Archive 81 Season 1

This new Netflix show, produced by James Wan, just started streaming last week. The plot revolves around an archivist named Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) who takes a job restoring old VHS tapes by a mysterious man named Virgil (Martin Donovan) at an isolated building in the middle of nowhere. As Dan begins the process of restoring and watching the tapes, he becomes fascinated by the person who recorded them, a woman named Melody (Dina Shihabi). She moves into the Visser Apartment complex with her camcorder, determined to interview the residents as she's making a film about the place. She befriends a young girl who slowly introduces her to the rest of the tenants, some of which are quite eccentric. It soon becomes clear that something very odd is happening at this apartment complex, and Dan soon learns that Melody's story is connected to his past. As a child, his family home had burned down, leaving him an orphan (the Visser Apartment complex had also mysteriously burned down). Dan becomes determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Melody, in hopes that he can get answers to the family tragedy that still traumatizes him.

The series is well filmed and well acted. It's a slow burn story, but the increasing creepiness is enough to keep you watching, and things do become quite creepy. Dan eventually finds himself going down the same rabbit hole that eventually lead to Melody's disappearance. The story switches between Dan watching the tapes and piecing together what happened to Melody, and Melody piecing together the mystery of the strange goings on that are happening at the Visser Apartments. The series combines elements of occultism and cosmic horror, as well as voyeurism, when Dan realizes that the building he's staying and working at is filled with cameras that are watching his every move.

There's a lot for horror and mystery fans to enjoy. The show has the feel of Wan's earlier work (specifically the first two Conjuring films and Insidious), the story also plays like something that would have been written by Stephen King. The found footage elements of the tapes that Dan is watching are also well done. The series is only 8 episodes, and the story is tied up nicely by the time it's done, so if they don't make a second season, I'm happy with the way things ended.

Netflix's Archive 81 is an enjoyable, creepy series that will keep you engaged until the end. If you enjoyed shows like Black Mirror or Amazon Prime's Tales From The Loop, then I recommend you check this one out.

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