*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*
“Women are also twice as likely to be possessed by a demon…”
Shining Vale premiered on Starz on March 6th 2022 with the first two episodes. There will be eight episodes in total that will air weekly. The horror comedy series stars Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Mira Sorvino, Gus Birney and Judith Light. Each episode runs for approximately 30 minutes.
To save her marriage, a writer moves into a house in Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers that it may actually be haunted.
Here is the trailer:
Shining Vale is a delightful mashup between Santa Clarita Diet and Ghosts, creating its own story along the way with lots of ghostly potential. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…
The Pros:
Courteney Cox shines!
It’s fantastic seeing Courteney Cox back on television and after just watching her in the latest Scream movie, I’m all for a series centered around her moving into a haunted house. So far she is a lot of fun to watch and I think that once the show really kicks into high gear, she will really embrace this role with flair.
The rest of the cast are likable enough and so far I’m most intrigued by the potential spirits roaming around the property.
Plus, the dog is a scene stealer!
Clever use of female authors…
Courteney Cox plays a writer but there are also several nods at Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These female authors wrote stories surrounding women suffering from some kind of mental illness while being driven mad by the walls surrounding them so I’m curious to see this theme portrayed in the modern world. I think that this will be way more than your typical ghost story. It looks like it will also be taking on the female role in society, which gives this story a unique edge already.
The episodes are also super short which makes this easy to binge-watch and the dry dark humor is a nice touch.
The Cons:
Slow start…
The opening episode felt a little unsure of itself. I was intrigued, but not really sold until the very end. Episode two was a big improvement and I thought the humor landed better as well. I think that once we get to episode three or four, this show will really find its way. I’m remaining positive that we’ll get there.
So am I in or out?
I’m in!
I think this show already has a lot of potential and I’m curious to see some of the other themes really take off because I think we could witness pure magic!
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Shining Vale in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…
When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.
Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…
My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!
Scream Hunt is available here!
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