![]() Stories with apocalyptic implications can be tedious. So rather than pick between centering on one person’s entry into this world or go for a bigger team approach, “Cracow Monsters” opts for both. ![]() Alex and her new fellow folklore enthusiasts have to contend with the consequences of someone drudging up something that should have stayed hidden. It has its share of otherworldly forces, but it’s mostly rooted in that time-tested theme of disturbing Nature. This is a show that’s not afraid to get grimy, especially when the things that crawl up from gutters and lurk around morgue corners emerge in practical ways. That’s about where the similarities between this and That Franchise With an X stop, though. Set in a Poland caught in a spiritual tug of war only a select few are aware of, Alex (Barbara Liberek) stumbles into a select group of students and the professor trying to help them hone their special abilities. But one of the strengths of this show is that those ideas work in tandem. Of all these horror series, “Cracow Monsters” is the one that has one foot furthest into the realm of fantasy, too. “Cracow Monsters” (Netflix) “Cracow Monsters” It’s the kind of episode that can work as a horror d’oeuvre or entree, depending on your appetite. When the violence inevitably comes (it’s right in the title), it’s more an expression of what’s already been set in motion. Their new home’s local secret is the kind of setup designed to test how far one of its characters will go and how far the audience is willing to metaphorically follow them. The first episode finds a family moving to a rural community after facing some financial setbacks. 9” with an added layer of bloodiness on top for good measure.Īnd it makes sense to start right at the top. Efficient setups, unexpected twists, and endings that’ll give you a twisted smile to go with the gut punch. ![]() They take place in very different locations, some of them sprawling out across an eerie countryside, but they have the feel of old-school chamber pieces. Even the kitschy framing device (featuring main characters from these six episodes as fellow passengers on a doomed liminal bus) is a hint to the kind of stories that come after. Proof that not all horror anthologies are created equal, this Swedish collection of half-hour moral tales feels like the purest throwback to the TV scares of decades past. All that’s left to do is give over to a lavish, sinister display that filets everything in its path like a jewel-encrusted knife crafted in another age and dimension. These characters are in over their heads just as much as an unsuspecting audience member might be. Sometimes, directors Giancarlo Sanchez and Michiel ten Horn stage those moments like you’re overhearing or peeking into something you shouldn’t be privy to. The horror of “Ares” comes from people so overwhelmed by what’s in front of their faces that they can hardly move. This isn’t a place filled with massive freakouts or relentless shrieking. What begins as an ominous initiation process for incoming student Rosa (Jade Olieberg) gradually takes on stakes that go well beyond secret chambers and ritualistic robes.Īs things begin to spiral for Rosa and her friends are caught up in a conspiracy along with her, “Ares” does an incredible job of letting the dread build out from characters being supernaturally calm when facing the impossible. It’s also a pretty effective primer for the series that comes after it. It’s confident, stylistically sharp, and capped off with a jarring right turn that demands you take notice. The opening few minutes of “Ares” is a perfectly executed horror series intro. ![]() And if all that’s not enough to entice you, maybe the newest main cast member for the show’s upcoming Season 2 is enough to take the plunge. Possession, hauntings, aliens, portals, ouija boards, snapped bones, and a relic-fueled conspiracy: If you want your horror shouted from the rooftops (where characters are flinging themselves off of shortly thereafter), this is the place to start. But Iglesias treats this series like a metaphysical sandbox to toss in every bit of grotesquery he can get his hands on. Yes, its characters are contending with an escalating collection of supernatural terrors brought about by the search for Judas’ long-scattered pieces of silver. Even with the show’s brash opening credits sequence and the very idea behind its title, it would be selling the show short to call this a mere biblical horror riff. ![]()
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