197. Web-Series Reviews – 47

More web-series reviews…

 

The next 2 web-series are from the same director😊 – Mike Flanagan.  Another web-series of his is The Haunting of Bly Manor (Released in 2020).  I did not see it as the reviews were not that great and the horror content was less😊!!

The Haunting of Hill House – Released in 2018. Explores a group of siblings who, as children, grew up in what would go on to become the most famous haunted house in the country. Now adults, and forced back together in the face of tragedy, the family must finally confront the ghosts of their past, some of which still lurk in their minds while others may actually be stalking the shadows of Hill House.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

To tell the bare truth, The Haunting of Hill House is a gem. It hooks you from episode 1 and never let you go, gripping you tight, wrapping itself around you like an anaconda and making your mouth gaped open, breathless.

The writing and directing are stellar, all to the credit of Michael Flanagan who did a professional and wonderful job, again. The development of characters was very well done and one of the finest that I've seen in a series.

The cast and acting top-notch, being it the kids or the adults. They ALL did a superb job conveying their emotions while delving deep into the confines of their inner demons. Again, Victoria Pedretti showed how amazing an actress she is and deserves recognition after recognition. Her serious face tainted with concerns is her trademark and adds her own personal touch & special vibe to each of her scenes. Kudos to all of them, especially the children (performances by Nellie and Luke, I liked the most).

The fear factor was enormous. I constantly tried to keep the volume lowered, not wanting to jump up and have it scared the s... out of me. Even that didn't help! In one scene, I saw and heard something so unexpected that all my insides crawled onto my skin. In another one, I screamed out of sheer fear and I never screamed before, ever!

The cinematography and music were on par with the production, awesome, increasing the suspense and thrill throughout the series. Amazing.

A superb series, which in my opinion, would hold the No.1 spot in its genre for a long, long time and a model on how things should be created, developed and unfolded, whatever story it narrates.

To those who haven't watched it yet, prepare yourself for a haunting journey, dim the light, watch it alone and have it tighten and displace your insides.

My Take – An exciting fare to watch😊!!

 

 

Midnight Mass – Released in 2021. The tale of a small, isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. When Father Paul's appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community - but do these miracles come at a price?

One of the reviews from IMDB...

God, grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. To be aware of the danger of interpreting a piece of writing for one's own gain.

Hill House: family, Bly Manor: love, and now Mike Flanagan returns with another horror drama. In my opinion, these two series, especially Hill House were terrifying because of the excellent drama, and the ghosts and monsters only emphasized the drama. This time it was no different. The way the obsessive believers of God used the Scripture was horrifying and dangerous. It reminded me of how cults still exist no matter how irrational and deadly the doctrines are. Although I'm aware that this theme was not entirely new, Flanagan still executed it wonderfully enough.

Unlike the first two, Midnight Mass featured a good amount of long and pensive dialogues about not only religion, but also death and human existence. Honestly I found some to be dragging, as well as the pacing of the first two episodes. Still, listening to these conversations and understanding Flanagan's messages were intriguing and calming.

The last episode was nothing sort of a masterpiece. It featured a long monologue that surprisingly overwhelmed me. It offered a way of looking at God and human existence that was poetic and beautiful. Then, the scenes with the rising sun nearly had me tearing up. Breathtaking cinematography. After the final shot, I was in silence for almost a minute, and I could just sit there for longer.

Overall, a beautiful and terrifying look on religion. Mike Flanagan again proved himself to be an outstanding director of modern horror. 9/10.

My Take – An exciting fare to watch😊!

 

 

House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths – Released in 2021. Suicide, murder or something else? This docuseries examines chilling truths and theories around the deaths of 11 members of a Delhi family.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Docu-Series That Gives Goosebumps From The Very First Minute!!!

In House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, the certitude that is sought by the true crime documentary meets a belief in fatalism and predestination. Add ignorance, wilful or otherwise, to the mix and you have a show that lives up to its title.

The engrossing Netflix mini-series revisits the deaths of 11 members of a joint family in Northeast Delhi on July 1, 2018. The Chundawats - a widowed matriarch, her daughter and two of her sons and their families - were found dead in what was later ruled to be a mass suicide. Ten of the family members were hanging, bound and gagged, in a circular formation from a mesh that separated the ground floor from the floor above. The eldest member, the grandmother, was found strangulated in another room.

The only survivor was the pet dog, Tommy, who was tied up on the terrace. Had Tommy been let loose, he might have prevented the deaths, declares an animal rescue worker who took charge of the helpless animal.

Right from the trailer, the docu-series emphasises on the sheer 'absurdity' and the 'shock' value of the incident. The fact is further stressed by the testimonies of experts, crime reporters and law enforcement officials, who are the prime sources on record for the docu-series. We hear phrases like 'this was different', 'there was something off' by almost everyone who was interviewed. Yadav, who obviously comes from a narrative storytelling background, uses all these tools to build up that narrative and succeeds in somewhat hooking the audience early on, even though most of us know the basic facts about the incident.

Several media stories on the Burari deaths offer an explanation that is at the intersection of mental illness and superstition. The series, directed by Leena Yadav and co-directed by Anubhav Chopra, goes further down the rabbit hole. Over three episodes and roughly 135 minutes, House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths reopens the case file with the help of police investigators and journalists.

Interviews with family members, friends and neighbours throw up a murkier picture, with recurring statements suggesting that the tragedy not only evades easy answers but even an appropriate reaction.

They were such wonderful and helpful people, says person after person. They were a remarkably loving family. It is a mindboggling mystery. I will never forget this case. Perhaps the refrain "We never suspected anything" tells you much more about the case than anything else.

Perhaps the most chilling moments follow the discovery of 11 diaries, maintained over an 11-year-period. In these hand-written pages lie pointers to the manner in which deep faith can descend into outright delusion and, aided by an unequal power dynamic, can prompt a family to take extreme measures.

Although Lalit appears to have been the family's de facto head, it's difficult to portray him as the leader of a miniature cult. The diaries reveal tensions within the seemingly harmonious family unit. The lavish engagement of Lalit's niece mere days before the deaths similarly undermines the theory that Lalit wanted to keep his brood together at any cost.

Streaming platforms were meant for content like House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, where creators could push their limits and tell stories in different formats. The docu-series is a step in the right direction, though its execution is hampered by the short-sightedness of its creators. That said, one might have a couple of sleepless nights after watching it, and be riddled by the urge to always look up as you enter a room, recreating the mis-en-scene from the Burari crime scene.

My Take – Worth a watch😊! 

Cheers till next time😊

Daffy Definition

Hospital – A place where a nurse waked you up to give you a sleeping pill😊!