The Burning Girls (2023) User Reviews

Positive surprise

[HlenSki · 7/10 · 22 October 2023]

It's very boring to guess the plot by the mid series. This one I didn't figure out. What a plot twist at the end, whoah. I had no idea.

Samantha Morton is absolutely amazing in this. Very touching and gut wrenching performance. It was very well worth the watch just for this reason.

Would've put more effort into the effects but I can forgive that. I still genuinely felt the creeps and eeks here and there. It's not so much a supernatural thriller anyway but more of a drama - mystery type of show. It walks the line in between a lighter afternoon or early night show and the midnight thriller with a content warning.

Good UK slowburn folklore thriller

[HorrorFilmHellion · 7/10 · 23 October 2023]

If you are in the mood for a thriller mystery, then I think this is above average, but not spectacular. Admittedly, I am a bit biased because I enjoy, and purposely watch most all of Samantha Morton's work where she gets to stand out. The first episode was a little soft getting into it and I was concerned she was going to have a bit of a vapid character role, but in episode 2 and beyond it gets a bit more engaging and we see a little more expected contribution. I had figured out about 60 percent of the mystery pretty quick, but there is enough concealment to keep some surprises at the end that fits together well and makes a good mini-series binge.

Loose ends and unfinished plot lines everywhere.

[beckimilton-37415 · 6/10 · 23 October 2023]

Samantha Morton is brilliant as always, but the messy sub-plots and indecisive supernatural story line create too many loose ends and unanswered questions.

The motivation of most of the various murderous and sadistic characters are not explained, nor are most of their actions.

The supernatural visions of burning girls, ghosts, the dead rabbit / bird theme, lights going out and doors banging shut, and the cursed village plot in general, is clearly designed to build suspense and keep viewers watching, but then is left dangling with zero explanation, other than a brief moral subplot.

This is a decent rainy Sunday slow burner with a bit of a twist, but overall has a frustrating finish and is ragged around the edges.

Fantastic!

[Robot_Chikn_n_a_Biscuit · 10/10 · 22 October 2023]

Samantha Morton and Ruby Stokes play their roles perfectly in this twisting suspenseful thriller. We binged the whole series as it was like reading a good book. One simply cannot stop watching it!

My wife called this series "Midsomer Murders," on drugs. It does have the feel of a village in Midsomer county, but there is no humor. "The Burning Girls," is a much darker series, more along the lines of "Hinterland," but darker still.

I am going to avoid giving away any spoilers and simply say that this series had so many interesting twists, and turns, that we were kept guessing right up to the very end.

If you are a fan of British murder mysteries, or a Stephen King fan this is well worth a watch.

I would also like to point out that the directing of this series was so good that it comes across as if the events are really happening, right in your living room.

Best series I've seen in ages

[lizbarker-52591 · 10/10 · 24 October 2023]

Samantha Morton kept me hooked, rooting for her all the way. Like others have said, I didn't see the end coming at all

Even though there were 6 episodes it kept my interest. Nice to see a uk drama as well which can compete with the us shows, the locations show off the uk countryside to an advantage, can we see more uk dramas.

Great plot, and characters, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. And made me jump. Very binge worthy,

The acting was superb, I would like to see more shows like this please. Shows with substance, good story acting and whilst I like us shows uk ones are good too.

AIMLESS UNTIL THE END

[info-5731 · 5/10 · 27 October 2023]

The final episode of this cliched series is a bizarre helter-skelter of twists, reveals, revelations, perfunctoy attempts to tie up loose ends, mind stretching resolutions for subplots and red herring characters; and some bug-eyed OTT acting all around.

It's as if the writers woke up one morning, realised there was only one episode left, and panicked. Suddenly there's a mad rush to reveal that she, he, they - anybody! - aren't what they seem, that events we thought happened didn't happen the way we thought they did, that THAT storyline actually had nothing to do with THIS storyline after all.

And wasn't it called THE BURNING GIRLS?? Mmmmm...

