Devil in Ohio

After checking the rating, I was I initially turned off by it (anything under 6 on IMDB is questionable) and just skipped over the show. After a night of not being sure what to watch, I thought I would give it a go. Again, with the low rating, my expectations were rather low as well. It surprisingly entertained me and kept me interested. I personally like that they showed less of the actual cult, as those scenes were the worst in my own opinion, but I could see how going into the show based on the synopsis alone would set your hopes high. Go in with an expectation that matches the rating, and you'll be pleasantly surprised and have you a decent show to get through.

This show is not thriller or horror; it's more of a teen drama. If I knew that going in, I wouldn't have bothered. By episode 3 I was ready to turn it off because still nothing has happened. They try to make Mae out to be so evil, but she doesn't really even do anything wrong, she's just kind of awkward seeing how she was raised brainwashed in a cult. She stole a photo and a t-shirt, oh no! Cue the suspenseful music! They keep on playing the suspenseful music, but nothing suspenseful even happens to match it. They lead you to believe she poisoned someone, but literally nothing comes of it. Later she does do some "wrong" things, but it's just typical teen drama stuff, still not evil stuff. I almost gave this a 5 for trying, but it did nothing but waste my time, especially after the lame finale. Netflix keeps canceling good shows that do well to make room for new garbage like this. Why??

It's hard to say exactly where this series goes wrong. Either durable to direction, acting or production. The premise should be one to grab your attention but it never seems to do that. The series fails to create any real sense of suspense or tension. Episodes just mosey along at their own pace. It relies heavily on the sound track to build tension but eventually it has the opposite effect of simply being annoying. Despite having some excellent actors the characters seem wooden and stiff. Half the time they seem to be whispering orspeaking in softer tones than the scenes demand. The sets often seem too bright and cheery for the dramatic tension they're trying to build. Overall the entire series feels as if someone described what an occult thriller is to hallmark movies.

Devil in Ohio was a show I watched on a whim. It sounded interesting and I do enjoy supernatural shows and true crime shows. It starts off strong enough with a fairly open story about a girl who escaped a cult and made it to a near by hospital. From there the first few episodes do a descent job at setting up what could be a really great and interesting pay off. The problem is, that pay off never comes. Instead the characters flatten out, become awful versions of their initial appearance and make flat out stupid choices that will leave you thinking the last half of this show was either not finished when shooting or written by some different from the first half. To top it off, the ending is underwhelming to a level that made me regret giving this show time in the first place.

I think Netflix marketing messed this up; the book it's based on is a very melodramatic YA novel about a self-obsessed "misunderstood" 15-year-old girl. The material is a very silly idiot plot. Netflix, by centering Emily Deschanel, has framed this as an adult horror story, and it just isn't. So people are furious at all the teen drama. But, well, it is a teen drama.

The script aligns with that context; people exclusively make stupid decisions. In the book, Mom and Dad's dysfunction was understandable through the lens of their teen girl child. When the adults are the main characters, it doesn't work. Dad refuses to consider an offer on his debt-hole property because his wife suggests the person? Psychiatrist Mom can't possibly at all be qualified, the way she acts.

The book is mediocre teen drama, fairly faithfully adapted. The perspective is off, and the marketing matches.

Not bad viewing for a silly light horror mystery. As a teen series, it's pretty good! Very few scary or gory bits (like, one jump scare? A photograph or two of a cut on the cult girl's back?).