Hemlock Grove

The Netflix series leads off with tits out to let you know they are trying to be more True Blood than Vampire Diaries though it I suppose it might appeal to both, just for the first episode you hope it doesn't get mired down in its own pretentious mythology like the Vamp Diaries do. The Cinematography comes of as more impressive than either show and it's apparent there is some cash sunk into this. But both comparisons are more about content than tone, this being a show about were-wolves who have only good and their own four paws to mixed success on the often cheesier than to Teen-wolf.

The big question for horror no matter then medium is ...Is the Scary? The answer is ...No. Pretty...yes. Pretty people well there are other genre shows that have this one outclassed here, I can see a few subplots which might distance themselves from their peers and that's really what this show needs to do. Say werewolves these days and the first thing people under thirty say to me is...Twilight. Not the Wolf-man, the Howling or Sliver Bullet. These werewolves if you are wondering are big wolves , not my favorite, I have to admit I like even the hybrid element of Teen Wolf better than just a big wolf. My least favorite incarnation , my favorite set to screen in some time is actually Van Helsing , which is all that movie had going for it. But they are going for a tad more realism here despite the more fantastical metamorphosis.

The acting is on the better side of decent. The high school elements don't drag the show down. There is the rich entitled kid and the stereotypical loner who is a bad boy hybrid of a hipster and a hippie who says that an uninverted pentagram is metal, so there are poseurs about in the writing department. Theis show is based on the debut Novel by Brian Mcgreevy which was released march of last year, so the source material has hardly stood any test of time and I would think something like Antia Blake would beg to be brought to life before a year old debut novel. Eli Roth directs the pilot episode and his the shows executive producer so the show hs that going for it.

With Famke Jammson holding down the big name role, she plays the role of a rich British governess like Lady Lannister. I'm am not sure how calculated of a move this is. One of the many acting Skarsgaard boys holds down another role as well. I do want to give the rest of the seasons a chance, though I'm a little suspect as to how this is not going to turn into the Hardy boys meet the wolf man. The gore while present doesn't pose much of a threat to Hannibal which looks to be leading the pack in terms of horror on t.v at least until American Horror Story kicks back up in the fall.

I do think it's intresting Netflix choose to take a stab at horror when casting their hat into the ring, to compete. I think this says something for the genres health on the small screen, granted this fall more under urban fantasy than horror at this point it has atleast shown its not paranormal romance like teen wolf. The initial cinematography has my attention and plays a large part in my continued viewership.