'FERIA' (LOVECRAFTIAN CULT IN SPAIN)
Ever since THE VOID, THE EMPTY MAN and COLOR OUT OF SPACE there seems to be an upward trend for cults and cosmic horror with bigger production budgets. One of the latest expressions of this trend is FERIA: THE DARKEST LIGHT (The original Spanish title being: FERIA: LA LUZ MAS OSCURA).
This miniseries is based in the mid-1900’s in the small Spanish town of Feria and focuses on the lives of two sisters when their parents go missing after becoming implicated in the deaths of 23 people, who appear to all be immigrants or vagrants. As it becomes apparent it was some sort of cult activity, a special task force is assigned to investigate and the whole town turns on the two girls, demanding that they must know something. Hysteria, paranoia and fear rise as further deaths occur under mysterious circumstances and key members of the town prove to know more about the cult than they were letting on.
The Spanish aren’t squeamish about having nudity, in every age and body-type even if they’re mostly corpses.
The cult itself is focused on one thing, opening a gate to The Kingdom, a dimension ruled by The Solitary King, a supposed paradise where they will live without pain. However they need a ‘perfect one’, which that believe they have found in the youngest of the sisters.
This series is a really great use of the small town cult conspiracy, trans-dimensional philosophy and manipulative demonic possession. The pace starts out slow, as you’d expect, setting up the idyllic life in the village and how a sudden bizarre and violent event brings out the drama and suspicion. However once the cult starts being more visible, further deaths and strange events compound, loyalties are tested and secrets are revealed. You’ll find yourself on a rollercoaster trying to anticipate each lurch and twist in the plot until the final climax and the last credits roll.
Warning: There is a moderate amount of body horror.
Without spoiling, I really liked how they built the mythology of their cult and religion throughout the series. Although there are distinct Lovecraftian themes and elements, they don’t resort to name-dropping any of that particular work. The concepts, monsters, rituals and mystical language sound actually original and evocative. Also their monster design and CG is really nicely handled, not over-used, and there is some decent payout for the build-up regarding the denizens of The Kingdom.
All in all it is decent, binge-able cult-conspiracy horror, with a bit of small town drama and procedural criminal investigation thrown into the mix.
RATING: 7/10
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX
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