‘Monsterland’: The Scares Are Inconsistent In Hulu’s Horror Anthology [Review]

Kicking off a month of streaming horror offerings that includes “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” “Welcome to the Blumhouse,” and “Books of Blood,” Hulu’s “Monsterland” enters the horror anthology world via an acclaimed collection of short stories, “North America Lake Monsters,” by author Nathan Ballingrud. Created by Mary Laws, who also wrote all of the best episodes, “Monsterland” is deeply melancholic, philosophical horror, the kind that imagines a world of creatures in closets and under beds, but posits that humans may be the greatest monsters of all. It’s not an anthology series built on twists like “Tales from the Crypt” or “The Twilight Zone,” as much as a vision of a world drowning in tragedy and dread. It is about how people can turn into monsters when pushed to their extremes, but it also doesn’t forget to have a few actual supernatural creations up its sleeve to keep things interesting (and symbolic). Like most anthology shows, it’s inconsistent to a frustrating degree, but at least half of the episodes stand out, and there are major talents involved in all eight. Horror fans will definitely want to take a look. Just be warned that pretty much every peak has a valley in this rollercoaster of a season.

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