On TV: Wednesday 21st September 2011
Channel: BBC Three 9pm
Episode Type: 1/6
In 1 Sentence: A new supernatural youth drama that seems to work
BBC Summary: A teenage boy named Paul is haunted by apocalyptic dreams that nobody can explain. As if that weren't terrifying enough, he begins to see spirits of the dead, known as The Fades, all around him. The Fades can't be seen, smelt, heard or touched by other humans. When an embittered and vengeful Fade, Polus, finds a way to be human again, it's up to Paul to stop him - and all of the dead - from breaking back into the world and destroying the human race.
My Review: A few minutes in and I was questioning whether watching The Fades was a good idea. Not because it wasn’t good, but because it was genuinely scary! Paul and Mac break into an abandoned shopping mall to find more than they bargained for.
We don’t see ‘The Fades’ much but the brief glimpses we get are very good. I think not seeing them often is fantastic as it just adds to the paranoia.
And it really does dive in head first with some great action and spooky scenes. Natalie Dormer (who I last saw in The Tudors as Anne Boleyn and was excellent) is the first character we’re introduced to. As she is dying she sees herself in an ash covered world, with ash falling all around - these scenes look stunning on screen and make for a great atmosphere that carries on throughout the episode.
It was also horribly gory in places - the eye scene springs to mind and if you’ve seen it you’ll know what I mean, I had to look away! But it isn’t all horror and gore, as it is actually pretty funny. Iain De Caestecker and Daniel Kaluuya play best friends Paul and Mac, who have great chemistry and bring a many much-needed laughs. They lift the show as without them it would be pretty dreary and miserable.
However, it was a little cheesy at times... but then I find most horrors cheesy so it was always going to be hard on a TV budget to make it completely serious, and if anything the cheese is part of the charm! But I’m glad that BBC Three have given horror a chance instead of sticking with their endless comedy output and I’m definitely intrigued enough to give the series a go...
Score: 8/10
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