Before Bill Skarsgård became a scream king in popular ventures like It and Barbarian, the performer was on the cutting edge of Netflix original programming. Skarsgård’s first heavy-hitting venture was in the underrated horror series Hemlock Grove. Adapted from Brian McGreevy’s book of the same name, the series takes place in the titular Pennsylvania town, where every conceivable supernatural entity has a story to tell. The first season is quite a faithful telling of the book, following two teenage boys who have more in common than they may realize. Young Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) recently moved to town with his mother and is trying to keep his status as a werewolf under wraps. This situation gets complicated when he meets Roman (Skarsgård), an upir, otherwise known as a daywalking vampire. Roman hails from the richest family in town, while Peter lives in a trailer. Even so, the two find common ground in a town filled with secrets. While Roman and Peter uncover the circumstances behind the death of a local high school girl, they learn that their destinies are inexorably intertwined. Natural enemies, they still find kinship, which culminates at the end of Season 1. Subsequent seasons didn’t have the same panache as the first one, but that doesn’t mean it has earned its 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. A fascinating mix of supernatural lore and high school hijinks, Hemlock Grove is a must-watch for supernatural horror fans. ‘Hemlock Grove’ Was a Love Story Between Peter and Roman Had Hemlock Grove been adapted only a few years later, it would likely have been more readily embraced. Bill Skarsgård has become a horror icon, even more so than his brother Alexander Skarsgård, star of HBO’s True Blood. The younger Skarsgård is equal parts emotional and disturbing in Hemlock Grove as an upir, unaware of his lineage. The main draw of the series is the relationship between Roman and Peter. Peter comes from a line of werewolves that sometimes skips a generation. His last family member of the trait was his grandfather, and he has had no one to share his secret with. Peter immediately recognizes that Roman is an upir, though he doesn’t know it himself. All he knows is that he has a fetish for blood, and just about everyone obeys his commands. Together, the two acknowledge they have a greater destiny even if they are on opposite sides of an ancient rivalry. Roman finds a connection with Peter because he is seemingly the only person who sees him for who he is. Her previous relationship with people of Peter’s lineage makes her racist against him and hates that Roman has found fulfillment through their friendship.
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Bill Skarsgård’s Tragically Maligned Netflix Horror Series Was Way Better Than Its Rotten Tomatoes Score
