Dead Places

A very enjoyable film. I started watching having no expectations as i have never heard of it before. Found it randomly on Netflix and i gave it a shot. Well, it was worth it. Very nice plot, good cinematography/ photography. The story is well told. The characters have a certain depth. Acting wasn't good at first but after the second episode gets better. I would love to watch another season of this.

I was not expecting a lot going into this. But this show managed to surprise and delight me. It's a very good mystery/paranormal show that deals not only with ghosts but with many other elements of South African folklore.

The writing is surprisingly good. It's not perfect nor is it flawless, but it is good. I especially liked that it managed to keep 1 story arc going for the entire season and at the same time have the "monster of the week" format going. This show is smarter than you think. I was actually fooled a little bit by the first 2-3 episodes. My advice would be to keep watching before you make up your mind if this is good or bad.

The acting could have been a little bit better. The directors did a good job getting good performances out of the main character, but some of the supporting cast could have done better.

And again, you have to understand what this is. It's a low budget horror television show. It's not a big budget movie. Not every episode is going to be amazing. But enough of them are that I would recommend this show to anybody who likes supernatural themed entertainment.

So there is some good acting and some ropey, but it does get better as the season progresses which is understandable. The lead plays his character very well as does his 'younger self' and in the end you do get the feeling that they all enjoyed themselves. What you must understand is the budget was limited so some aspects are lacking, the vfx are at times left wanting and it does effect the storyline at times. The music is well, quite frankly bizarre, it runs the gambit from 80's sci-fi, espionage, horror, British sitcom, pure comedy, heist movie to full symphonic, it really is all over the place. However all the errors, the acting, visuals and background music oddly do help the series, mainly because it doesn't take itself seriously which is the key to the whole piece. It's complete pleasant hokum which gives it the appeal, some of the jokes are genuinely funny and at times the better actor's ham it up as if giving the nod to the audience about the limitations. Hopefully, it will get picked up for a second run with a bigger budget. Don't be snobs, we all get the mega budget series that basically tell the same story in every episode that when you boil them down are vapid, moralistic pieces.

I loved the MC, Will Stone, a horror writer. He's a different take on the usual hero's we're normally shown. His acting is stellar and the character is relatable. I also enjoyed the comic relief in the character of Joe, the cynical ex-cop. I initially struggled with the female character and her constantly open mouth but she grew on me. All in all I enjoyed the growth of the characters friendship even more than the "thriller" aspects of the story. I thought the costumes and CGI could have been better, that's why it's not a 10 for me.

Really enjoyed it. The twist in the end ties in really well with the first episode, although was expecting the ending to answer a few questions since the story was steering us in a certain direction; Will's inspiration for a new book. Overall I loved the actors. This is the second horror series I've watched from SA (first being DAM) and I love that the stories are grounded with an African perspective.