'Monsterland' Preview: Suicidal lawyer to trapped mermaid, Hulu's 8-part horror anthology will keep you on the edge
Nathan Ballingrud’s collection of short stories titled 'North American Lake Monsters' is being brought to life as an eight-part anthology series by none other than Hulu. Dropping right at the onset of spooky season, the streaming platform's 'Monsterland' will join its slate of stellar horror anthologies, like 'Into the Dark' for example. Horror and anthology on television have long gone hand in hand, with the likes of 'American Horror Story's 10 stellar seasons, AMC's 'The Terror' and most importantly thrillers like 'Black Mirror' and 'Slasher' for that matter proving just how well the concept works.
That 'Monsterland' can be expected to be quite the success is no secret, but there's a reason we believe so. The eight stories coming to life on the screen are nuanced to the core with elements of horror ranging from anything related to a past life, or an AI gone rogue. The official synopsis details "Encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts drive broken people to desperate acts in Monsterland." With each episode titled with the location of the horror unfolding, here's what the debut season entails!
Episode 1 titled ‘Port Fourchon, LA’ sees "A down-and-out waitress question her choices." Written by Mary Laws and directed by Anne Sewitsky, the episode sees 'Unbelievable' star Kaitlyn Denver take center stage as Toni, the waitress struck with a dilemma while a creepy man knocks at her door.
In Episode 2 we see "A lonely teen encounters an unwelcome guest." Titled ‘Eugene, OR’, Scott Kosar wrote the episode with Kevin Phillips as the director, and Charlie Tahan playing the troubled teen Nick who has a stranger - presumably an AI entity haunting him.
Director Craig William Macneill bases the supernaturally charged story of Episode 3 ‘New Orleans, LA’ on a script by Mary Laws. The story follows Nicole Beharie's Annie, "A New Orleans socialite (who) wrestles with her past."
The setting of Episode 4 is of course the titular 'New York, NY' where "A wealthy CEO suffers for his sins." Bill Camp plays the role of the unsuspecting billionaire, Stan, for whom doomsday comes in the form of Michael Hsu Rosen's Ross who can be seen in photos pointing a pair of scissors at the older man. Wesley Strick writes the script for Eagle Egilsson to direct.
Episode 5 ‘Plainfield, IL’ follows "A suburban lawyer debating life and death." The story, as suggested by photos, gives off strong 'The Taking of Deborah Logan' vibes with Taylor Schilling's lawyer avatar Kate Feldman's slowly disintegrating form taking the screen. Just how the deconstruction kicks off is the mystery waiting to unfold in the story written by Emily Kaczmarek, and directed by Logan Kibens.
In Episode 6 titled ‘Palacios, TX’ we meet "A disgruntled fisherman (who) makes the catch of a lifetime." Written by Laws and directed by Nick Pesce, the catch this fisherman Sharko (Trieu Tran) makes is a whopping Mermaid called Dana (Adria Arjona.) The rest of the story is no 'Aquamarine', and usually, these catches come at a cost.
Episode 7 'Iron River, MI' gives us Kelly Marie Tran as "A neglected daughter (who) longs for another life." the character, Lauren Mills can be seen running around in a wedding dress so here's hoping the story by Kaczmarek, directed by Desiree Akhavan is 'Ready or Not' part 2.
Tragedy however falls all the way in ‘Newark, NJ’ aka Episode 8, where Mike Colter and Adepero Oduye play Brian and Amy Cooke play "A grieving couple struggling to say goodbye." Written by Laws and directed by Babak Anvari, the episode can be expected to be a bloodbath of gore and horror amidst eerie, outrageous settings. Fun!
'Monsterland' premieres on Friday, October 2, with all episodes available for streaming only on Hulu.
