What’s fact and what’s fiction in Netflix’s tale of serial killer Charles Cullen
Netflix is about to release the fourth season of its Emmy-nominated “Hemlock Grove,” a horror series about a serial killer in a small Michigan town. The third season started things off, but “Hemlock Grove” is the true centerpiece of the streaming service’s original programming.
Netflix is about to release the fourth season of its Emmy-nominated “Hemlock Grove,” a horror series about a serial killer in a small Michigan town. The third season started things off, but “Hemlock Grove” is the true centerpiece of the streaming service’s original programming.
Charles Cullen (David Morse) is a former police detective searching for his first woman, Elizabeth Price (Rachelle Lefevre). With his partner in crime, Sam (Jason Isaacs), they track down and kill serial killers throughout the Midwest and find their victims’ notes left behind. Soon, Charles finds a new victim, Annie (Evan Rachel Wood), after having sex with her at his new “home.”
That’s when things get wild.
As the pair search for victims across the country, it becomes apparent that the people they’re hunting are not what they seem. The more they discover, the more Charles learns that these killings are real. He decides to use the police’s resources to investigate further, and while he’s digging deeper, that puts a strain on both partners.
“The good news is we get to go down a rabbit hole of horror,” Morse said when we spoke with him earlier this year. “The bad news is it’s not only an examination of the crimes. It’s an examination of how we live — how we have to live in this society, how we have to live with each other, how we have to deal with our family and friends.” Morse added that these “people are monsters, but we are people too, and if we are to survive, we have to be able to deal with each other.”
Netflix has done a great job of presenting serial killer as a monster. Most of the “Hemlock Grove” episodes have been intense and emotionally charged, leaving little time for the viewers to simply take a break.