Hemlock Grove is a Netflix Original TV series based on a novel of the same name released in March 2012 and authored by Brian McGreevy. Eli Roth of Hostel fame is the executive producer of the series and the show has been nominated for an Emmy in the category of original online only web television. I have to give Netflix credit for not making something safe and taking risks. This is a show that takes out all the stops. A large part of Hemlock Grove’s allure comes from deciphering the unknown but when it comes to events happening to characters pertinent to the story the show can be quite graphic. This candidness adds a rawness and validity to an ever present sense of danger. The tension is high and the atmosphere potent.
Hemlock Grove is beautifully twisted, its Beethoven’s No. 5 painted by Van Gogh and played backwards by Slayer. A symphony for the senses. There is sex, violence, drugs, high school, young love, divorce, love triangles, unexplained pregnancies, monsters, murders, genetic manipulations and the supernatural. These ingredients are slow cooked on a rotisserie of intrigue and served in mouth watering bite sized revelations wrapped in mysteries that are fulfilling but never fill you up. The show hits all the right notes, interesting characters, believable dialogue and a refreshing take on familiar mythologies, while still giving respectful nods to source materials.
First off I have to mention the fantastic cinematography of Hemlock Grove. Almost every shot, be it an establishing shot of a landscape or a plain old alleyway, looks gorgeous. The use of lighting and filters are executed expertly and almost always seem to add to the atmosphere. Several times throughout the series I found myself just gawking at the scenery. It was seldom that I thought the image quality of a scene suffered a little but in those rare instances I couldn’t say for sure if my internet connection slowed down a little bit or if it was an intentional production choice to add atmosphere to a particular shot.
The thing to really get across with Hemlock Grove is that it is so much fun. The world created inside this show is one of limitless potential. You really feel like anything can happen. The characters are unique and satisfyingly fleshed out. While the show has many dark and gruesome moments they never feel overbearing and their is a really nice balance of levity. Another thing that I really appreciate about Hemlock Grove is that it doesn’t hold back, it embraces its premise and its previously mentioned “ingredients” and sprints full force into its own world. Nothing feels toned down, they chose a direction and they run with it. The horror elements are fully embraced and their are some really great effects used throughout the show.
The characters of Hemlock Grove are bizarre. Whenever time is taken to add exposition I couldn’t help but pay attention. Every detail just makes the show even more fascinating. Even at the very very end of the series the freight train of insanity never slows down and if anything it picks up speed. You can literally feel the tension in the air and its genuinely exciting wondering what could possibly happen next?! I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a TV show as much as this one.
Although Hemlock Grove currently only has a single season of 13 episodes each episode averages 45-50 minutes. Each episode is packed with content and a season 2 has already been approved for the series. There are a few moments of utter ridiculousness but the show is so damn entertaining that I honestly really didn’t care I was having too much fun to let these moments bother me. The climax of this series delivers in spades, the payoff to everything leading up to the end is so gratifying. Questions are answered and a lot of plot points are brought to a close but just enough is left hanging in the air of uncertainty that has me wishing season 2 was already here. If you have Netflix or know someone who does and your looking for an exciting supernatural tale of “Who dunnit?” with strong horror overtones and interesting characters go to Hemlock Grove you won’t be disappointed. In case it wasn’t obvious in my descriptions of the show its probably best you put the little ones to bed before turning this one on as the series does have a lot of adult content such as nudity and extreme violence.
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