Stream Your Heart Out: “Monsterland”

It’s spooky time! When it comes to movies and TV shows, studios try to bring the monsters, myths, and legends to life on the big screen. Hulu’s “Monsterland” is no exception to this idea.

The series focuses on different horror stories from across the country. The setting jumps from big cities like New York, N.Y. to small, backwoods neighborhoods like Port Fourchon, La.

“Monsterland” is an eight episode series that debuted its first season on Oct 2. According to IMDb, the show has a rating 5.5/10.

Before the show was released, I viewed a trailer on YouTube that made the show seem terrifying. The effects seemed to be high-quality, and it seemed like the creators of this show were trying to give the audience something they’d never seen before.

Boy, was I wrong.

“Monsterland” failed to impress on many levels. For starters, they failed at making convincing monsters.

The show takes a look at popular creatures like doppelgangers and shadows, but fails to identify what roles the monstrosities play in the show and what they can actually do that makes them so threatening.

Additionally, the plot concludes at the end of the episode. None of the plot lines connect, and you do not see characters from prior episodes after their corresponding episode. This might be more of a personal preference, but I enjoy plots that intertwine and create interesting developments because of this.

Perhaps the most terrifying thing “Monsterland” has to offer is an atrocious attempt at a plot.

In an attempt to add a metaphorical meaning to the episodic evil entity, the show creates plot twists that, while surprising, just seem unnecessary. The whole “humans are the real monster” trope has been done so many times at this point, and it kills the idea of this show having anything original behind it.

If you are looking for a show to watch that will meet your Halloween thrills, then you should avoid this show. Stick to the horror classics for this one. At least their ideas were original at the time.