Entertainment
Prime Video’s Forgotten but Brilliant 2-Part Horror Anthology Is a Perfect Binge
Everyone loves a good monster, and in recent years, our favorite ones have come back from the dead in a slew of new adaptations like Dracula, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein. With these creatures returning to the spotlight, there is no better time to return to their folkloric origins, because, according to Prime Video’s 2017 horror series Lore, every movie monster has a tiny grain of truth behind it. Of course, in no capacity does this series claim these creatures are not fictional, but it chronicles the real historical events that first precipitated these myths. As an adaptation of a famous podcast of the same name, Lore is as undeservedly forgotten as the origins of the mythology it explores, but now is the perfect time to revisit the brilliant series.
The Darkest Spots of History Are Captured in This Diverse Horror Anthology
Each episode of Lore revolves around a different creepy historical event, some tracing back the origins of mythical creatures while others pluck a particularly nasty period of history to delve into. They are based on a podcast by Aaron Mahnke that was popularized in 2015, and he joins the show as a narrator, eerily recounting the horrors of the invention of the ice pick lobotomy or incidents involving the Irish folkloric creatures, changelings. While his drawling narration delivers these chilling facts, the screen mainly relies on live-action re-enactments, but they are mixed with spots of animation and stock footage, which works to keep us visually engaged while devouring the dark shadows of history.
While the format may take a couple of episodes to get used to, you will easily become hooked on the concept itself. There’s a morbid fascination with witnessing how these strange and often brutal incidents can ripple out into legends that are so distorted from the original event, with help from local beliefs and evolving folklore. Some episodes go straight to the source, like “They Made a Tonic”, which speculates that the term “vampires” originated in America due to a particular disease. Meanwhile, others explore how specific incidents and urban legends cross-pollinate, like “Mary Webster: The Witch of Hadley,” where a woman is accused of being a witch 10 years before the Salem witch trials, heightened by the already established mythology.
The best part of anthology shows is that you can handpick your poison from the available episodes without needing context, and Lore’s sheer variety means there is something for every horror fan. If the origins of cult classic movie monsters don’t appeal to you, then there are stories that delve into historical events that appear as supernatural incidents, like haunted houses or dolls. If you’re just looking for a creepy historical gem, Lore also delivers disturbing tales about grave robbers, a blood-bathing countess, and twisted psychiatric inventions. By being selective initially, you can ease into the show’s style before deciding to continue with other episodes, as every single one of them offers its own haunting reasons to stay.
‘Lore’ Will Leave You Haunted By These Creepy Historical Tales
Most of Lore follows an educational tone, so it is delightfully surprising and effective whenever the show dips into a truly chilling atmosphere. The nature of the stories establishes the baseline for the horror, but the re-enactments and performances accentuate each point in a way the original podcast medium couldn’t. It’s a constant visual reminder that these terrifying stories are about real people, injecting humanity into monstrous legends, an act that feels distinctly unnerving. Whether that be Holland Roden‘s expressive eyes as she plays a wife who is suspected to be a changeling, or Colm Feore‘s deeply disturbing performance as a doctor who shouldn’t have a medical license.
Aside from the human factor, Lore constructs its creepy atmosphere through visuals that will doggedly haunt you. There are traditional approaches, like the black-and-white body horror of witnessing someone’s skull be drilled into by an ice pick in the name of science, or the timeless, lingering image of a doll’s blank eyes gazing at you through the screen. On the other hand, there are creative animation scenes that are unexpectedly spine-tingling, including the shadowy opening sequence of Episode 5, which sets up a dismal, jumpy tone to its foray into werewolves. It not only hooks horror fans in with its exploratory content, but the decisive turns into a sinister tone that keeps us on our toes.
Combining reality with fantasy, Lore is a fun and easy watch for any horror fan with only 12 thoughtfully crafted episodes to binge. Each episode delivers its own unsettling case that caters to diverse tastes while retaining a fidelity to historical accuracy and a penchant to send chills down our spines at the most unexpected of times. Although it has been sorely overlooked thus far, the resurgence in these movie monsters signals that it’s about time we look back on history via Lore and appreciate how these stories garnered influence.
Lore
- Release Date
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2017 – 2018-00-00
- Showrunner
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Sean Crouch
- Writers
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Glen Morgan, Tyler Hisel, David Chiu, Patrick Wall, Marilyn Osborn, Jeff Eckerle, David Coggeshall
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