Devil in Ohio

Devil in Ohio was a show I watched on a whim. It sounded interesting and I do enjoy supernatural shows and true crime shows. It starts off strong enough with a fairly open story about a girl who escaped a cult and made it to a near by hospital. From there the first few episodes do a descent job at setting up what could be a really great and interesting pay off. The problem is, that pay off never comes. Instead the characters flatten out, become awful versions of their initial appearance and make flat out stupid choices that will leave you thinking the last half of this show was either not finished when shooting or written by some different from the first half. To top it off, the ending is underwhelming to a level that made me regret giving this show time in the first place.

This show is not thriller or horror; it's more of a teen drama. If I knew that going in, I wouldn't have bothered. By episode 3 I was ready to turn it off because still nothing has happened. They try to make Mae out to be so evil, but she doesn't really even do anything wrong, she's just kind of awkward seeing how she was raised brainwashed in a cult. She stole a photo and a t-shirt, oh no! Cue the suspenseful music! They keep on playing the suspenseful music, but nothing suspenseful even happens to match it. They lead you to believe she poisoned someone, but literally nothing comes of it. Later she does do some "wrong" things, but it's just typical teen drama stuff, still not evil stuff. I almost gave this a 5 for trying, but it did nothing but waste my time, especially after the lame finale. Netflix keeps canceling good shows that do well to make room for new garbage like this. Why??

The battle between good and evil often comes down to each person's perception. Experiencing abuse can have unpredictable results on those perceptions. Perceptions form our reality regardless of their accuracy. The characters in this series have their own personal demons to try and manage while dealing with a looming threat brought about by a stranger entering their life with a significantly dark past.

Based on what's been produced on Netflix lately, this show is actually pretty decent. It's not some super-deep writing masterpiece that's bound for glory, but it's worth watching if you're looking for something different.

It's hard to say exactly where this series goes wrong. Either durable to direction, acting or production. The premise should be one to grab your attention but it never seems to do that. The series fails to create any real sense of suspense or tension. Episodes just mosey along at their own pace. It relies heavily on the sound track to build tension but eventually it has the opposite effect of simply being annoying. Despite having some excellent actors the characters seem wooden and stiff. Half the time they seem to be whispering orspeaking in softer tones than the scenes demand. The sets often seem too bright and cheery for the dramatic tension they're trying to build. Overall the entire series feels as if someone described what an occult thriller is to hallmark movies.

1. Girl running and falls on nothing and can't get up..check

2. Problems solved if one person says one sentence but does not...check

3. Teenage girls acting like the MOST stereotypical selfish teen on every decisioncheck.

4. Bends down in bathroom mirror and stands up with someone behind them...check

5. Runs off alone to investigate things even after danger has been identified and it is VERY easy to get someone to go with you, but don't....check

6. Cops being the dumbest people ever...check

7. While people are dead having discussions about who dated who or bring up the stupidest things to talk about while life in danger...check

This series is advertised as a thriller/horror, but a majority of the run-time is based upon soap opera/drama without a true payoff in the end. Do not invest your time.