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[TV Review] Truth is Stranger and Far More Disturbing Than Fiction In Hulu’s True Crime Anthology, “The Act”

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Hulu’s new true crime series presents an unflinching look at the surreal story of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard and promises to grab your attention!

“What’s dumb about love?”

The need for approval can be a very scary thing, especially in the case of individuals who are starved for such affection. It’s a natural compulsion to want to please people and be loved, but this desire can also lead to the most toxic and conditional kind of love that hurts more than anything else. Recent crime-based projects on television have explored this topic to successful effect. There are certainly shades of Sharp Objects, The Sinner, or Dirty John in Hulu’s foray into this territory, but The Act tells a darker story than the lot of them. It’s also one of the strongest, most polished projects Nick Antosca has put together, and this is a guy who has worked on truly some of the best horror and crime projects of the past few years, whether it’s Hannibal or Channel Zero. It’s also the only true crime series you’ll encounter that can legitimately be distilled down to the love triangle between X-Men’s Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Cyclops.

Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean’s The Act effectively brings to life—almost too well, at times—many of the eeriest scenes from out of the Mommy Dead and Dearest documentary, which covers the true, unbelievable Munchausen-by-proxy story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her manipulative mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Immediately, The Act excels at highlighting how much Dee Dee has programmed and tightly conditioned Gypsy. It’s a chilling example of just how far deception can really go or how a simple desire for freedom can get out of hand and pervert into something much worse. In fact, Dee Dee’s overprotective nature can funnel into Gypsy and manifest itself in dangerous ways through her with other people. This whole story is a cautionary tale on how shielding and repressing a person can sometimes be the worst way to “help” someone. It’s genuinely scary to see how Gypsy’s need for love and her natural defenselessness leaves her so open to grooming and manipulation from others.

The Act truly doesn’t shy away from showing Dee Dee’s negligence and how she’s been running these “schemes” for a while now. Dee Dee’s manipulation of her daughter is truly awful and it can easily be too much for some people. It starts at an awful place and then only gets worse. It’s a very hard watch at times. Like, a seriously hard watch, especially if you’re a parent. Many people may need to tap out after the first two episodes, but if you can make it through that, The Act then hits the brakes a little. As brutal and upsetting as this story can be to stomach, it’s also completely addictive as this “act” continues to balloon and unravel. You need to know more.

Both Joey King and Patricia Arquette are incredible here as these real-life characters, but King has such a wounded vulnerability during the beginning of the series. It’s like she’s worried over whether she has permission to talk or not. It’s insane to see the change in Gypsy between episodes as she continually learns the truth about herself and figures out how to manipulate her mother and be the one that’s really in control. It’s a staggering development and highlights how nuanced Joey King is in this role. It’s also uncanny just how much she acts and talks like Gypsy. Her transformation is astonishing.

As much as it’s easy to hate on Dee Dee and how she uses her innocent daughter, The Act also excels at showing just how empty Dee Dee is. Even though it’s not right, she truly has nothing else besides her daughter. Clearly, something snapped when her husband left her and the show is full of tiny, quiet moments of despair that try to help you occasionally empathize with Dee Dee’s actions. In addition to the Blanchards, The Act introduces their caring, but inquisitive neighbors, who aren’t crucial to this story, but provide a welcome outside perspective to the Blanchards.

These neighbors, played by Chloe Sevigny and AnnaSophia Robb, also act as the opening schism between Dee Dee and Gypsy. Gypsy finally gets a taste of life outside of her mother, which she loves, and it’s a slippery slope from there. Sevigny and Robb are great here in these roles. It’s so sad because there’s something so honest and pure about Gypsy’s desire to have normal friends—and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be able to—but then her mom’s insecurity and fear continues to fester. It’s also fascinating to see the presence that men play for both Gypsy and Dee Dee and how they seriously impact both of their lives in major ways that ultimately pull them apart. The series lays particularly hard into Nick, Gypsy’s eventual love interest, which proves to be a messed up, yet enlightening development for the lonely girl.

