Archive 81 (2022) User Reviews

Better than the reviews make it out to be!

[babyychelso · 8/10 · 15 January 2022]

I'm not sure why this got such low ratings. I didn't find it slow at all. In fact, it reeled me in pretty quickly and I was hooked after the first episode. It's not your average slasher type of horror, it's more psychologically thrilling than cheap jump scares.

I also don't understand why people complained about not being able to understand the lead actor's voice. I can understand him just fine, he just has a deep monotone voice like Adam Driver.

Don't let the reviews turn you off, give it a chance!

A very good series, one which crosses many genres.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 25 January 2022]

Archive 81 is the most watchable series I have come across for some time. It manages to combine so many genres into 8 very different, but very entertaining episodes.

We are given sci fi, horror, thriller and surreal elements, no two episodes are alike, it really is the most incredibly varied show.

For me, this peaks in the middle, where they really deliver several scares, in the last few parts it takes you on a somewhat different journey.

Very nicely acted, with two very strong leads, it's very well presented, with some nice special effects. Part 7 in particular looks great.

You could easily lose interest part way through episode 1, but stick with it, it takes a little time to open up, by episode 3 you'll be binge watching it.

It seems likely we'll be getting a second series.

Overall, a very good watch, 8/10.

Wow, excellent

[mageh · 9/10 · 16 January 2022]

Finally great supernatural horror drama. Yes, it is slow and definitely not for people with short attention span. Also, not for people who look for gore or silly jump scares. But it is super creepy. I started to watch at night and had to stop because felt uncomfortable alone in apartment with this show. Finished the next day when sun was shining. It is well done, the atmosphere is intense, actors are great. Highly recommended for people who like slow burn mystical shows.

The right kind of weird

[m_i_t_j · 8/10 · 14 January 2022]

I don't write many reviews but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. After watching the first one or two episodes I thought it was just another standard found footage show but I ended up watching the whole series over the course of the day. The story was original and all doesn't start becoming clear until the later episodes. I highly recommend.

This is quite good

[calicut110 · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

I was surprised how good this was. The story is pretty original and the acting is great. There are some nice scares but it's much more of a slow brooding build up. Without spoilers this body of work kind of reminds me of a more scary stranger things.

Slow burn but keep with it

[MovieQween-33622 · 9/10 · 16 January 2022]

I wasn't sure exactly how this series would end up but I knew I liked it enough to keep with it, and I'm so glad I did. Having James Wan as a producer really was what grabbed my attention. If you know James WAN's previous work, you'll recognize this subject matter as being a familiar one. This one really kind of felt in a similar vein of Insidious and maybe you'll see why once you get towards the end. I binged the whole series in 3 days with my mom!! I liked it a little more than she did as she got a little impatient with the initial pace. Also she wasn't happy with the ending. But the ending was something I expected in a way. I saw a lot of people giving the main actor a hard time but I actually liked him a lot!! He was also in another horror film, Black Box, that I loved. Definitely recommend this series!!!

Builds up interest in the unexplained, ends with cliches overload

[kuarinofu · 7/10 · 17 January 2022]

Archive 81 is a fine series that limits itself in many ways.

It never goes full mystery and never tries to bend your mind and leave you confused for a couple of episodes.

What it does most of the time is it builds up to something, leaves it right away, builds up 5 new things and 2-3 episodes later tries to pick up on these but gives up. Some episodes are also tonally very different, which shows in random motivation and attitude changes, like when our main lead suddenly goes Oceans 11.

Surprisingly enough, the most mysterious episodes were done by Benson&Moorhead duo, although I dislike their other films.

If you strip the series of all the basic "cult" shenanigans (overused by Kill List, Hereditary, The Empty Man), the story becomes so simplistic they sum it up in a few sentences in the last episode.

The series has a nice feel to it, the atmosphere is great, although sometimes it's grainy, sometimes not, and color correction changes, there's probably a reason for that.

Acting-wise only the supporting cast performances can be enjoyed (although sometimes completely misdirected), the main archivist lead is wooden and a complete bore, lost girl Melody is memorable, but not due to the acting, she's unique in some way, but I can not say for sure why. Sadly we didn't get enough supporting characters on screen. Even though some of them were barely believable, like the Davenport brother, who is so useless you can't buy him for a powerful company CEO.

The 90ties setting was ok, they didn't go full nostalgia, but kept some of the pop culture references.

If the ending wasn't such a cliched failure, I'd give Archive 81 an 8-9. It is still a good watch, just drags a lot, wasting too much time on boring leads. Additional creativity would've greatly improved this. Like seriously, if the most intriguing part in your series is the otherworld and the demon-god, at least try to make these look good.

Silent hill fans will love this!

[Susana_loves_movies · 7/10 · 14 January 2022]

This series could definitely be a silent hill game, and I'm pretty sure inspiration was drawn from it. A slow burn, with lots of talks, conversations and plot twists. It's promising, and a hell of a ride.

Missed Opportunity.

