Spoiler-Free Review of “1899” on Netflix: Eerie and Bizarre

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“The brain is deeper than the sea…”

1899 premiered on Netflix on November 17th 2022 with all eight episodes available to stream now.  The German horror-mystery series (from the creators of Dark) stars Emily Beecham, Andreas Pietschmann, Aneurin Barnard, and Mathilde Ollivier. Each episode is approximately 50-58 minutes.

Passengers on a ship heading to New York get caught up in a mystery after finding an abandoned ship in the middle of the open sea.

Here is the trailer:

1899 is chilling and intriguing with a compelling mystery at its core, but does it jam-pack in too much? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

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Images courtesy of Netflix

Does enough at the end of each episode to keep you coming back for more…

At the end of each episode, there was another piece of the puzzle unlocked. Of course it created more questions, but I think the series did a good enough job hooking its audience with a unique mystery.

In a lot of ways, this series reminded me of a mashup of Ghost Ship, LOST, and The Terror. Unlocking the mystery was the best part of the series for me even though I had mixed thoughts on the ending.

Decent main character.

I had a little bit of trouble connecting to a lot of the characters, even though this series adapted a LOST style with character-centric episodes and flashbacks. However, the character of Maura had the most layers and kept me invested. I think she was a strong lead with a sympathetic story.

The Cons:

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Images courtesy of Netflix

This series dragged…

The pacing did not do this show any favors. The episodes were on the long side and the pacing felt so slow. I drifted off a few times because of this.

The series was able to bounce back at the end of each episode, but wow was this slow at times.

I also think there was way too much overstuffed into this show. The main mystery was interesting, but there were so many other parts and a lot of characters to focus on. This is not one of those shows you can tune in and out of. I felt like I needed to take notes the entire time to keep up and even then, I still had a lot of questions and was not thoroughly excited by the ending reveal…

So am I in or out?

1899 no spoilers 3

I’m 50/50 on this one…

This series had an interesting hook and a solid mystery, but the pacing really worked against it and I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

I have a feeling that some people will absolutely love this show because it is unique and I can see why, but it was a bit of an exhausting watch overall for me personally.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on 1899 in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

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When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rulethey can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my new island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The Terror: Infamy” on AMC: A Faint Flicker of Ghostly Potential

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“There’s something evil…I can feel it.”  Well perhaps it is the real life terror that these characters are facing in the midst of World War II, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for some supernatural occurrences too.  Or does it?

The Terror is a historical drama horror anthology series on AMC. The second season will feature 10 episodes and it premiered on August 12th 2019.  The Terror: Infamy looks deeper into the real life horror that Japanese-Americans went through during World War II, leading up to Pearl Harbor.  It stars Derek Mio, Kiki Suzekane, Shingo Asami, and George Takei.  After watching the season premiere, I have some mixed thoughts and I’m wondering if this show really needed the ghostly elements.  Let’s find out!   

The Pros:

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Images courtesy of AMC

Cringe-worthy horror scenes.

In particular, the opening scene was extremely gruesome and almost difficult to watch and yet you can’t shift your eyes away from it.  There are a lot of images that will truly make your skin crawl, so be warned if that is not your cup of tea.  And speaking of tea…

Interesting exploration of Japanese folklore.

I am actually really invested in this story-line and I like learning about supernatural occurrences from different cultures.  The scene with reading the tea leaves was mysterious enough and I am intrigued to find out more about evil spirits, which are referred to as the Yurei.

The real life historical backdrop is compelling.

So, I really appreciate that this series is trying to take a deeper look at terrifying times in history, while giving us a different supernatural take, but the scenes that focused on the real life moments in history could almost be a stand-alone series.  I know that this show is trying to create a balance, but I thought that these moments were truly captivating, so it will be interesting to see if the balance is tipped toward the historical moments more in the coming episodes.

The Cons:

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Images courtesy of AMC

Uninspiring characters.

Other than Yuko, who seems to have the most potential, I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and the fluff and setup overwhelming the season premiere.  The main character, Chester, was just kind of OK and I’m hoping that he can captivate me more in future episodes, but there was a lot to process in the opening episode and I almost felt like I had to take notes to keep up.

Slow moving in parts and unsure of its identity.

The season premiere lasted for a little over an hour, but I felt like I was watching it for two hours.  Part of the issue for me was that the opening scene was so incredible and then the remaining parts just kind of fell off.  Even though we continued to get glimmers of interesting story along the way, there were just so many moments that had me dozing off.  I also sort of feel like this show is trapped between a movie and a mini series, as perhaps it doesn’t translate particularly well to a traditional weekly television series.

So am I in or out? 

The terror 4
Images courtesy of AMC

As of right now, I am in about 75-80 percent, but I wouldn’t say that you need to stop what you are doing to watch this.  The opening scene was fantastic and there are some truly chilling moments sprinkled throughout the premiere, but I’m not sure that the show can keep up with this pace if it continues to rely more on unnecessary dialogue and excessive setup. 

There were also not too many surprises, but I’m hoping that the mystery surrounding the Yurei can measure up.  I will continue to watch for now, but I am hoping that the coming episodes can form their identity a little bit better.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Terror: Infamy in the comments section below.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

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