Hausen

This was such a pleasant surprise after I'd just watched sky's other latest offerings and found them lacking a good story or interesting characters. This had both and the effects were done well and really added to everything. I enjoyed that characters who'd often be throwaway actually were explored and added to. I saw other reviews saying it was too gross but I really don't think it was unless you really aren't a big of goop, and, even then this is a horror series. If you want some intrigue that's much more original than a lot of tv these days, give Hausen a go and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Gradually drawing in me, takes a lot of concentration bcos of the subtitles, but worth it.

This is gloomy stuff, the atmosphere is so relentless in its grimy aesthetic that you'll feel like you need a really good wash after each episode. The titular housing block itself, along with the evil gooey-goop monster that resides there are presented as a good metaphor for grief, poverty and addiction, all of which are well explored. Light entertainment, this is not.

The trouble is, it's not really entertainment of any sort. The dialogue is sparse, which adds to the general ambience I suppose, but there's not enough here to otherwise keep the viewer engaged.

Hausen is fine as a collection of what are essentially moody horror-lite sketches, but to be honest, there's only about 2 hours-worth of actual stuff here. Stretched out over 8 long episodes, it does become tiresome.

Be warned, there is no pay-off here and you won't be rewarded for your patience come the finale. In fact, the ending isn't really an ending. It's plain wackery, weirdness for its own sake in a similar vein to Space Odyssey. It doesn't invite you to speculate on what it all means, as much as it just gives up on trying to make any sense whatsoever.

It's a shame really. The atmosphere created is unique, the script is decent and well acted, it just never realises its potential. Not something I'd recommend unless you're super stuck for something to watch in the horror genre.

Purposefully slow and gritty, this show made me want to get a shower after every episode. A weird fantasy horror show, Hausen has more questions than answers so don't expect things to be tied up in a pretty ribbon for you, ever.

No telegraphing stories here straight into your brain. You need to watch it to follow. Given the limited dialogue and that fact that it's in German (English subtitles) - i found it very engaging. I simply loved it!