Review of the series "From" - a sci-fi horror from the creators of "Lost", which chills to the bone
Not the most original, but an intriguing series about a city surrounded by monsters.
The Matthews family - mom Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), dad Jim (Eion Bailey), eldest daughter Julie (Hannah Cherami) and son Ethan (Simon Webster) - travel in a cozy motorhome. Suddenly, they come across a tree neatly felled across the highway (there are no other signs of a recent storm). Trying to go around it, they find themselves on a country road. So how do you get back on track now? The Matthews go in circles, passing the same town over and over again until they get into an accident. Local residents receive guests. Ethan badly injured his leg and now moves on crutches, everyone else escaped with a slight fright. Yes, only the family ended up in a settlement from which they couldn’t get out. All those who live here ended up in these parts according to one scheme: a tree on the road - a detour - an eternal settlement. Someone cannot leave the promised land for three years. But something else is worse - with the onset of darkness, bloodthirsty creatures attack the houses. The monsters pretend to be the same people as the townspeople, but if you forget to close the door at night, they leave nothing from the owners but a gnawed skeleton. Who are they and where did they come from? There are more questions than answers.
According to the description, "From" resembles a film adaptation of a not-so-famous novel or short story by Stephen King. Moreover, the cable channel Epix, on which this series aired, last year released Chapelwhite with Adrien Brody and vampires, just like King. In fact, "From" was staged according to the original script by David Griffin, who until now had only worked on one episode of the recent reincarnation of "The Twilight Zone". But the Epix series has a powerful production body: the Russo brothers (the directors of the Marvel blockbusters Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, in post-production they have The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling - the most expensive film in Netflix history), Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner (creators of Lost)
In addition, Bender directed 4 of the 10 episodes of the first season. No one said that this is a mini-series, so with decent ratings, a sequel is possible. Bender is generally one of the most experienced and skilled serial directors: he directed more individual episodes of The Sopranos, and he was already followed by Lost, Alcatraz and Game of Thrones. It is worth remembering that he also worked on The Outsider, Under the Dome and Mister Mercedes (all three based on the works of the King of Horrors). And horror, and science fiction, and mysticism on the small screens are not alien to him.
"From" fails to impress with a stellar cast. The role of the sheriff of the mysterious town is played by Harold Perrineau (Michael from "Lost"). Eion Bailey - the head of the Matthews family - starred in "Confrontation" and "Once Upon a Time". Catalina Sandino Moreno (in the series she is Tabitha) was far from the first roles in The Lovers and American Gothic. Perhaps there are no more familiar faces in the frame. But, on the other hand, the authors of the series do not rely on big names. More importantly, the story is dark, mysterious, dynamic and not very predictable. The inhabitants of the settlement are also divided: some live in a huge house (actually in a community), others settled in families in the city. Tension arises between them and an implicit struggle is gradually escalated. The townspeople unite against the monsters, but views on building a new civilization may differ. No one knows for sure whether it will ever be possible to get out of here at all.
Monsters are not shown as often (at least in the first three episodes), and the moments are suitable - the most terrible murders occur in the series finale. Outwardly, bloodthirsty monsters resemble colleagues from the TV series The Strain or the same Chapelwaite. The creators cannot be deprived of the ability to inflame the atmosphere, and they know how to scare, and from the very first scene. Even the opening credits are terrifying, reminiscent of the intro of the first season of American Horror Story. Only instead of creepy babies emerging from the darkness in jars, there are no less disturbing drawings depicting monsters and the sad consequences of meeting with them.
Of course, one should not expect any multi-stage reflection from the series. It is interesting to observe the relations between people who find themselves against their will in one place, but, of course, it is much more interesting to find out if it is possible to get out of there, what kind of monsters they are and how to deal with them. So far, the inhabitants of the town are only hiding at night at home, but they are not taking active steps. But sooner or later it will.
Fans of dynamic horror with an intriguing atmosphere should definitely not pass by - there is no doubt that the authors of "From the outside" have prepared more than one surprise for the audience, and all the cards will be revealed only at the very end of the season. But from the very first episodes, they took a solid rhythm.
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