benkelkin

Grief. A blanket of dark, smothering muck that sticks to everything. Just like the volcanic ashen scenery of this haunting, the themes of grief are stuck to our characters like the ash on their roof tops.

The writers let you fill in a lot of the gaps in understanding this movie. It's probably less about getting a supernatural explanation as it is about exploring the way that holding on to past pains have destroyed the characters lives. The supernatural component is how the volcano grows and sends people from the past to visit the grief stricken either to haunt or help them. Which of the two is debatable.

It's a slow build, but enjoyable as it builds, then it quickly wraps up a few of the technical questions and then very quickly wraps up the story arcs and leaves you a little stunned like it finished a bit too soon or something.

It's not on the same level as Lost in terms of mystery, not up there with Dark in terms of complex brilliance and not in the same competition with Hill House for the haunting. Having said this, it is very entertaining and I really enjoyed some of the characters. Some of the standouts are the devilish Michael and his little box cutter and the Grima conversations that she has with herself towards the end of the series. My heart breaks for dear Asa, the poor lost soul and if I'm being honest, I'm still a bit emotionally damaged from the whole thing. Kind of in a good way though.