As the cinemas remain closed in this part of the world, it’s the streaming services out to thrill our hearts and souls, in as many ways as possible.
Fey Hollow: The Fairytale Murders (AXN Asia) - One would have to be pretty long in the tooth to remember the era when radio drama ruled the airwaves here in the Philippines. Think back to the 1960’s as the point of decline of that age, as television took over the public’s attention. But AXN Asia felt the time was ripe to bring something back that evoked that era, although of course, with some technological differences. Fey Hollow is an 8-episode Crime thriller podcast; so what you get, with I presume, foley box and all (the term used to describe the equipment via which most everyday sounds are reproduced in a sound studio), is an audio-driven drama that leaves one hanging at the end of each episode. And to create several touch points for the public to gain access to the podcast, it’s been made available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Awedio and SYOK.
Each episode is named after a well known fairy tale, and the murders committed in each episode is inspired by said fairy tale. Hence, Chapter 1 is The Little Mermaid, while Chapter 2 is The Frog Prince, and so on. The recurring characters are the detective team of agents Calandra Marchen and Ryan Choi. If the question is whether the madman killer gets to do away with his intended victim or not, that decision lies in the hand of the listener. To add an interactive element, there are dual endings to the episodes and we can choose which ending to listen to. A seasoned group of talents have been assembled for this project; and by all accounts, it’s so novel and different an experience for today, that it’s actually gained traction since it kicked off end of June.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (Netflix USA) - Mixing the supernatural with horror has always been a surefire formula to capture the teen audience out for chills and thrills. And Netflix has smartly gone back to the books that R. L. Stine wrote before Goosebumps. The Fear Street novels deftly mixed a killer who seems to have come back from the dead, with teenage insecurities and issues. The first film, Fear Street 1994, dropped just last Friday (July 2), and for two other Fridays (July 9 & 16), we’ll get Fear Street 1978, and Fear Street 1666. It all takes place in a town named Shadyside, and I can only guess that as we go back in time, we’ll discover the origin of the macabre and sinister happenings have been going on in the town. Obviously inspired by a slew of the classic horror films of the last fifty years, Leigh Janiak directs, and there’s actually much to admire in terms of energy in Part 1, 1994.
The opening in a Mall at closing hours is old school horror given the right lighting and camera work - making use of the glow sticks and pulp fiction books of the era. The soundtrack helps establish the 1994 timeline, and we’re off to a teenage slasher adventure. Of course, it’s all set in a High School, where our cast of intrepid witch hunters are out to solve the riddle of the Shadyside murders - Shadyside always existing in the shadows of nearby Sunnyvale. Janiak does a good job in the establishing of the main characters and their teenage angst. So when the murders and crime-solving happens, revolving around a witch from the 17th century, we are invested. Rather than being referential for its own sake, or playing it meta, the film plays with LGBTQ issues and does it with a straight face. 1994 is a throwback, that places community issues and divide smack in the center of the ‘curse’ that propels the narrative.