If you are a fan of Eli Roth (director of Cabin Fever and Hostel) then you will be excited that his next venture is a TV series called Hemlock Grove. This is his first step from the big screen to small screen. When I say TV series, I should actually say web series, as the show is launching exclusively on Netflox. And good news for fans beyond the US as it will launch in all territories that receive Neflix from 19 April.
The series is based on Brian McGreevy’s novel of the same name and is a 13 part series. It stars Fame Janssen (X Men), Rue Blood’s Vampire Eric’s little brother Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron (Terra Nova), Penelope Mitchell (6 plots), Freya Tingley (X) and everyone’s favourite Scot Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible 2).
Netflix claim the show is unlike anything else in its genre, which I personally think a lot of shows claim. True Blood and American Horror story have both stood out of recent, and perhaps Hemlock Grove will do too. Netflix also claims the show is sexy, gripping, emotional and twisted, to quote Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer.
The show resolves around the eccentric residents of a dilapidated former Pennsylvania steel town and the murder of 17 year old Brooke Bluebell. Through investigation the town’s seamier side is exposed, revealing nothing is what it seems.
Only watching the show will tell, which I will be doing post 19 April. This is the second Netflix original series after House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. It seems a brave move to invest so much in a leading cast as well as director for a platform that is still in its infancy, but it is showing the state of how we are consuming TV shows and films. I only wonder if we will have to come up with a new term for TV series, as these shows are a lot bigger than a web series.
If you want to get a taster for the show then check out the trailer below.
