If you enjoy feeling a bleak mixture of depression and confusion, like you just watched an episode of Black Mirror written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and you want to experience that feeling repeatedly over an eight-episode anthology series—there is a show for you. It’s not that the episodes are poorly done, it’s simply that the premise wears thin quickly and largely would become insufferable if not for the stellar performances given by its cast.
Based off of a collection of short stories called, “North American Lake Monsters” by Nathan Ballingrud, Monsterland has a handful of writers and directors each lending their unique talents to give them all a different layer of artistry. Like all anthologies, some episodes are better than others, and as stated, once viewers realize the common thread that creator and showrunner Mary Laws (Neon Demon) is driving home, it grows more taxing to progress through them. Unfortunately for many viewers that are rightfully sensitive to topics like child abuse, suicide, sexual assault and other types of dark content, the show may trigger feelings that aren’t worth its viewing. This is certainly not the sort of show that you’ll want to binge. It isn’t a standard monster-of-the-week horror series, nor is it one where many storylines connect. Because of that, you can be selective in which episodes you choose to watch if you just want to get an overall idea of the show without committing to its full run.
Each episode is named for the town within which it takes place, and the premier episode, “Port Fourchon, Louisiana: is led by Jonathan Tucker (Westworld) who plays a creepy drifter named Alex, seemingly a killer on the run, who seeks refuge with Toni (Kaitlyn Dever, Booksmart), a down on her luck waitress trying to provide for herself and her young daughter. Toni serves as the only recurring character, popping up later in two episodes for brief stints, so for that reason, and to innocently get through an episode still clinging to the notion that the whole show isn’t rooted in symbolism, it should be one that you watch.
The whole series is magnificently acted, featuring recognizable faces like Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Charlie Tahan (Ozark), Bill Camp (Dark Water), Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi), and Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow). Beharie leads the haunting “New Orleans, Louisiana” episode which is the most disturbing on multiple levels. While they all are likely to give you an uneasy feeling, this particular episode where a socialite deals with the ramifications of the things she was willing to overlook to get to her station in life, sticks with you long after the credits. Along with that episode, another standout was “Plainfeld, Illinois,” which features the talented pairing of Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black) and Roberta Colindrez (Mrs. America) as their love contends with the strain of depression.
When a full-blown exorcism scene could actually be referred to as one of the lighter moments of the series, you know you are in for quite a journey with the show as a whole. Sadly, no reminder is really needed today for people to understand that we need not worry ourselves with the idea of monsters, when in actuality they live among us and within us, demonstrated in the choices or actions taken or not taken by us all, which shape our lives. Referring to a particularly heinous person’s actions as monstrous, is essentially the underlying inspiration for these tales.
It’s best to take some time to process each episode of Monsterland, and discuss what you think the moral of each was intended to be. While left up for interpretation, most seem fairly apparent, though some could certainly be further analyzed and considered with a second viewing if you have the capacity for it. There is a lot of meticulous work that brought each of these stories to life, and some genius — even if just surface level, exists within them all. Not everything is made to be appreciated by everyone however, and sometimes the art isn’t worth the toll it can take on you as a viewer, which is where you are likely to find yourself with Monsterland.
