Archive 81

Archive 81 is the most watchable series I have come across for some time. It manages to combine so many genres into 8 very different, but very entertaining episodes.

We are given sci fi, horror, thriller and surreal elements, no two episodes are alike, it really is the most incredibly varied show.

For me, this peaks in the middle, where they really deliver several scares, in the last few parts it takes you on a somewhat different journey.

Very nicely acted, with two very strong leads, it's very well presented, with some nice special effects. Part 7 in particular looks great.

You could easily lose interest part way through episode 1, but stick with it, it takes a little time to open up, by episode 3 you'll be binge watching it.

It seems likely we'll be getting a second series.

Overall, a very good watch, 8/10.

I was surprised how good this was. The story is pretty original and the acting is great. There are some nice scares but it's much more of a slow brooding build up. Without spoilers this body of work kind of reminds me of a more scary stranger things.

Finally great supernatural horror drama. Yes, it is slow and definitely not for people with short attention span. Also, not for people who look for gore or silly jump scares. But it is super creepy. I started to watch at night and had to stop because felt uncomfortable alone in apartment with this show. Finished the next day when sun was shining. It is well done, the atmosphere is intense, actors are great. Highly recommended for people who like slow burn mystical shows.

I really liked the grainy 80s aesthetic and oppressive, isolated atmosphere. The show starts out very strong with a slow mystery revealing itself reminding me a lot of Lost (2004), the framing of the story, largely through replaying of VHS tapes is clever and disorienting leaving you questioning the reality you're seeing. The 2 leads and very good as is the best friend character and there is a strong emotional undercurrent as well as paranormal and horror elements. However, as I often find with shows like this, it is exceptionally difficult to deliver on the mystery. As the show builds to conclusion I felt some level of repetitiveness as well disappointment as more is revealed and the subtlety is gradually replaced with propulsive action and characters become more archetypal. That said, overall I still really enjoyed it and love that stuff like this is being made with a good budget behind it.

I'm not sure why this got such low ratings. I didn't find it slow at all. In fact, it reeled me in pretty quickly and I was hooked after the first episode. It's not your average slasher type of horror, it's more psychologically thrilling than cheap jump scares.

I also don't understand why people complained about not being able to understand the lead actor's voice. I can understand him just fine, he just has a deep monotone voice like Adam Driver.

Don't let the reviews turn you off, give it a chance!