Foreign Horror TV Shows Are Light on Monsters, Heavy on Mood
There is, of course, a tradition of more pure, evocative television horror, beginning with "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
and "The Twilight Zone" in the 1950s and ’60s, and including "Night Gallery," "The Outer Limits" and "Tales From the Darkside." The great modern analogue to those shows is "The X-Files," where the overall arc was science fiction, while horror was delivered in stand-alone episodes.
"Jordskott" isn’t a pure mystery, though, like its Nordic noir cousins ("The Killing," "The Bridge").
By MIKE HALEJUNE 16, 2017
The hit 2015 Swedish television series "Jordskott" — a second season is due this year — is a mystery, as so many shows are these days.
Where "Jordskott" works horror elements into a popular TV format, Mr. Kurosawa, director of supremely creepy films like "Pulse"
and "The Cure," takes a more cinematic approach in his 2012 "Penance." Please verify you’re not a robot by clicking the box.
It’s unusual to come across this interior, classic style on American TV, in which horror generally means monsters, whether presented
with grim finality ("The Walking Dead"), Saturday matinee derring-do ("Grimm") or jokey pulp sentimentality ("Supernatural").
The horror in "Penance" (also available at Fandor) is almost entirely psychological, with Mr. Kurosawa
employing his detached yet highly charged style to create a continuous state of distress.
