Harper's Island

You're invited to your best childhood friend's wedding. He's marrying the girl of his dreams. Nothing weird and dramatic about that. Just the wedding spot - the infamous Harper's island.

Seven years prior to the wedding day, a serial killer John Wakefield killed six people there. Including Abby Mills's mom; the girl whose best friend is now getting married. Abby's still haunted by the murders but takes a plunge and whisks off to an adventure. An adventure that cannot possibly pan out well.

The creator of the show, Ari Schlossberg, imitates the journalist technique and runs in the story in medias res or "into the midst of affairs". Affair is easily replaced by a murder. Instead of a boring introduction, we're introduced to a murder in the very first episode. Knowing that the show has only 13 episodes, you can't expect it to be slow paced. Dramatic and fast it is.

The wedding hours are closing in but the guests are mysteriously vanishing. Hidden doubts of Wakefield being alive have reached the surface. Some believe he's doing it again since modus operandi resembles his. But some reject the thought of him being alive; strongly believing that Abby's father, local sheriff Mills killed him 7 years ago.

The truth lies at the end of the show. In each episode we get to reveal some secrets, but the mystery surrounding the killer stays unrevealed until the very end. Was it disappointing? I must say, it was. At least to me. The cat and mice game is wriggling through the show. Thousands of ideas struck the characters' minds. Who's the killer? Wakefield's alive? No! Yes! What's to believe? But since there are around 20 characters and at least one dies per episode, at the very end we're left with only a few. Some things are clearer, indeed. Some questions from the above can be scratched. No longer available.

Even though it's a horror wrapped up in mystery, there isn't that much gore. At least not as much as in the Saw series. And a big plus goes to the creator for not using nudity, naked teenagers running around screaming which seems to be the trade mark to any of the horrors these days. Watching Harper's island you won't experience déjà vu. Not when it comes to nudity.

But you will experience it if you're familiar with the work of Agatha Christie. In 1939 one of her masterpieces was published - Ten Little Niggers also known as And Then There Were None and Ten Little Indians. The plot is very much similar. Ten people, as the title suggests, are tricked into coming onto an island. No wedding here. But the mysterious murders. No wonder the show's described as "Scream meets And Then There Were None".

The show could have been a perfect detective story, a perfect whodunnit story. At some point the show really justifies being called a perfect detective story. Can imitating Agatha Christie possibly go wrong? Apparently so. All of her books have an amazing ending, she always leaves you flabbergasted. The woman really knew what she was doing. She really deserves to be called The Queen Of Crime Stories. But I must give another big plus to prima facie or at first sight technique. Things just like looks can be so deceiving. But dénouement failed big time; untying of the plot. In my opinion, the ending was too weak, poor, using love as an excuse for shuddering murders. Revealing the murder was thrilling and surprising but the motive was.. In a need for change.

Instead of using love and cheesy songs as the soundtracks for Harper's island, Ari should have, with no doubt, used "This Could Be Love" by Alkaline Trio. It's dark, twisted, romantically odd and - perfect for a horror show. No exaggeration.

"Step one - slit my throat
Step two - play in my blood.."

Fits much better than corny, over repeated and meaningless verses "you broke my heart and now I'll take my smooth medieval axe and chop-chop bit by bit everyone you care for and then you'll fall into my arms and we'll live happily ever after.."

It was totally made up but needed to get a bigger and clearer picture. I'm in no way mister Ari and I don't hold any grudges against him but there are certain things that I'd change and improve a tad bit. I know I'm being nitpicky with the song but I, as a movie maniac am hard to please. I still think that "one by one" part of the Alkaline Trio would fit better, especially if you follow the murders. Don't they all go "one by one"? Im afraid they do.

All 13 episodes were fast paced, dramatic and you actually can't wait to see the finale just to unmask the murderer, expecting the twist. Yes, there was one, indeed. You won't regret watching the show if you don't keep your expectations high. It is a good horror/mystery show that will slow down your swallowing. But it won't leave you pondering in the end. Actually, it will but that question might be: "Why this ending?" Or maybe that's just me.