TV Shows we Love: Monsterland

Monsterland, Hulu’s new horror anthology, delves deep into the human psyche with the stark reminder that true horror lies with the monster within.

Adapted from the short story collection North American Lake Monsters: Stories by Nathan Ballingrud, the show presents eight stories of loneliness, despair and disillusion taking place in different parts of the United States.

Most of the characters face the repercussions of difficult choices or are reeling from some devastating events, and what seems to connect them all is the idea that “You have to live with the shit you’ve done, just to live,” as one of them says.

Would you harm a loved one if it meant a chance at a better life? Do you feel secure in your life choices? What are you willing to sacrifice so you can live with yourself? These are questions that the show poses not only to its characters, but to its viewers.

There are monsters in their traditional guises, like the mermaid a fisherman finds washed up on the beach (Palacios, TX), but it’s the episodes where the concept is more abstract that hit the hardest, like the story of a disgruntled mother doing something terrible in hopes of a new lease on life (Port Fourchon, LA).

In a world where monster shows rely either on pastiche or gore, Monsterland sets out to convince us that monsters are real by holding a mirror to humanity’s worst traits and exposing uncomfortable truths. There are no outright scares, but some episodes really unsettle.

The best thing about this show is that it forces viewers to grapple with their own definition of what a monster is. It promises monsters of lore and fiction, but they always end up wearing the faces of spouses, parents, friends and ourselves.