After meandering through 5 episodes of trope soup, Episode 6 is a manic joy.

Bloody Brilliant

[moojuice-31584 · 10/10 · 30 October 2023]

I was sceptical about this show but wow it left my mind blown, very clever series and I most certainly did not see that huge twist coming in the last episode! I would go as far as saying this is the best series I have watched in a long time.

Loved the fact it had a very small but impressive cast, very cleverly produced and the writer should also take so much credit for writing a masterpiece.

Samantha Morton is one of my favourite actresses and she did not disappoint in this show, I was also super impressed with Conrad Khan, he played his role so well and he has a great future in front of him.

Well acted, well filmed but ultimately unfulfilling conclusion -SPOILERS

[clarkmr1 · 5/10 · 12 November 2023]

First he good, this was well cast, the acting exquisit in places, superb in others. Samantha Morton is mesmerising I. He lead role, a master class in action. Paul Bradly delivers a subtle but delicious performance. Most of the actors were wonderful and it was he performance that drew you in. Sadly the story itself lets the series down.

The bad, six episodes felt far too long, this could have been made over three or maximum four episodes, the story drags at times and feels as if it's stretched to fill all six. I almost fell asleep during the middle episodes. Three and four being the most boring. The burning girls themselves are a 'MacGuffin' they are there to move the plot along, serve no purpose, have no resolution and are ultimately pointless. The promise then of some kind of supernatural plot or conclusion is hollow and false, which is a shame as this drew me in and I felt a little cheated. This suffers a similar problem to a lot of recent female led drama in that whilst the female characters are all three dimensional and victims, all the male characters are two dimensional and monsters or mentally unstable. Whilst all the male perpetrator's get their just deserts, getting killed, dying in shame etc the female perpetrator's are obviously victims manipulated by men and either get away scott free or it is hinted at that they have connections and will only suffer a light punishment. The conclusion felt ultimately unsatisfying. It felt to me like the author had a great idea but struggled with concluding it. 5 stars awarded for the actors and film crew, 5 taken away for a poor storyline.

Beautifully written

[skhaghighi · 10/10 · 6 November 2023]

I don't know what to say, acting was great, I liked the twist at the end, very well written. I recommend everybody to watch this mini TV series, so entertaining. It is not very scary in my opinion but full of little stories which dragged you in and grab your attention. Jack was the hero of the movie, an inspiring character, a loving trustful mother with tremendous support for everybody. I am so happy that I picked this TV series, really worth watching. Be ready to hear lots of stories from the past, scandals, betrayals, religious beliefs, sacrifice, myth. I just could not imagine the pain has gone through.

Worth estching

[thales-63045 · 9/10 · 25 October 2023]

I enjoyed this. It was well done. Good script. Good acting. Good cinematography. But and there's always a bit, I would have given it a 10 but for two reasons. The character Reverend Brooks is totally non believable as a vicar. The actress played it well through the direction but what she was given to work with. The violent character is supposed to be out of prison on early release after killing a vicar but has no social worker. Total rubbish. Shame really. Apart from that it's really good with a few blind alleys. A few of the characters are played well by the actors. Such as Rupert Graves. Worth watching.

This Isn't Good

[banahanmichelle · 3/10 · 26 November 2023]

I'd read glowing reviews about this so was disappointed when I was completely bored by the third episode. The writing isn't great, the acting is either fantastic or ropey, there's no in-between. There are too many plot threads that either go nowhere or are totally predictable. It just doesn't make sense - it's like the writers had half an Agatha Christie style plot and half a sort of supernatural one and decided to chuck them together and see what they ended up with. It definitely isn't horror- it's basically Midsomer Murders with some unscary ghost kids. Very disappointing and not worth bothering if you think you're going to be watching a supernatural horror.

What an Ending !!!! Watch it !!!

