Hemlock Grove isnt like most small communities. When a teenage girl is murdered, two boys – Roman Godrey (Bill Skarsgard), the spoiled and possibly vampiric heir to the Godfrey estate, and Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron), a gypsy traveler and werewolf step up to solve the shocking crime. As the investigation unfolds, though, the steel towns deep, dark secrets come to light. Nothing is as it seems and the lines quickly begin to blur over whether Hemlock Groves monsters are supernatural or just really twisted humans.
Hemlock Gove is the second original series from Netflix, which has now made 13 episodes available. The show is based on the novel of the same name by Brian McGreevy, who serves as the series’ writer and executive producer. Hostels horror maverick, Eli Roth, is also an executive producer, and obviously has an exuberant passion and enthusiasm for the genre.
What Eli brings is such a great, offbeat sensibility to it all, that we all hung onto, which continues to go through the whole series and doesnt leave, says executive producer and director Deran Sarafian to several visiting journalists. I was on from the beginning to listen to the stories. Along with Brian and Lee [Shipman], we would watch movies all the time. And we started with Rosemarys Baby, because theres a very dark sense of humor in Rosemarys Baby that we have in this show. Even The Shining has a sense of humor to it, but you need a very visceral dark experience, and thats what we kept hanging on to.
Hemlock Groves pedigree and Gothic soap opera style alone would have been snatched up during Hollywoods competitive pilot season, but both Roth and McGreevy only had Netflix on their radar.
We didnt want to do something on a network where wed have to water it down or dumb it down, says Roth during a phone conversation. It really appealed to us that wed air all the episodes at once. Thats the way people are watching television now, is they record a bunch of episodes and binge watch over three nights. The thought that it was going to be presented that way Its [also] violent if you want it, theres nudity if you want it, and the fact theres no commercials really appealed to us.
Unfortunately, none of that bloodshed or sexuality is on display during a December, 2012 set visit. Instead, its a key dialogue-heavy sequence. On location in a suburb of Toronto, the majestic Parkwood Estate is standing in for the Godfreys sprawling abode. Inside, the creepy corridors are crammed with crew, cameras and wires. Midway up a spiraling staircase lurks scheming bitch Olivia Godfrey <Famke Janssen>, who slowly descends to embrace her distraught son, Roman. Theres an evil glint in her eyes as she holds him tightly and reveals the killer to be Sorry folks, thats what embargoes are for, but the actors replay the pivotal moment, take after take. One thing is clear: This isnt Twilight for TV.
We honestly werent thinking that much about the market as a whole, offers McGreevy on set. When I was writing the book, I had extremely little concern with what other people were doing. It was like, Okay. Thats cool. Thats what other people were doing. It was more like a lot of people involved with this project were deeply attracted to the core of the story. It was more worrying about ourselves and our own individuality and authenticity and just assuming, It is what it is. To change it towards the direction of something else or away from the direction of something else just wasnt what we were trying to do. Were doing something quite specific and quite odd and have a very specific and odd group of people who are executing it. Were just trying to do something special.
During a break from filming, a laid back and lanky Skarsgard discussed the Godfrey legacy. Basically the Godfrey family runs Hemlock Grove, he explains. They used to do it through the steel industry, but then my dad on the show decided to change that. When the steel industry was going out, he started investing in biotechnology, so its an old steel town thats now very weird high tech. It has a grungy Pennsylvania look to it, but in the middle of this town, theres a huge white tower where all of this biotechnology is happening. So my character is from that background. Hes a prince in the town. He gets whatever he wants. Hes very wealthy, obviously, and good-looking. On paper, everythings given to him. Hes had an easy life, but hes battling a lot of demons inside him and hes not happy at all. The only one that he really cares for and loves is his sister, whos a special character as well.
Apparently, Roman has the ability to compel or control others. That means those around him are unable to resist indulging his smallest whims or most perverse desires. Whether that makes Roman rotten to the core, Skarsgard says, I wouldnt say that he is. Hes doing bad things on the show, but personally I dont believe in bad people. I think theres always a reason for people acting bad. For me, I care for Roman a lot. I love that guy. I love that character. I think thats important for me to be able to portray that character, to find that deep bond and care for him as well. So, I wouldnt say that hes bad. Hes a victim in a lot of ways.
One individual who helps ground Roman and keep him in check is Peter. In terms of upbringing, the two couldnt be more different, but somehow they develop a special bond over the ordeal.
Basically, they have a bond without knowing it, a supernatural bond, if you will, offers Skarsgard. The first time they see each other, they know theyre different from anyone else in this world. Theyve never felt that before, neither of them. These two kids are from the opposite sides of the world and where they are at. In terms of money, you have this poor, gypsy guy and then you have this wealthy kid. I think that theyre equally as lonely in the sense that they have no one else to share their things or feelings with. Theyre so different. Theyre both kind of monsters, too. The first time they meet each other in school, its like the moment of finding someone else out there. Even though they have a lot of trust issues going on, especially from Peters side Peter knows more about Romans background than Roman really does because Peter comes from this gypsy culture.
Also on hand was Battlestar Galacticas Aaron Douglas, who had already wrapped his role of Sheriff Tom Sworn for the season. Nonetheless, the Canadian actor, who specifically came in to speak with us, was obviously fracking excited to be a part of such a ground-breaking show.
Im the Sheriff of a small town and Im holding on to 10,000 kite strings in a hurricane, reports Douglas. As things spiral out of control, I try to figure out whats going on, how its going on and who is making it go on. Im sort of the Columbo, but with both good eyes. Hes really kind of the heart of the show.”
Tom has a good relationship with everybody, he adds a few minutes later. Hes the Sheriff, so he has to be that politician. Theres no mayor, so hes sort of the leader of the town, or at least a political-type figure. The Godfreys tend to run things otherwise. I would say if he had a best friend, it would probably be Norman Godfrey, who is played by Dougray Scott, and who is absolutely phenomenal.
There may be plenty of drama and character development in Hemlock Grove, but dont let that fool you. There are still buckets of blood, gore, werewolves and psychological horror All the goodies you would expect from Roth. Those troubling elements are all present in the novel and the creative team absolutely refused to trim them down.
I dont think its the rating that is necessarily important, but if you are going to have a story where there are werewolves transforming and eating people, I wanted to show that violence, concludes Roth. In horror, it depends what kind of story you are telling. If you have a ghost story, it doesnt necessarily need to be violent. But this is a story where a girl is brutally murdered and people think its an animal. They dont know what killed her. It kicks off this mystery where you find out all sorts of strange things going on in this town. Boardwalk Empire would feel false if you didnt have that gangster violence on it. Game of Thrones would be a little less interesting of you didnt have that nudity and sex happening and that violence. So it depends on the story youre telling and the audience you are telling it to. But, the nature of the book
Its an R-rated book, so Hemlock Grove is an R-rated story.
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