[tworthers · 4/10 · 7 February 2022]

There is a great series somewhere in this, they just didn't quite get there. It's so muddled in its plotting and structure, chucking way too much at the core story, which is a shame as some of the ideas and scenes really hint at how good this could have been.

On the positive side though. Martin Donovan is incredible and steals every scene he's in.

"Do You Wanna Help Him Build a Death Star???" :o

[midnitepantera · 8/10 · 17 January 2022]

Wasn't sure what to expect from this series as it has quite a few great reviews, and quite a few bad (which mostly complain that its slow and boring). Well, I watched it anyway and Glad I did.

I thought it was one of the better Mystery / Sci-fi thrillers I've seen in quite a while. I don't really consider it Horror, but it is very suspenseful, creepy, and a bit anxiety inducing. I love creepy cult movies, and lots of Victorian architecture, artworks, and sculpture eye candy and Long Creepy Labyrinthian Hallways and eerie basements and such. So scored quite a few points from me just for that. I love Dante's Inferno too.

If you have the focus and attention span of a Mayfly, then this is NOT for you. If your a person who grew up in the 60's and 70's as a kid and are used to tension being built up slowly, then you May well enjoy this like I did.

I just binged 1st season and Loved it and Hope they get a season 2. Can't wait. ;D.

I actually enjoyed the actors, and while I didn't recognize a lot of the actors, seeing Matt McGorry as a secondary character and comic relief was quite fun.

So, if your unsure still, give the 1st episode a chance. You may well find a new series to add to your future watchlist. :D.

A delightfully strange chiller with occult undertones

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 6 February 2022]

Daniel Turner works as a restorer of damaged film and video tape. One day he is approached by Virgil Davenport who wants him to undertake a project for him. It will involve working in a remote house in the Catskill Mountains; here he is to restore a set of fire damaged Hi-8 video tapes. They were shot in 1994 by PhD student Melody Pendras. She was working on a project concerning the inhabitants of the Visser Building. She is now missing but it is assumed that she died in a fire that destroyed the building. As Dan works through the tapes he learns more about Melody, the Visser Building, its inhabitants and a strange cult active their... he starts to feel a connection to Melody and even feels that somehow he may be able to save her!

I rather enjoyed this series. In the early episodes I was intrigued to see which way it would go; especially after Melody discovered the cult... would the cultists be misguided or would they be tapping into something supernatural; and if so what. The way the series switched between Dan's work in the present and Melody's in 1994 was effective; it would have got irritating if we'd only seen her footage of her research. There are some impressively creepy moments and a few shocking scenes; nothing too disturbing though. The cast is solid; especially Mamoudou Athie; who is frequently in scenes by himself as Dan and Dina Shihabi who impresses as the increasingly perturbed Melody. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody who likes a good chiller. I hope we get a second season.

I am hooked!

[C-Blossom · 15 January 2022]

Wonderful! Wonderful lead with a beautiful voice, a kind of engaging charisma that is entirely his own and a wonderful actor - he never overacts or makes use of cheap tricks to convey emotion. He's a real talent. I really got into the plot and it's a beautiful, complex and creepy weave. Masterful acting, plot, storyline and directing. I was itching for something really juicy and complex and thrilling like this. If you're looking for something brilliant, clever and original this is for you. If you like like films or series with little to no plot, predictable and full of gratuitous gore look elsewhere. This is wonderfully crafted mounting sort of psychological horror it's a fine instrument not a big whacking stick.

Atmospheric and mysterious start but loses its way

[jon_pratt12345 · 7/10 · 5 March 2022]

I really liked the grainy 80s aesthetic and oppressive, isolated atmosphere. The show starts out very strong with a slow mystery revealing itself reminding me a lot of Lost (2004), the framing of the story, largely through replaying of VHS tapes is clever and disorienting leaving you questioning the reality you're seeing. The 2 leads and very good as is the best friend character and there is a strong emotional undercurrent as well as paranormal and horror elements. However, as I often find with shows like this, it is exceptionally difficult to deliver on the mystery. As the show builds to conclusion I felt some level of repetitiveness as well disappointment as more is revealed and the subtlety is gradually replaced with propulsive action and characters become more archetypal. That said, overall I still really enjoyed it and love that stuff like this is being made with a good budget behind it.

Decent slow burn horror series

[gc-17365 · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

It's a slow burn for sure but it is a series so don't expect all the answers in the first episode

Binge worthy. Interesting intersection of timelines

As an aside what the hell has happened to Matt McGorry?

Stick to, at least, episode 4

[PedroQuintans1982 · 8/10 · 15 January 2022]

Because episode 4 changes everything.

Sometimes people need to have patience to see where it goes and don't give up after one episode... Yes! The first 3 episodes are a bit slow which doesnt't mean they are boring and the acting is not bad, but episode 4 gets things in motion in a good way, at least for me.

For now it's a 8.

Awkward dialog. Slow pacing.

[dennisforbes · 6/10 · 21 January 2022]

Netflix has come to love taking one or two hours of content and stretching it to eight or more (another recent example being Midnight Mass). That doesn't make it a "slow burn", as the apologists so often claim, or some sort of demonstration of one's superior patience.

