Anthologies are tricky things. I say this all the time about short story collections, and it's no less true when it comes to an anthology TV series. You really never know what you're going to get from episode to episode. Not every episode will connect with every viewer. Different tones between episodes can be jarring. Different writers and different directors all have different styles. That's especially true about the topic of today's blog, the new Hulu "horror" anthology Monsterland, which has no less than eight different directors (one per episode) and four different writers.
Monsterland is itself based on a short story anthology, written by Nathan Ballingrud. Each story takes place in a different city in the United States, and while I don't know about the book, the show is a mixed bag for sure. Some of the episodes are entertaining and some are decidedly less so. Across the board though, the show's biggest drawback is that it's very light on the actual monsters and very heavy-handed about the idea that people are the monsters. And I mean VERY heavy-handed. It gets a bit oppressive in some episodes to the point that I really, really wished there were less people and more monsters.
Personally, I enjoyed half of the episodes, all four of which were the ones written by Mary Laws, who also created the show for television. Her episodes felt like they stuck the greatest balance between man and monster. I don't know if I recommend the show as a whole, honestly, but I do recommend checking her episodes out; she wrote the first, third, sixth, and eighth, and the first and eighth in particular are really good, especially in how they bookend each other.
Overall, Monsterland is just like your typical anthology: a few hits, a few misses, and a few standouts. You may want to give the show a try, tis the season for monsters and all, but don't expect to be scared.
No comments:
Post a Comment