Archive 81, the long-running thriller, joins Netflix's growing roster of scary and horrific shows.
archive 81 series contains scenes that are weird enough to effectively lure viewers in with their fun reflections, but those looking for quick fixes won't find them.
During the 1990s, archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) is hired to reassemble a collection of videotapes destroyed in an apartment fire by a tycoon named Virgil (Martin Donovan), who has "There's More Going On Here" tattooed across his forehead.
Dan is drawn more and deeper into the experience of a documentary filmmaker who filmed the recordings, Melody Pendras, as he watches the material in a distant area where the tapes are housed (Dina Shihabi). Much of the time, her experiences are front and centre, with flashbacks (mixed with film she took) of her loitering about the building, attempting to avoid arousing suspicions while investigating claims of a cult operating inside.
The borders between past and present, imagination and reality, continue to blur the longer Dan watches, with the grainy footage — and flaws that hint at the supernatural — increasing the difficulties in keeping them distinct. This involves inquiries into what prompted Virgil to seek out Dan in particular, as well as support from Dan's conspiracy-minded buddy Mark ("How to Get Away With Murder's"), who is helpfully predisposed to think the worst.
With a film like "Archive 81," the issue is to make sure the terror builds up gradually enough that Melody and Dan don't go screaming into the night before we get to the "What's actually going on?" phase. If you're going to use a movie like "Rosemary's Baby" as a model, keep in mind that those movies didn't expose the secret in eight parts.
That balancing act is done, maybe unavoidably, by creator Rebecca Sonnenshine's use of nightmares, fake-outs, and other twists that create just enough fog for the investigators to continue.
The reward for those who persevere is that, as the explanation begins to take shape, it proves to be rather intriguing, presenting a rich backdrop and prospects for continuing the drama beyond this first volley.
"Archive 81" explores classic horror themes such as whether seeing is truly believing and how evil may hide in plain sight. There are problems along the way, but compared to some recent entries in this genre (hello, "Brand New Cherry Flavor"), there aren't enough to make you press the "eject" button.
"Archive 81" on Netflix at Jan. 14 .
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