Hemlock Grove

Plot synopsis:
The book is set in the town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania. The town is a mixture of extreme wealth and poverty, as the closing of the town's steel mill (owned by the Godfrey family) many years earlier cost a lot of people their jobs. Now the town's main sources of employment are the Hemlock Acres Hospital and the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies. Run by the powerful Godfrey family, the Institute is rumored to have several sinister experiments take place within. The town's rumor mill turns even more twisted when a teenage girl is brutally killed during a full moon. Peter Rumancek, a 17-year-old Romani who just moved to Hemlock Grove with his mother, is suspected of the crimes by some of the townsfolk and is also rumored to be a werewolf. While he secretly really is a werewolf, he isn't the actual killer and along with Roman, the heir to the Godfrey estate (who Peter realizes is an upir, though Roman does not know it himself), they set out to find the killer.
The two become unlikely friends, much to the chagrin of each boy's mother. As the two grow closer, Roman's mother Olivia resumes an affair with her late husband's brother, Dr. Norman Godfrey. At several points during the novel Norman tries to break away from Olivia but ultimately fails due to his desire for her, despite him remembering several warnings from his brother about how Olivia emotionally preys on people. While Roman has known about the affair all along (but doesn't discuss it with anyone), his monstrous-looking, yet highly intelligent and kind sister Shelley becomes aware of the affair later. She openly says so in one of the e-mails she exchanges with her uncle Norman (on a regular basis since he is her therapist).
The murders continue in the town, and more people start to believe the teenage girl Christina who has been accusing Peter of being both a werewolf and the killer from the start. Christina also discovers the remains of one of the murdered girls, which seems to push her into insanity and causes her hair to turn white. Tensions continue to rise, especially after Peter begins a relationship with Roman's cousin Letha (Norman's daughter), who believes that she was recently impregnated by an angel. Their relationship ultimately breaks the friendship between Peter and Roman, prompting Roman to try to attack the Godfrey Institute and its lead scientist Dr Pryce. Roman falls into a coma due to Pryce's attempt to keep him from harming Pryce or the experiment for Project Ouroborous. He later awakens and reconciles with Peter, just in time for them to launch another search for the killer. This fails due to Chasseur, a woman operating for a secret group known as the "Order of the Dragon", shooting a dart into Peter in his wolf form, knocking him out for the rest of the night of the full moon. During this time the twin daughters of the town sheriff are killed, which prompts a mob to ransack Peter's trailer. Neither Peter nor his mother are injured, as Peter is saved by Olivia interfering and Peter's mother was called away due to premonitions from a cousin.
Ultimately Chasseur is killed by Olivia (leaving the clean-up to Dr. Pryce) and Peter and Roman discover that the murderer is actually Christina, the girl who accused Peter of the murders. She turned herself into a werewolf by drinking water from one of the tracks left by Peter while he was in wolf form. Unable to control her actions as a werewolf or truly remember all that occurred, Christina's mental state deteriorated and caused her to become a "vargulf", an insane werewolf. Due to her insanity she attacked anyone she saw as being sexually promiscuous due to her own confusion over her burgeoning sexuality. Peter and Christina fight to the death in their wolf forms. Peter miraculously survives, but Shelley, who threw herself into the fight to avenge Christina's last victim, is shot by the Sheriff because he sees her holding Christina's (now human again) body. Shelley runs off, not to be seen again.
Six months after the fight, Letha goes into labor and dies in the process (the baby apparently being stillborn), leaving her father Norman distraught as well as prompting Peter and his mother to leave town since there was nothing truly holding them there. Being abandoned by Peter leaves Roman in an extremely emotional state. The final part of the book is told mostly from Olivia's point of view, revealing that centuries ago she was impregnated by a gypsy she tried to run away with as a young girl. The man abandoned her shortly after they escaped (taking her jewels with him), and she was found a few days later, bloody, from having cut off the tail she had (the origin of the scar on her lower back). She was brought home, and turned into an unnatural beauty over the course of her pregnancy. Now resentful of any gypsy, she gave up the child to grow up with a lowborn old swineherd named Rumancek, showing that the family is descended from Olivia. She also muses that while she married JR Godfrey, she fell in love with his brother Norman, who actually fathered Roman. At Roman's 18th birthday, Olivia takes him to Shelley's attic where he discovers Letha's (not actually stillborn) baby. With Olivia's extaz powers (which is the mind-controlling power Roman has used throughout the book too, without being taught), she makes her son remember that it was him who had sex with Letha (her mind having "made up" the "angel" to cope with this). Roman then slits his wrists to "not let his mother win" but this actually finishes his transformation; he grows fangs and it is insinuated that he drinks from Letha's - and his - baby.

