Unsurprisingly, but inaccurately, labelled as a middle European Stranger Things, Dark rapidly mutates into a cross between Twin Peaks, rain-soaked Scandi Noir and a certain cult film from 2001, well the clue's in the name.
Blending thriller, horror and sci-fi, while gleefully referencing Back to the Future, the show plunders multiple genres in its excoriating expose of the secrets, lies and downright confounding inter-relationships of four families in the fictional town of Winden, buried in a deep forest under the shadow of a crumbling nuclear plant, stalked by a chilling satanic priest.
A jarring note is the over-reliance of audio effects in the horror sequences but the soundtrack itself, particularly in the choice of quirky and obscure tracks, is outstanding. It's also imperative to watch in the German original audio, not only for the lip-synch, but because the sonorous quality of the original actors' delivery plays a big part in your enjoyment. Especially the science lectures.
Where Stranger Things expresses the joy of being human locked in battle against incomprehensible supernature, Dark takes us into the moral wasteland of man's desires. Even our best intentions have the most disastrous of outcomes. And some people might as well be the Devil himself.
Post edited at 09:42
