A Look at Season 1
Note: The review for season 2 will be here shortly after it’s released. The highly anticipated second season starts tonight on Netflix.
I watched the complete series of Hemlock Grove in just two days and I was engrossed the entire time it was on. I loved the production, the cast, the writing, the characters themselves and the Werewolf theme. I’m also a sucker for this genre so it’s no wonder a show like this appealed to me. This is a solid new horror show and it’s been released like the utterly brilliant House of Cards and their latest success (and highly addictive), Orange is the new Black, which I think is the future of programming.
Hemlock Grove has a great cast with the sultry Famke Janssen in one of the lead roles, playing rich mommy to a pair of strange kids, one of whom is extremely large and deformed. Her name is Shelley, and is as mysterious as the young actor, Nicole Boivin, who plays the freaky giantess. When we see shots of Shelley from the rear–or when any physical interaction is needed–then it’s the huge and talented Amazon Eve (who must be nigh on seven feet!) who takes to the set. Shelley was actually my hero throughout the series, but you can’t help sympathise with her situation. The diverse Hemlock Grove cast took a bit of time to get used to, but the quirky, off kilter characters soon grew on me.
The first episode kicks off with a girl in her late teens being murdered, then eaten by something nasty, and while it isn’t overly graphic, it is rather unsettling. For example, the way she lay there, with flat eyes and her body getting tugged at, as it’s being eaten. This isn’t all gore, in fact, surprisingly little for a show of this kind.
I loved the show from beginning to end, and enjoyed being able to watch when it suited me. That’s two home runs for Netflix as far as I’m concerned. The amazing House of Cards and now this nod to Twin Peaks, the creepy Hemlock Grove. I’m looking forward to another season, and hoping it will further our understanding of the characters.
This show appears to be one that you either love or hate, but most should find it fascinating. If you have a taste for the supernatural, then Hemlock Grove should not be missed.
Grade: B+
