One of the many impressive facets of Hemlock Grove lies in its unique vision of a morally compromised universe filled with what some may describe as creatures of the night. But monsters, as well as humans, take shape in many different forms and sizes.
My favorite tag line for this year’s Hemlock Grove is that “even demons have demons,” and most of the characters travel down a dark and unforgiving path in season two. Hemlock Grove’s new batch of episodes debuts on Netflix tomorrow (July 11), as Roman (Bill Skarsgard) and Peter’s (Landon Liboiron) mutual dislike of each other continues.
Netflix is one of the leaders in shaping how we digest film and television. The days of running home from work to catch your favorite show are over thanks to DVR and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. For Eli Roth, the changing landscape on how material is digested was one of his inspirations for shepherding Hemlock Grove’s development.
“It is the norm to binge watch,” said Roth. “That is how people are getting their shows. In fact, people are so used to watching multiple episodes of shows (that) they are waiting for three Games of Thrones episodes to air so they can watch them all in a row. (With Hemlock Grove), we wanted to make something special. We wanted to make something unique, and the fans really gave us a chance and embraced the show. It was a fantastic hit and we were lucky to get Emmy nominations. And we’re so excited to be back with season two.”
Chic Eglee (Dark Angel, Dexter, Murder One) is the new showrunner this season, which series star Famke Janssen accurately described as a “10 hour movie.” Featuring top notch production design and special effects, the show is also blessed with arresting visual work from cinematographer Fernando Argüelles. Roth also brought in a host of first rate filmmakers (Hesher’s Spencer Sussman and Cube’s Vincenzo Natali are among the players) to infuse their specified aesthetic for this season, giving the narrative an even deeper cinematic the second time around.
I asked Janssen and Roth about why Hemlock Grove doesn’t actually feel like a TV show but instead continues to expand its creative horizons. Click on the media bar below to hear their answer:
Will a rehabbing Olivia (Janssen) get son Roman (Skarsgard) back in her good graces, or is the damage too much to repair? Are you set to binge watch the second season this weekend? Feel free to comment below!!
