “Jellyfish in the Sky.” Or a character to connect to and get behind. As such, it should appeal fine to those who dig the other scary stuff on TV, but I doubt it will have a broad appeal or defy convention.

HEMLOCK GROVE’s thirteen episode first season will be available this Friday on Netflix.

Horror on Television

Article first published as Horror on Television on Blogcritics.

This week's topic is about a television genre that has only recently entered the landscape in a notable way: Horror. Yes, one can argue there have horror series before, and there have been. Tales from the Crypt, Stephen King adaptations, and even some episodes of The X-Files spring to mind. There's also been the comedy attempts, like The Munsters and The Addams Family. But never have there been so many on at once, and certainly not ones made this well or getting this kind of attention.

Some may ask why we even need horror stories, as there are plenty of people who avoid the scary stuff. But fear is a primal part of the human psyche, like love and sadness. Why would we want to leave a part of ourselves unexplored, just because it can be a little unsettling?

Horror is a tricky subject because of the material. Horror films are almost always rated R and contain blood and guts, as well as violence and nudity. This isn't the easiest thing to tone down for the small screen, especially without alienating the audiences who crave it. Any attempt to lessen the shocking material will make the show unwatchable to the target audiences and defeat the purpose. It's adult subject matter, and so must be handled carefully.

The way to get around that, of course, is to develop a very, very good story that can be creepy without being too risque and gross. The reason I never got into the horror genre of films when I was growing up is largely because of the popularity of "slasher" flicks, that shallow fare without much substance, character development, or plot. Instead, it was about the outrageous ways someone could be killed, which will not fly on television, save a subscription channel like HBO or Showtime, which have not quite entered the fray yet.

Even with a good story, though, broadcast network television is not a natural home for such a tale. For one thing, it would have to air at 10 p.m. for decency reasons, so there are very few time slots that could accommodate it. For another, the FCC keeps a tight leash on the basic networks.

Luckily, cable has rapidly been growing in quality and offerings of well-made, scripted series. It is because of cable, which usually plays by the decency standards to satisfy advertisers, rather than because they face fines and penalties, that the envelope can be pushed. If enough people can be made to tune in, advertisers will be found to pay for the programming, guaranteed. Money is important to plenty of companies that don't need to maintain a family-friendly image, and thus an opportunity exists.

Also, while the 1980s and 1990s concentrated a lot on light, fun shows, the last decade has seen a turn to the darker. Horror is a dark genre, and until the taste in popular culture turned away from the sweet and silly, there wasn't much of a push to go in this direction.

That brings us to this millennium, the prime time for horror to become a valid players in the game. It started slow, with series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Doctor Who episode "Blink," and The Vampire Diaries dipping a toe into the water, while still staying network-friendly. Then shows like Dexter went a step further. But it finally took off fully when FX developed American Horror Story and AMC gave us The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead and American Horror Story have proven what basic cable can do, between the two of them, opening the floodgates for many more horror series that are already, and will continue to be, nipping at their heels. Interestingly, they are both quite popular, and have gone about their productions in very different ways.

The Walking Dead is about characters. Zombies are present, of course, but that isn't enough to make it the ratings powerhouse it currently is, drawing in the non-horror fans that the show attracts. It's because we get to see the people in that world struggle with fluid morality and what is necessary to survive that we tune in. Every so often, a cool death will occur, but the bread and butter is character development, and it does this extremely well.

American Horror Story, by contrast, is about the horror genre itself. It also boasts compelling people at the center, but it's about taking the standard conventions of a horror film category, and deepening them into something more. Only so much can be done in two hours or less, but with thirteen installments to play with, it can take the familiar conventions and explore them in richer, fuller ways.

Both of these are quality shows that will open the door to others. Since they have been able to make this stuff that is both critically acclaimed and popular, they have created opportunity for others to follow. Among the recent offerings are Grimm, Cult, The River, and The Following, all broadcast shows that seek to get the same viewers, albeit with even more tame violence. The excellent Bates Motel will join them on A&E in a couple of weeks.

Comedy and romance may long have held an important place in our television schedules, but this will be the decade that horror joins them as a serious contender, and scary movie fans finally get to enjoy a weekly series in their favorite vein. Or artery.