It's just a lazy way of controlling your time for longer with less meaningful content. Of padding out viewer hours, and giving more of a sense of "return" for a subscription.

This show definitely has its moments, and if you have time to burn it has an interesting premise. But to enjoy it you have to look past a script that seems to have been written by an angry fourteen year old (the number of awkward, completely misplaced F-bombs might just set a record, and just to be clear I'm no prude and partake myself when appropriate, but just an endless barrage renders it impotent), some seriously cheesy effects, and just loads of lazy filmmaker tools. Every shot, for instance, tries to get a newspaper box in frame somewhere (a lazy trope making sure to communicate "It's a city, remember?!"), including locations like "church entrance".

The main actress, whose acting is basically making pained faces and giving a performance reminiscent of community theater, often gives an exhaustive narration of what she is looking at, what she is doing, among the many F-bombs. I guess it's a homage to its podcasts roots, but it's ineffective and distracting in this medium.

Neat show. Worth the time if you have little else to spend your time doing. But it isn't a positive that it's so drawn out.

A wholly original, intriguing eerie series!

[LeAvantGuardian · 9/10 · 15 January 2022]

A supernatural mystery at its best. Borrows elements from great shows that came before it, but goes at it from a completely unique angle.

This is a supernatural, mystery, light horror slow-burn series that will keep you gripped and extremely invested in the story and characters.

It's got elements of Falling Water, The Silent Sea, Stranger Things, and Silent Hill.

This is a very cool little show. I highly recommend checking it out!

Unexpectedly good

[pablo_moriano · 7/10 · 14 July 2022]

Didn't start this one hoping too much of a huge enjoyment but as episodes went by it kept me hooked and I liked it til the very end of it. Well done here working out some creepy stuff that I've missed in some others that allegedly were more likely to that sort of thing.

What an amazing series

[Twi12 · 10/10 · 24 March 2022]

Cmonnn Shame on you Netflix, why you canceled one of best 2022 series, I enjoyed it a lot and we need to know what will happened to Dan , I'm soo mad.

Excellent Occult Horror Series

[ladymidath · 10/10 · 19 January 2022]

Finally the kind of horror series that has great actors, an excellent music score, a compelling story and moody atmospheric scenes that you will remember for a long time. Archive 81 is definitely one of the best offerings that Netflix is showing. After several missteps, like the live action remakes of Deathnote and Cowboy Bebop, they have some really solid shows and this is one of them. I won't go into the story as many other reviews already have, but you like your horror with creepy atmosphere and a genuine mystery, this is for you.

Requires patience.

[Samuel-18 · 8/10 · 16 January 2022]

Great slow burn show that builds the mystery and has this omnious dread that builds with every episode.

Solid acting, eerie music and visually appleazing. Satisfying pay off near the end too, with a few annoying cliches and character choices that slightly held it back from greatness for me.

Overall a good show that ended up being better than I was expecting. If you don't have patience or like slow world building id probably recommend giving it a miss.

Don't listen to the people with no patience

[lil_matty06 · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

Really good show with great suspense and keeps you wanting to find out more. Deserves more attention that it will probably get. Too many people out there with a short attention span. Enjoyable.

masterpiece

[jacekpoplawski · 10/10 · 30 April 2022]

It's really difficult to find a really good series today. Sometimes there is a one good episode then terrible continuation, sometimes there are some good ideas then terrible execution, but this is an exception, this show is excellent.

There are many similarities to Rosemary's Baby (I don't see anyone mentioned it in reviews) - the atmosphere, the "cult", rituals, even the idea of baby (no spoilers). However if you pay attention it is actually also very good science fiction plot - there is kind of time travel here and both idea and execution is really mindblowing.

Acting, cinematography, writing, everything is awesome. There are some opinions that the show is slow.... well it's like saying that Breaking Bad is slow, I don't see any fillers here, everything is great, everything is needed and everything is a part of the story.

When I was watching it, I already knew that Netflix decided to cancel the show. There are two reasons they could do it - first, maybe the show was too complex, too ambitious. For people... so not many people enjoyed it, however I think the true reason was different - this show is just intelligent, thought provoking.multi-layered, but it lacks any political agenda, so Netflix hated it.

However, the season is complete, there is an ending, and while it is obvious they wanted to create second season - even the one is good.

It's really shame that HBO or Amazon can't pick that show up and create continuation. Oh well, I will just try to check who made the show and search for more their art in the future.

Highly recommended.

Eerie and full of suspense but disappointing end

[MazzyMayhem-117-544511 · 6/10 · 15 February 2022]

I enjoyed this series right up to the last two episodes. There were so many daft decisions made and incongruities that it spoiled my enjoyment. Unlike some other reviewers, I did get what Dan could see out the window - is this to pave the way for series 2? I certainly wouldn't watch it.

Beautiful

[gianmarcoronconi · 10/10 · 12 February 2022]

TV series so beautiful that it is out of your mind, with a mediocre start that however evolves into truly absurd and entertaining beyond belief. It is really worth watching if you are passionate about particular stories with disturbing implications.