Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Birch (Television Show, 2019)

October Challenge Day 28

When I started seeing ads for a horror film to watch exclusively on Facebook - on Facebook - I was extraordinarily hesitant.

Then I learned it was a series, and the ads kept coming, I decided to watch The Birch, finally, in the only way I thought reasonable considering the context. In a bar and on my phone.


What happened next still blows my mind. 

The World Series is playing this week (go Nationals!) and bars are erupting. I'm sitting there, with my huge Bluetooth headphones - at the bar - watching a horror film. Like a normal person.

But it's what happened next that blew my mind: I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

Acting, execution, cinematography, and creature feature amazingness - all blew my mind. It's heady, dark, and crosses boundaries in horror that I very, very rarely see in quality work. Crosses boundaries in what is 'okay' normally for a certain platforms. Let's say, regular TV. Not uncommon in cable or specialty streaming channels, and maybe that's what really struck me. This show is on Facebook for free and showing some deep sh*t. Ballsy, scary, serious sh*t. 

This show follows a collection of teens as they navigate life though an unceremonious and unjust world thrown to them. You know, life. Except, in this one, they summon a beast from the Oregon woods and things get very, very interesting from there. 

Gaddam. This is a brutal and visceral show. Well done!

Best watched on your phone, in a crowded, loud place. Pairs with the sad memories of your youth. 

I watched this - for the first time ever saying - on Facebook Watch. As of today, there is nowhere else to see it. 

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