Restoring a Hi8 tape has unexpected results…

Archive 81 is a horror. Coming from podcast land where it is legendary (and I encourage you to seek it out), it ranks up there with the Magnus Archives as some of the best audio horror of the last decade. Now it comes to us via Netflix in an initial eight part run with almost no fanfare at all. The podcast was created by Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell. It’s brought to television for Netflix by Rebecca Sonnenshine.

The premise is that the main character, Dan Turner as played by Mamoudou Athie, is a restorer of old things – notably old VHS and other media. He works as an archivist for MOMI in New York. Turner is played as thoughtful, self-possessed and essentially enjoying life. Athie is easy on the eyes and deeply expressive and brings a sense of inner peace to Turner that flows easily with the aesthetic of the show. It’s not that Turner is a blank slate, it’s just it’s clear there are deep waters there beneath a placid and self-controlled surface.

The show is beautifully put together – from the subdued palette that brings a crisp yet vintage feel, to how the shots are constructed and how we move between Turner’s perspective and what he’s watching on the tapes he’s reconstructing for clients and the museum.

The setup is neat even if it borrows liberally from countless sources (the isolated research facility, the weirdly built apartment block, and the mysterious benefactor) it does so by bringing them together in a smoothly executed tapestry that never feels hokey or contrived.

Not only that but the show wears its inspiration on its sleeves with countless movie posters and horror novels displayed prominently in the environment the characters move through.

With the choice of a BiPOC protagonist together with significant roles played by White people this also has serious undertones of the exploitation of labour by those with power while they look on, knowing what is to come.

All this and it’s just the first episode.

With films like Hereditary (2018), The Babadook (2014) and US (2019) all casting a shadow over this genre, Archive 81 fits snugly into the sensibility of the urban horror. Phones are sidelined, computers reduced to little more than modern day looms shorn of their communication potential.

One key point that isn’t clear from episode 1 is whether Melody, the second protagonist, played by Dina Shahibi will retain her agency or become someone in need of rescue – from this opening episode the cut of the show implies she will suffer so that Turner can be more heroic. I’m also not sure whether her sexuality will be changed for the show either although it seems from elsewhere that this is the case and, honestly, I just can’t understand why that would be the case or what purpose it would serve.

If the above two changes are indeed what unfolds it would be sad to see a strong female presenting character lose both her strength and one of her core signifying characteristics.

However, I haven’t seen the rest of the show yet, so will reserve judgement for now.

Verdict: This is a solid start to the show – beautifully crafted and well worth your time. We shall see where it goes.

Rating? 9 video nasties out of 10

Stewart Hotston