Hemlock Grove: A Series Review
Netflix is known for being a popular source to watch television shows and movies, but will having its own series boost its popularity? This might just be true! Their Sci-fi Supernatural series Hemlock Grove directed by Eli Roth (well known for directing the horror films Hostel and the sequel Hostel: Part II) and based off of a novel by Brian McGreevy, takes place in a fictional steel town located in the state of Pennsylvania. When the mangled remains of a teenage girl are found, the town starts the hunt to find the monster behind it. Rumors fly and many residents become suspects ranging from the newly arrived Gypsy family to the wealthy Godfreys. In this town everyone is hiding a secret!
Who is in it?
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Reviews on Hemlock Grove range from REALLY good to just plain HORRIBLE. Patrick Smith from The Telegraph (A U.K- like version of The New York Times) states that Hemlock, "Tries so desperately to be eerie and esoteric, it winds up as derivative as anything the basic TV channels churn out on a regular basis: hammy, hackneyed and disjointed. There are moments here when it feels as if the whole thing was glued together with Pritt Stick. What's more, you get the impression not even Brian McGreevy, who developed Hemlock from his own novel, or Eli Roth, the series's executive producer and pilot director, have the foggiest idea what's going on and where the story is heading." While David Hiltbrand from The Philadelphia Inquirer states, "To its credit, the series has rich production values and a better cast than this kind of fare usually attracts, including Dougray Scott and Lili Taylor. It manages to be lush, gross, frightening, and ridiculous - all at the same time." Pretty much it comes down to a matter of personal tastes and opinions.
Being the Sci-fi junkie I am this series instantly intrigued my curiousity and I HAD to look more into it. Well for starters, it's honestly not as bad as some of the critics say! Yes it has it's moments where it comes off as corny, predictible and has it's share of what the hell's? but overall not a bad series. If you enjoy Vampires, gore like a Human to Werewolf transformation or dead bodies with guts all over then Hemlock is definitely for you. Each main character has a twisted story from the new guy, a gypsy named Peter Rumancek *spoiler alerts* whose transformation is disturbing and sure to gross you out to the wealthy Godfrey siblings one who has a "fetish" for blood and a hypnotizing gaze, the other whose skin glows and is like a gentle giant speaking only in grunts or with a computerized voice machine. With occasional bad acting here and there I'd still give the series a B+. A second season is a must and Netflix gets a good job from this Gal!
Still not sure about the Series? Check out some of the Clips and Trailers!