[itriatay995 · 9/10 · 28 January 2024]

Hans Rosenfeldt and Camilla Ahlgren have been my favorite screenwriters ever since I watched The Bridge (Bron / Broen). The Burning Girls was announced last year and I had great expectations for this serie because of Mr. Rosenfeldt and Ms. Ahlgren. Believe me this serie has one of the biggest shocking endings that you can ever watch. I was not able to guess it and I had zero clue that the serie would end like that. You need to watch this serie carefully because there are so many deaths in a town that is believed to be cursed because of the inquisition events that took during the mid 15th century. Each death is somehow connected to a certain time period that has an impact for the future. It is like almost like a circle. I vote this serie 9 out of 10. It worths it believe me and watch it !

Unwatchable

[dbryn · 4/10 · 31 December 2023]

This is supposed to be a mystery thriller. Changing up the music, increasing the volume, etc... does not equate to tension. Throwing images at us of bloody or burning people does not equal horror. Someone relied too heavily on not being able to write or build tension and instead used everything else to try and make it work - it doesn't. The show didn't grab me in the first episode, and despite not wanting to watch any further, I forced myself to give episode 2 a change... and yet again I've wasted 90mins on terrible 'turn and burn' output my a streaming platform. Can't comment on the rest of the series, maybe it improved... but if you haven't grabbed your audience in the first episode, your series doesn't deserve to be watched.

[4.8] You cannot make a Range Rover out of a Hillman

[cjonesas · 5/10 · 20 December 2023]

A slow-burn of an uninteresting slow-burn British drama thriller series with elements of horror. The acting is averagely to quite good, especially for me, Conrad Khan's acting. The storyline and its plots are mostly soporific with the usual British drama, this time set in a small village. To tell the truth, it has nothing special and maybe (only) viewers from UK and Australia will like it.

Always pay attention to the last 10 minutes of a production and if it (really) thrills you, then you can almost be sure that the whole production is gem-like, if not, if it is nearly on par with the early-middle stage of it, if it only shows scenes and pictures, then nothing outstanding.

You cannot make a Range Rover out of a Hillman.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4.5
• Development: 6.5
• Realism: 5
• Entertainment: 3
• Acting: 6
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 4.5
• Depth: 5
• Logic: 3.5
• Flow: 3
• Drama/horror/thriller: 4.5
• Ending: 2.5.

Mediocre

[seven-johnson · 2/10 · 1 January 2024]

I found this to be a complete waste of time.

Sure, Morton's good, but she doesn't really have a lot to work with here. No ambition to the plot, just another dismal British drama.

I think, by the end of this "drama" that the biggest problem is the pool of actors, some faces are too familiar from many other things, mostly dreary soap operas and other "average" dramas. I spoils any tone or atmosphere when you've seen the "bad guy" in panto or daytime tv.

Speaking of tone or atmosphere - I'm not sure what went on here, but - everything's "competent", but there really is no hint of artistry to the production whatsoever. Camerawork, direction, score/soundtrack all competent, but average and forgetable.

Paul Bradley and Rupert (lol terrible) Graves are prime examples of too familiar to be taken seriously in this kind of role (acting). However, Conrad Khan takes the prize for most egregious performance. He's just terrible, especially in the final episode "look mum, I'm acting" laughably bad.

Drab, unambitious and worst of all - boring.

Cheap and boring

[artabuneta · 4/10 · 12 January 2024]

Another cheap Paramount+ production with budget production values and lousy screenplay, in this case a violation rape of a popular novel.

Most of the characters are life-sized cardboard cutouts, one-dimensional and without depth, played by good to middling actors one has seen kicking around on TV.

The protagonist has, of course, tragedy in her past (main characters with troubled pasts that they're trying to come to atone for are a trend that will hopefully be over soon), tragedy which interrupts the narrative in an irritating, nonsensical and ultraviolent parallel plot.

The plot, of course, connects the past (1556 in this case) to the present. Witch burnings (of which there's no historical record in England), disappearances, apparent suicides all feature and there are constant hints at supernatural evil which fail to engage.

For a while the show keeps one guessing about people's true agendas, but repetition and pacing make one lose interest early on.

Mildly entertaining.