TV Season Coverage Roundup for DVDTalk.com

Check out some of the TV reviews I've been responsible for lately over at DVDTalk.com:



"In the realm of vampires, haunted houses, and serial killers, it's getting tougher to dig up something fresh and genuinely unsettling to put on either big or small screens. Nowadays, the vampire genre gets its thrills from low-key, thought-provoking dramas and satirical comedy, sprinkled with tastes of gore that almost seem like they're meeting obligations. Haunted-house movies have fared better, scaring up chills in the likes of The Conjuring and The Babadook, yet their refined approach toward specters looming in houses remains safely opaque and one-dimensional. And serial-killer flicks have given way to the Gone Girl and Girl on the Train variety of domestic plots, neglecting the disturbing, warped-reality motives of American Psychos and John Does. This latest installment of American Horror Story invites all manner of supernatural beings and methodical murderers into their Hotel, sinking its teeth into classic and modern outlooks in a melting pot of monstrous character studies, producing an intriguing mixed bag elevated by performances and atmosphere."

Full Review of American Horror Story: Hotel can be found here: [LINK]



"Sometimes, it's hard to know when the time's right to close the lid and bury a television series, coming down to whether the story has the longevity to thrive across more seasons and, on a more practical level, whether the audience will remain engaged enough to keep it alive. That's a conversation not so easily had about Penny Dreadful, the horror-themed serial from Showtime. Along with a ravenous cult fanbase, the show appears to have seemingly infinite narrative possibilities within its grasp, considering how it can continue pulling character from the annals of classic horror literature into the hazy space of 19th-century London. With that in mind, there's also a tricky threshold involved with how much of this that writer John Logan can incorporate without overburdening the premise, or without repurposing the same narrative ideas from season to season. Thus, the decision was made to end Penny Dreadful at three runs, and the caliber of the diversions and overly familiar plot threads this time around prove it to be a wise one."

Full Review of Penny Dreadful: The Final Season can be found here: [LINK]