lferne01

Admittedly I read the short story Jerusalem's Lot after watching half of Chapelwaite, but both story and show are genuinely frightening and have a wonderful building menace. I have been a long time fan of period horror and I think that Chapelwaite has hit all of the right notes to achieve that brooding, gothic feeling that is so at home in an 1800's setting without falling into many of the pitfalls that can occur within both the historical and horror genres. I thought Adrien Brody's acting was brilliant; he made Charles Boone into such a compelling protagonist. The short story gives the reader very little about Charles himself; Chapplewaite has deepened and expanded his character, making him a father (children were not present in the original story) and giving him a traumatic history with his own father which really serves to increase the growing anxiety over his own sanity and his children's future burdens. The first couple episodes were available on Prime for free, but after watching I was quite willing to subscribe to EPIX to make sure I could finish the season as soon as it was released. I am eagerly awaiting the next episode and will probably add this series to my yearly Halloween viewing list.

I discovered this show the day before Halloween and binged watched the whole thing! The humor/horror mix is just right and brings out the best in all the characters. The special effects are surprisingly good for what is billed as a low-budget show. I am a long time horror fan and I am always impressed when I see a monster or creature that looks completely original. Yes, the show is campy and cheesy at times, but when done in a self-aware manner this becomes part of the fun. The story's structure is well done with a continually developing plot that still leaves room for stand-alone, monster-of-the-week type episodes that can still tie back in to the overall mythology.

My only complaint is that there isn't enough of it! I can accept a 21 minute show, but I would gladly watch a season that had twice as many episodes. Here's hoping that IFC gives us more!