Reviews by Sam C

One of the latest new kids on the Netflix block, and perhaps among the most overlooked by the public, is an adaptation of two YA novels in a series by Jonathan Stroud. It caught my eye whilst reading a new issue of the fantastic magazine filled with film buffs known as Empire, and although chaotic ghost carnage was appealing in itself, what left me most intrigued was its timely premise having lived through the COVID-19 pandemic. The show, revolving around a ghost pandemic, may bring up from the grave unwanted memories for many in its audience, but from both a political and entertainment context, it would be crucial to examine this series in any study of early 2020s culture.

Episode 1 could not be more relevant to modern-day politics, with abundant references to the COVID-19 pandemic (the obvious one being how ghosts represent the virus). However, it is as if the pandemic has received a Lorcan exaggeration due to its extension back to the 1970s (in a similar way that Bernarda Alba imposed eight years of mourning on her house rather than one)