Reviews by:
@the_owlseyes
RATE THIS SERIES
6
5
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3
“The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”
Stephen King
PLOT
"Bizarre nightmares unfold in eight tales of terror in a visually stunning, spine-tingling horror collection curated by Guillermo del Toro" or "Horror Tales good and bad"
SCRIPT
The issue of this series is that only half the episodes are interesting and well adapted because half of them have a good setup and a underwhelming payoff. I like the fact that each episode has a deep meaning and embrace the genre to its full, but its not enough because some episodes seem random and tone down regarding gore and horror.
I've expected more from a Del Toro's production to be honest. Nonetheless I can't acknowledge the episodes which are worth watching. I hope that they will correct some of the issues above in the second season because, for now, it looks like a lost chance.
Script: 6/10
ACTING
The main actors deliver decent performances without peaks and the less relevant ones are on par with them. Overall it's acceptable but there's nothing remarkable or impressive about it.
Acting: 6/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
This show has wonderful photography. Lights, shadows and colors are used masterfully and create the right tone for this show, by making the episode creepy, tense, psychedelic and terrifying.
This is probably the best aspect of this series and I'm glad that they managed to exploit it to its full potential.
Photography: 9/10
EDITING
The editing is mostly interesting but there're some episodes where the quality of it drops. There're a lot of fast camera movements, shaky cameras, POVs and more. The potential is there, and it shows, but the payout could've been much better.
Nonetheless it isn't bad. Impressive in a way.
Editing: 7/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
There're some which are VFX and other which are full CGI. Regarding the first I think that they've done a remarkable job, an aspect which is in line with Del Toro's philosophy. The second are...underwhelming, almost subpar and alienate the audience a little.
Special Effects: 7/10
SOUNDTRACK
It's unremarkable. The only trach which is memorable is the opening theme.
Soundtrack: 6/10
COSTUMES
These are impressive, especially regarding monsters, which are mostly practical and very effective. The human characters wear clothes which fit the time period but don't bring much.
I think that overall this section is satisfying.
Costumes: 7/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 6/10
Acting: 6/10
Photography: 9/10
Editing: 7/10
Special Effects: 7/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Costumes: 7/10
AVERAGE: 6,85
A nice anthology which explores an interesting genre. Watch it with caution.
Director: Guillermo Navarro, Vincenzo Natali, David Prior, Ana Lily Amirpour, Keith Thomas, Catherine Hardwicke, Panos Cosmatos, Jennifer Kent
Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro, Vincenzo Natali, David S. Goyer, Haley Z. Boston, Lee Patterson, Mika Watkins, Panos Cosmatos, Jennifer Kent
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, David Hewlett, F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman, Ben Barnes, Crispin Glover, Rupert Grint, Peter Weller, Eric André, Sofia Boutella, Essie Davis, Andrew Lincoln
Soundtrack: Tim Davies, Jeff Danna, Christopher Young, Daniele Luppi, Michael Yezerski, Anne Chmelewsky, Daniel Lopatin, Jed Kurzel
Cinematography: Colin Hoult, Jeremy Benning, Michael Ragan, Anastas Michos
Running Time: 45 min
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