‘Know your enemy!’ 

I said this when reviewing Books of Blood, which is currently on the same streaming service Hulu, but anthology films and TV shows are everywhere at the moment. So much so that standing out from the crowd can be a difficult thing. But if any show was ever going to do that, it’s Monsterland – based on the source material of Shirley Jackson award-winning author Nathan Ballingrud, whose novella The Visible Filth was also recently turned into a film: the excellent Wounds starring Armie Hammer.

Using the device of a location for each of the eight episodes, we’re introduced to the series via ‘Port Furchon, Louisiana’ where waitress Toni (Kaitlyn Dever, who was amazing in Unbelievable) is struggling to hold down her job and cope as a single mother to problem child Jack (Vivian Cabell). But when she meets drifter Alex (Westworld’s Jonathan Tucker), who may or may not be a serial killer, she’s forced to confront the decisions she’s made in life that have brought her to this place.

In ‘Eugene, Oregon’ put-upon Nick (perfectly cast Charlie Tahan from Ozark) is also having trouble balancing his homelife, looking after his sick mother, and his crappy job flipping burgers. All that’s about to pale into insignificance, though, when he comes across the war that’s raging with the shadow things causing so much despair. After encountering one of the creatures himself, he turns to an online group for help, but do they really have his best interests at heart?

We travel next to ‘New Orleans, Louisiana’ where we meet Annie (Sleepy Hollow’s Nicole Beharie), her young son George (Marquis Rodriguez) and her new husband Joe (Hamish Linklater from Legion) during Mardi Gras. George briefly goes missing, claiming he saw a monster, and has nightmares from that day onwards… Fast forward to when he’s grown up and certain revelations surface about Dr Joe that give Annie reason to ask who the real monster is. While in ‘New York, New York’ the focus is squarely on dodgy businessman Stan (The Outsider’s Bill Camp) whose company is causing environmental catastrophes left, right and centre. When it looks like he might be getting religion, it’s up to his young aide Josh (Michael Hsu Rosen from Jessica Jones) to help as usual – but is the price for his loyalty too high?

Episode 5 is set in ‘Plainfield, Illinois’, the home of couple Kate (Taylor Schilling, the lead in Orange is the New Black) and Shawn (Roberta Colindrez from Vida), who met at law school. Now celebrating 16 years together, it’s been a rough road because of Kate’s bipolar disorder – but things are about to get even worse when she makes another attempt on her own life. We switch to ‘Palacios, Texas’ where fisherman Sharko (Trieu Tran, last seen in Altered Carbon) – the victim of one of Stan’s companies’ clean-up operations – nets the catch of a lifetime: an injured mermaid (Good Omens’ Adria Arjona)! What he isn’t expecting is to fall in love, Shape of Water-style…

Then in ‘Iron River, Michigan’ teenager Lauren (Star Wars star Kelly Marie Tran) takes over the life of her friend Elena (Sarah Catherine Hook) when she goes missing; another victim of the Lumberjack killer in the woods, it’s assumed. Years later, as Lauren’s set to marry Elena’s old flame, people begin to question what really happened in the past… And, finally, we take a trip to ‘Newark, New Jersey’ where couple Brian (the one and only Mike Colter: Luke Cage and Evil) and Amy (Adepero Oduye from another Marvel show, the forthcoming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) have lost their daughter – who vanished while Brian was inside a shop. A year or so later and strange angel-like creatures have fallen from the sky, and their blood has hallucinogenic and healing properties. But can even this save their lives and their marriage?

Like all anthology shows, you’re going to get some episodes you liked more than others. The standouts for me were definitely in the back half of the series, with particular favourites being ‘Plainfield, Illinois’ and the finale. But none of the above are any less than enjoyable, and all have the same thing in common: they contain a distinct message, paralleling the human condition with the monstrous. Plus I love the way Kaitlyn Dever’s character pops up again a couple of times, in particular during the last episode to contrast with what’s happening to Brian; all part of the interconnected nature of this ‘land’.

Verdict: Like the new Twilight Zone, it’s all thought-provoking stuff that you won’t forget in a hurry. Can’t wait to see where they go with it next. ‘Someone was chasing me… A monster!’ 8/10                 

Paul Kane