Tags: murder

Review:
This new series is refreshingly original; although vampirism and werewolves haven't exactly been underrepresented in movies and TV-shows over the last couple of years, 'Hemlock Grove' manages to find a very interesting new approach and uses old European myths and legends - and even a bit of Sci-Fi - to inject some fresh blood into a genre that started to feel a bit stale.
I'm a bit surprised this show hasn't found a bigger audience yet, given how well it is produced (and this wasn't exactly a cheap affair either: season 2 had a budget of 52 million dollars for 10 episodes), but maybe it's just a bit too original for that.
As far as I'm concerned, 'Hemlock Grove' certainly deserves to be seen; offering unique 'Horror' with a fantastic, slightly surreal atmosphere and amazing images, this highly original series is a prime candidate for binge-watching.
Okay, this show is really getting mixed reviews, and I'm pretty confused because I loved it!People seemed to really enjoy Netflix' other series, House of Cards, and I thought it was brilliant as well.
Bravo to Netflix for taking a chance on this show and posting the entire first season rather than making us wait each week for the next episode..
I feel like the director(s) of Hemlock Grove could learn a lesson from that way of making a supernatural/fantasy drama.
Or, if they wanted to go the dark gritty road, I wish they'd done it like the much missed Carnivale and focused much more on character development, keeping the supernatural elements teasingly in the background.
Some of the acting comes across as pretty bad, but I'm not sure if that's the actor's faults so much as it's very difficult for them to deliver their lines in the tone the director wants.
It's comparing Apples and Oranges.You have to give credit where credit is due, Hemlock Grove is unique, it isn't a generic or cliché TV show likes we've all seen one hundred times.
When I watched it I felt like they were trying too hard to make it look good and be plausible which is great but, the plot slipped through the cracks.
I have NO idea why everyone is reviewing this show so badly.It is quite possibly the most entrapping T.V. show I'v seen in 2-3 years.Easily.The actors are extremely well adept and it is insanely satisfying to watch them grow into their characters so splendidly.
I think I stopped watching half-way through around episode 5 of season 1?!?
Eli Roth seems best at gory horror movies like Cabin Fever and Hostel...with a 13 hour series, I'm finding this very slow and hard to find any character engaging.
This series is trying to have suspense like American Horror Story, but fails to have engaging development.Edit...well I've just finished watching the whole season, and I've got to say my impressions of the writing being a weak link have only strengthened.
I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed.1) The three credited writers have little to no actual screen writing experience and it shows: incoherent plotting, poor pacing, and embarrassing dialogue.
You know that feeling when you're watching a show and the credits role and you're giddy with excitement over how it's going to turn out and you're mashing at the keyboard to pull up the next episode?
Unfortunately the second season turned out to be very unlike the first and very poorly directed.All the new characters have very little depth, and often do things that make no sense in order for it to fit into the plot.
The further you go into the season the more obvious it is that Miranda is not actually meant to be a meaningful character but just a plot deviceBut even overlooking the fact that all the new characters in the show are very poorly written, the show has no consistency and doesn't expand or explain many of the mysterious things going on.
Instead of merely pointing, or telling them the number she writes it with her own feces on the wall.Instances like these ruins the universe and makes it hard to take anything in the series at anything but face value.And don't even get me started on the ending.....
There are some moments of interesting special effects that indulge in the goo and gore, and its nice not to be saddled with CGI laden special effects (too bad for those Gen Y viewers who confuse CGI for reality and think that everything not digitised looks fake) I suppose for fans of Twilight this sort of horror - cushioned as it between huge mundane moments of poorly written melodramatic dialogue - is just the ticket.
But you'll never know if it's a show for YOU unless you stick with it, much longer than you would with most shows you're 'just not quite sure about.' If you still feel no spark after finishing the first season, okay, go watch something else.
Hemlock Grove starts off kind of slow but as the season progresses the mystery, romance, action, and the supernatural entities begin to make its way through the fold.
The Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove is the worst thing to ever happen to television.
And yet someone decided it was cool to spend $55 million to make three series.I launched myself into this with high hopes, being a big fan of the horror/supernatural genre, but I couldn't get past 2 1/10 episodes before screaming, "I'm done!
Hemlock Grove had everything it needed to be a great show, every resource available: interesting characters with unique motivations, literary allusions, intrigue, hints of social commentary, et cetera.
