Helstrom

Helstrom isn't terrible, but nor is it particularly good. It suffers from the curse of the Netflix/Hulu format - 10 long episodes dumped for streaming, that forces producers to fill the long minutes with needless back cuts, dreary prologue and stuffy detail. As a result the story drags painfully to a predictable, tiresome conclusion signalled several episodes in advance. It doesn't help that the underlying story is basically an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the acting is patchy - Sydney Lemmon is remarkable, Tom Austen is lost playing a character so dull and uptight that nobody could ever have made them interesting. It's not all bad, though. The cinematography is incredible, the soundtrack is great, the wardrobes are sublime (Ana's clothes), the sets... well... All in all, there are good bits in Helstrom, but the whole is a lot less than the sum of its parts.

The story may not be overwhelmingly unpredictable, but nor is that the point. This is about Ana and Damon and the people around them--who they are and what they go through. The acting and direction is mostly strong, as is the attention to detail. The dialogue is smart and reasonably natural. While the production is generally solid, it sags notably in the make-up department--where the work ranges from good to perfunctory and outright incongruous. (A strange area for a reasonably high-profile production to flounder, these days.) The FX work is all right albeit very derivative--as is the soundtrack, which thankfully never slips into being overly bombastic or loud.

When it comes to writing, the series definitely could have used a more coherent approach. The fact that there were twelve (12) different writers for this ten-episode run bleeds through and muddles the narrative. In some episodes (the sixth one in particular) trite, traileresque exposition overwhelms the otherwise stark and intimate narrative style, making for an awkward and ironically comic-like detour.

As for the story's adherence to the original--well, which original? Daimon's inception was in the early seventies. Both he and his sister (who has a considerably smaller role in most of the comics) have been portrayed in various ways through the years. The '75-'77 run is vastly different to the later two, which in turn don't entirely align either (and that's not even getting into the disparate appearances the characters have made in other comics.) Marvel loves alternate universes, and this is an accomplished, more restrained and human version which I think works really well. (I admit, though--while I really like Austen's and Lemmon's portrayals, I would've preferred for the siblings to at least have been redheads. Also, that title sequence is just off.)

If you like sombre, portentuous horror drama series with a focus on character interplay, this is probably for you. If you come in expecting Hollywood spectacular or a straightforward comic adaptation, you are going to be sorely disappointed.

I admit I don't know much on the original source material, so I can't speak to its overall accuracy. In general I think the show has its moments. I appreciate that it doesn't shy away from the brutality of its content and stays relatively true to the horror and fantasy elements of it. The show is pretty simple in its execution which I think is fine. The Helstrom siblings are interesting and seem to give a decent performance with the mostly average script. The side characters feel pretty two-dimensional.

The real quality in the show lies in the members of the Helstrom family themselves who, thankfully and rightfully so, carry the show. I know the show won't be renewed and this is a one time thing, but it's mostly decent and I think worth your time.

This has unfairly low ratings given how binge-worthy it is! I watched the whole season in one go, very interested to see where they take it in season 2. Watch if you enjoy shows about demons/nuns/exorcisms.

I went into this without any expectations, other than to watch a new Hulu original show. I absolutely enjoyed it! Austen hit the right notes as a quiet but effective demon with big range and Lemmon and Uy were great together. If you're expecting total Marvel, you probably won't feel satisfied but it's a fun watch.