Characterization is one of The Act’s greatest assets and the series presents complex, fully realized individuals. There’s such a curious sense of awe and beauty through Gypsy during the first few episodes or how she tries to live vicariously through her friend, Lacey (Robb), and her boyfriend. Some moments are a little on the nose and crushingly bleak, but they’re still believable, and never become too distracting. As The Act goes on, it turns into a real engrossing mystery and some episodes play much more like a detective procedural than an emotional horror story or family melodrama. It also teases enough suspects throughout the season so you’re not entirely sure just who the culprit will be if you’re unfamiliar with this story.

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The scope of this story also helps out The Act in a lot of ways. There’s not some constricted, boiled down time frame here. Material is allowed to breathe it’s both empowering and terrifying to watch Gypsy slowly learn about life and get out from under her mother’s thumb. It’s also devastating to see her figure things out and realize that her one ally is actually her worst enemy. The moment that the first episode ends on is that of true terror and worse than the most unsettling moments from Misery.

It’s very powerful when Gypsy figures out just how much darker her situation is than merely having a debilitating illness. It’s also much more believable to think that this animosity gradually grows over nearly a decade. Each episode spans an important new period from out of Dee Dee and Gypsy’s lives over this seven-year journey of dissolution. The mental gymnastics that Gypsy has to work through as her life continues to change is just so intense. In fact, the scope of this eight-episode series covers much more than you might expect and the story is far from over once the big murder happens. As the show’s trailer indicated, The Act also touches on the legal proceedings and trial that follows, as well as the aftermath of this grisly story.

The Act simultaneously takes its time, but also fills each episode with plenty of conflict and effectively pushes the story forward. The pace here could easily be slower, so it’s commendable to see it clip along in the way that it does and that The Act doesn’t try to stretch this out to thirteen or even ten episodes. Gypsy makes some major moves and grows in some big ways before the first episode is even over in a way that should shock audiences. Each installment is full of gratifying, surprising turns that resonate in the same way.

The Act also wisely starts at the horrific, murderous conclusion of all of this in order to tease the audience, before it then jumps back to the start of everything. The way in which the series cuts back and forth between the past and the present is a little manipulative, but it effectively creates more tension. It does it to build a deeper mystery, not to string the viewer along.

It’s amazing how this show is full of so many beautiful and gut-wrenching moments and how they all begin to blend together into this surreal mirage. This is certainly something that Hannibal did well and that energy is present here at times, too. One of the best things about this series is how wholesome, sweet images of the Blanchard house start to look bone-chilling and terrifying in a new light. Aesthetically, there are foreboding, heavier moments that are reflected through The Act’s cinematography as well. The camera will linger on elements of Gypsy’s routine for just a little too long and these regular things begin to warp and look sinister. It’s a smart way to get under the audience’s skin and hint at the darkness that’s hiding underneath this suburban mother and daughter. Gypsy and Dee Dee’s fairy tale pink picturesque house is the perfect example for it all (that princess painting of Gypsy is also straight up nightmare fuel under the right circumstances). The series also features some really haunting, stylistic flairs that kick in during the second half of the series, particularly in respect to the murder plan.

The Act may be too much for some viewers to handle, but it’s a masterwork in true crime storytelling and one of the most exciting new additions to Hulu’s library. Those that can brave the darkness of this story will quickly find themselves addicted to this new series.

The first two episodes of Hulu’s ‘The Act’ premiere on March 20th, with the remaining six episodes airing week-to-week.

This review is based on the first five hour-long episodes of ‘The Act’s’ eight-episode season.

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Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, whose work can be read on Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, ScreenRant, and across the Internet. Daniel knows that "Psycho II" is better than the original and that the last season of "The X-Files" doesn't deserve the bile that it conjures. If you want a drink thrown in your face, talk to him about "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II," but he'll always happily talk about the "Puppet Master" franchise. The owls are not what they seem.

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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