It leads me to believe that a tight deadline might have been involved, then again, the script to Casablanca was literally being written about one day ahead of the filming schedule, so I don't want to hear about deadlines.I can willingly suspend my disbelief for gypsy magic, werewolves, and other elements of the supernatural, but I cannot suspend my disbelief of the horrendous, contrived "ending" that this "story" culminates in.
Nothing comes even close to full-circle, nobody gets what they deserve, and very few people learn anything, leading me to believe that what I have just finished viewing is simply a series of semi-related events.I'm not out any money, but I want the last six evenings of my life back..
I feel more like I'm peeking in on the mind of a director who is a 12-yr-old man child, narcissist and sociopath, who can't develop characters because he has no understanding of emotions or of what humans do or say, and everything centers around gratuitous sex and gross-out moments.
Many of the Netflix series have been great, like House of Cards If you want something in this same genre with a good plot and great characters watch "True Detective" instead..
I am really worried that this show will not be renewed for a third season, it is probably the best horror/suspense show to have aired in years but has not received nearly as much marketing time as other Netflix shows...also wonderful but almost unfairly given marketing time and budget...as Hemlock Grove airs through a streaming site it relies on people choosing to click in and view, traditional TV shows often gain viewers through people channel surfing etc.
Now I've come to the end of season 1, am suffering withdrawals, and can honestly say that it is my favorite show ever.Hemlock Grove is like Twin Peaks on crack.
why Roman leaves a blue glow on his sisters cheek when he touches her?Why he seems to be able to influence people by staring at them?Why his cousin seems to think that she has been impregnated by an angel (her belief seems to go largely unchallenged)?Why his sister is disfigured and why she seems to have some kind of power (telekinesis)?And why did the girl that Roman raped in one episode, Send him a get well card in the next episode?Have I missed something because few of these character s have been fully explained and some seem entirely superfluous to the story.
Oh and why does Roman's mother keep dripping something in eyes?I have no more clue about the motivation of many of the characters having watched 10 episodes than I did at episode 1.Photographically pleasing and nicely shot with a good cast.
Here's why in a few bullet points: --The show always surprises me ("I didn't see THAT coming!") --It goes places other shows won't ("I can't believe they DID that!") --the acting is IMHO excellent (au contraire to critics' opinions) --the dialogue is brilliant mostly ("clunky" said one idiot critic) --the plot twists are very difficult to anticipate (maybe a little murky at times, but I'm patient enough to let it resolve at its own pace) --characterizations are complex, not cardboard cutouts (see Roman Godfrey for the prime example).
The only thing that got me through was Bill Skarsgård, whom in my opinion went out of the bounds set by the director and did a really good job of portraying a pretty complex character.
I guess it's a generational thing where shows that don't go anywhere, have almost nothing in the way of plot or story and exist simply by endlessly teasing that something might happen right around the corner are hot with someone now.
I get the creepy feeling that this will be this year's "The Killing", which would have made a pretty good 3 ep miniseries but as a series it was possibly the most boring frustrating thing ever.
It tries way too hard to be dramatic and poetic but fails at delivering any substance.I'm a fan of shows with story continuity, so this show definitely isn't for anyone who likes their story line to make sense.The characters just randomly and mysteriously come by their information or conclusions.
So if you feel completely lost in the beginning, just keep on watching because most (not all however) questions will be answered later on!What I found really strong with this series is the characters and the acting.
The first episode's narrative was impossible to follow, the characterization is shallow, the music is amateur and heavy-handed, the camera-work and editing choices absolutely baffling, and the acting is absolutely painful to behold.I want not only 50 minutes of my life, but the brain cells I lost while watching this show's first episode back - really couldn't subject myself to view any more of it.Don't waste your time on this one..
The drama actually kept me interested and made me want to watch the very next episode just to see what happens.
I felt the acting was great and everything about this show was great.I feel like a lot of the bad reviews are from people who haven't seen many Eli Roth titles.
It also did a real good job answering a lot of its own questions if you watched the entire season..
I recently tried watching this show with my wife, who is not a fan of horror whatsoever, and I found that while I was interested enough in the show to finish the season out, I found a lot of the acting and dialogue painful to endure.
This show could be what most people want from TV series like True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Being Human, and Supernatural(the only one of these that I like, although I understand the appeal.) It has potential, but there are so many small things to hold it back.
Also the storyline maybe weird, but somehow it works and Hemlock Grove manages to get away with strange plot changes and introducing mysterious new characters without losing credibility.Lastly, the acting.
I've read the book as well, and all the main characters are portrayed really well in my opinion.When watching the show for the first time it feels like a bizarre dream, but when you're under its spell....
