TV Review: The Following

Rate This Movie

Fox has long been a beacon of hope for horror fans when it comes to genre friendly shows, The X Files, Fringe, you get the picture.

This month they take another stab at it (pun intended) with a way better than average serial killer tale called THE FOLLOWING. At it’s core it is very much like the Hannibal Lector films as we have Kevin Bacon starring as the retired FBI agent drug out of retirement when a psychopathic killer he put behind bars escapes leaving a trail of blood and carnage in his wake. Reminded me a whole lot of Red Dragon.

I’ve seen the first four episodes of THE FOLLOWING and I can tell you that I was riveted to the screen. Writer Kevin Williamson, yeah the guy behind SCREAM and I Know What You Did Last Summer, he’s back and he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve. While the premise of the show may be tried and true, Williamson has managed to craft a multi-layered story that offers twists and turns that will have your head spinning and keep you guessing.

The works of Edgar Allen Poe figure prominently in the storyline and Williamson is a master of giving you just enough info to make you peak around the corner and then he hits you in the head with a hammer when you do.

Throughout the first several episodes we meet the rather large cast of characters and view their back stories via flashbacks that highlight their involvement and brings the story full circle.

Highly imaginative and completely engrossing, THE FOLLOWING pretty much has it all and maybe, just maybe might be the vehicle that propels Kevin Bacon into super stardom. His stellar career has been peppered with fantastic supporting roles but never the big hit. This could be that hit.

There is so much more I want to tell you about this show but to divulge any of the plot line would be to ruin it for you, and I would never do that to you. I will tell you this though, in the second episode there is a scene that actually made me jump. I haven’t jumped during a viewing of anything in a long, long time, let alone a TV show but this one did it, it gets my respect for that point alone.

THE FOLLOWING is much more than just a creepy, spooky, crime tale, it is a sharp, twisted story of revenge, madness, hope, redemption and ultimately the fact that rarely is anyone who or what you believe them to be and that we all wear masks and sometimes when we take those masks off, we don’t even recognize ourselves.

THE FOLLOWING premieres Monday Jan. 21st at 9 PM on FOX. Don’t miss the pilot episode as it is one of the best “first hours” of TV I’ve seen in a while. It’s pretty gutsy stuff for a “broadcast” channel to put out there and is definitely on track with anything airing on HBO, Showtime or FX.

I’m hoping fans embrace the show and we all get to spend a couple years watching Kevin Bacon chase a madman around.

TV Review: The Following