Brand New Cherry Flavor

Title says it all. The first 4 episodes are great. Full of surprises, horror and gore. However the story runs a bit flat and almost predictable towards the end so I was left a bit disappointed after finishing the series. Rosa Salazar's performance was top notch though. She nailed the character and takes viewer into the story very deeply. It's a worthwhile series to watch and scare yourself.

There are "David Lynch vibes". Lost highway, maybe Mulholland drive. In my opinion, it's got nothing to do with Cronenberg.

90's /early 00's aesthetic. Weirdness, witchcraft, multi-layered characters. Catherine Keener is magnificent. If you are into bizarre mystery movies with horror elements and a few funny scenes, you will like this.

Nevertheless, there are downsides. The ending is not bad, but it's not very good/cathartic either, it feels like a mid season finale.

You also don't feel much tension, you don't feel 100% the horror and the agony of the characters , it's a little bit superficial and shallow. Maybe this was exactly the creators' choice, lighten up a bit. If so, it's not a bad choice, but i would prefer it darker.

To sum up, it keeps your attention right to the very end and it's entertaining. I am glad i watched it and i would like to see a second season.

Starts off really slow and so boring. Then really engaging and super weird and shocking, I was hooked and binged it. Then when it ends? Pointless. Thanks for nothing.

*Pros* The main actress (Rosa, playing Lisa) is amazing! It was a very demanding role, which she nailed & completely sold the story. Boro, Lou and Alvin (the funny producer man), were also brill. -- The premise is solid, and time is taken towards enabling us to really resonate with the main character. -- I like the cinematography; and filming locations. -- The hair, makeup & fashion departments deserve a shout out.

I really enjoyed it & it's addictive. And would recommend if you like this genre. Especially if you like AHS.

*Cons* In episodes 1-5, the character's behaviours and motivations made sense & were moderately realistic. And that's what made it so engaging. However, from ep. 6 onwards, characters would behave in ways that are unusual / illogical / counterintuitive. (However, I appreciate that sometimes this is necessary to push the story forward.) -- A lot of plot holes and unanswered questions. -- I think they could have benefited from making the main character more compassionate in some situations involving innocent parties. -- I would have slightly toned down the gruesomeness; it started to get predictable that if we see something gross... someone is going to eat it.

It's SO DIFFICULT to find stuff done like this that is not half-measured, watered down or censored to impotency.

This series is surreal horror in the vein of Cronenberg, Kafka and Burroughs, and it's done RIGHT.

The cast is SPECTACULAR, the effects are top notch and the overall design is perfect. Yeah, it's weird, really weird. But it's totally grounded in great dialog, a completely digestible story and a surreal mind bending plot.

If you're looking for PG screamfest, this isn't it. But this is SO much better than this sort of thing has been for years. And it does not fall off as it goes.

Eighty-six stars.