The second season was 10 times worst than the first as they try to have the actors verbalize and least twice everything that's going on because they think the views are to stupid to realize what is happening before their very eyes.
:| They gave us "House of Cards." and then they also gave us "Hemlock Groove." I now would only stick to TV series that are 8 and above in rating, something below that is always a disappointment.This show has untoward suspense, the storyline isn't all captivating and one who has an appetite for good shows will be bored in three episodes.
You'll watch show after show, thinking "well maybe the next one is better and something interesting actually happens." Terrible dialogue + horribly miscast characters + awful writing.....it all adds up to a disaster!.
I always wondered why Hemlock Grove never got the buzz that other Netflix originals received but now I know why it'll continue to go unnoticed.
I don't know how most Critics don't like this show.I have to disagree with a few reviews I have read, I believe it has some great suspense and build ups to the following episodes, always leaving me wanting more.On the outside it looks like one of those standard teen horror shows like True Blood or The Vampire Diaries but it's actually much more than that.
It's intelligently written and has a very mysterious storyline which sucks you in the more and more you find out.The actors are actually incredible, someone said that Bill Skarsgard was meant to be playing some bad boy character and shows it with chain smoking.
Straight away you realise this kid is meant to act like a bad boy for image at school and being part of a well known rich family but when you get to know him, he's actually quite down to earth and nice, just a bit of a weird one.
Horror, humour, suspense, mystery, a great story and likable characters (except for the female cop).I seriously hope a second season comes as this series is one of the most fun I've seen for a while..
There's definitely NO PROBLEM with the acting.I think I would love the story line if I was able to understand it completely.
(This review only covers the first season of the show:)I think the biggest problem this series has, is the same many other mystery series have: After a quick and interesting start and introduction of all important characters, the plot nearly stops and develops at a snails pace.
Intriguing the viewer with mystery might be what such a series needs to do, but (together with the slow plot) this made me look up information on an online wiki, in order to find out what exactly character X was supposed to be and how Y was supposed to work - with meager results.
The result is, that Hemlock Grove feels like it came from the "Lost"-school of writing, leaving the viewer with the impression, that the writers just made up stuff as they went along, without having any idea where the plot should go.
However, everyone needs to take into consideration;That this is only Netflix's third original series; of course It is not amazing, but I have to tell you not to be too Quick to judge, I can see this show going very far, if Allowed to have a second season.
Oh,And just to mention this; Hemlock Grove is addictive if you Take interest make sure you can make time to watch all of it in 1 or 2 sittings (: ENJOY !!!!.
For whatever reason it doesn't seem like Netflix has spent the money on advertising the way they have for "Orange Is The New Black" or "House of Cards" so it's up to us, fans of the series to spread the word.
If you like the supernatural/horror genre, don't waste time, watch Hemlock Grove..
re: Hemlock Grove, Netflix series.
Hemlock Grove only took two episodes for me to enjoy the series unlike a lot of other shows.
I want to see Hemlock Grove grow it cant end with a season 3 as its final.
The acting, the dialogue, the cinematography all seemed good, though, so I decided to watch the second episode - give it a second chance.The second episode toned down the imagery and symbolism quite a few notches and I got a much better hold on each of the characters.
I know a lot of people look to reviews before the wanna watch something(like me), but this series is a complete "watch it yourself".
The episodes are about 45 minutes, so you're going to need a bit of time laid out to watch this, but that's not a bad thing.
I think this saved me from going insane from ten 11-year old girls all day, every day.I have only watched the first season of this, and I can say that I do like it, but would not recommend for the faint of heart.
During that time the series is really just a teen soap-opera, with very limited character engagement.Things do kick up several notches in the final three episodes of Season 1, making the Season worthwhile in the end.
Never in the three seasons you get that milking feeling like with so many other series.
Hemlock Grove...good first episode.
First I'd like to say that Hemlock Grove is filled with excellent acting, here I refer to (especially) Bill Skarsgård (applause to Bill, coming from Sweden and performing a delightful American accent) and Landon Liborion.
The real story, and the real thing in the series first appear in the last couple of episodes, where I for the first time see some real flesh on this show.
(The reason I give the series 5 (arrow down) out of 10 stars, is the really good and strong acting (Skarsgård, Liborion), and the last couple of episodes, which I have to say made me want to see what happens next.
I've only seen season 1 watched all 13 episodes in about 5 days.So if you like dark programming and your not soft fire up the Netflix account and see the horrors that lie in Hemlock Grove!.