Hemlock Grove

Hemlock Grove, a Netflix original series that aired from 2013 to 2015, is a genre-bending blend of horror, mystery, and drama that is both a captivating exploration of small-town secrets and a haunting depiction of the monstrous and the human that live within us - something akin to a modern gothic tale. The series is starred by the talented duo, Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgård, who deliver riveting performances that underline the eerie essence of the show.

The storyline whirls around the peculiar town of Hemlock Grove, placed in Pennsylvania. This seemingly normal, rural, blue-collar town is brimming with deeply embedded mysteries and sinister secrets that continually unfurl throughout the series. The town's eerie history and uncanny locales serve as the perfect backdrop for the supernatural oddities that become all too common. Hemlock Grove, however, is richly estranged from the world we know, home to both affluence and destitution, mundane realities and inexplicable phenomena.

Famke Janssen portrays the enigmatic Olivia Godfrey, a dominating figure of the Godfrey family that represents the town’s wealth and influence, owning the former steel mill now converted to a biotechnology research hub. Olivia is elegant and deceptively kind – a crowned queen of Hemlock Grove, with a trail of bewitching mysteries that lead to some dark truths. Janssen's commanding performance provides an alluring layer of suspense to the unfolding narrative.

On the other end of town’s social spectrum is Bill Skarsgård’s Roman Godfrey – the privileged heir to the Godfrey fortune. Born with a silver spoon, Roman is trapped in the constricting bubbles of privilege, indolence, and familial expectations. However, his privileged upbringing blends with an insatiable impulse for fierce defiance against his predetermined fate, and a darker, more deadly side that echoes the macabre undertones of the town itself. Skarsgård’s enchanting portrayal of Roman captures the audience's curiosity from the start, developing him into a character that is both lovable and terrifying.

The series begins with the horrific unsolved murder of a high school girl, putting the residents on edge and stirring a frenzy of speculations. Roman's improbable friendship with the town's newcomer, and someone bearing his own share of secrets, Peter Rumancek, serves as the obscure centerpiece around which the narrative weaves its skeins of intrigue. The duo decides to dig into the mysteries hidden beneath the town's tranquil surface and the murder case, opening a can of worms that slowly gives way to the town's monstrous secrets. The relationship contradiction between Roman and Peter acts as a conduit to unravel the incomprehensible enigma of Hemlock Grove, all the while teasing their own entangled histories and dark secrets.

Hemlock Grove’s narrative builds a compelling paradox of hyperrealism and supernatural, mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary seamlessly. It takes a significant detour from the typical vampire-werewolf lore, offering an inventive take on these legendary creatures by intertwining their existence with science, mythology, and human nature. It induces a sense of foreboding that is part psychological, part supernatural, and entirely captivating.

The creators blend horror, family drama, romance, and mystery into a compact package that holds together surprisingly well. The narrative surface of Hemlock Grove belies the deep-drawn investigation of human nature, power, and the grotesque. While the series’ gothic direction feels familiar, it presents these well-trodden territories in a distinctly unique and fresh manner. Moreover, the series works towards resculpting the lines between humans and monsters, challenging the conventional portrayal of these elements in popular fiction.

In a nutshell, Hemlock Grove draws you in with its distinct sense of unease and intrigue, imposing architecture, entangled relationships, and a tangle of secrets that unfold in the dark, foggy corners of the town. It's a show that's both strange and beguiling, an atmospheric thriller that fuses supernatural elements with a keenly observed reflection on human nature. The fascinating performances indeed make you part of Hemlock Grove – a town with more than just a few skeletons in its closets.