NOS4A2

The acting is solid, and that’s what grounds the show, even when it explores the supernatural and worlds of make-believe.

NOS4A2 will put you on a magical road, brimming with possibilities for terror and wonder, but takes so many detours into dull territory, you’re left with the impression you’re going nowhere at all. But if it ever figures out where it’s going, there’s plenty of gas left in the tank.

Joe Hill's expansive horror novel might have made a better movies than a sluggish series stalled in the angst of small-town Massachusetts life. [10 - 23 Jun 2019, p.9]

Mr. Quinto is creepy from the get-go. As Manx ages backward, he remains disturbing even as he comes to resemble a contemporary Quinto. ... But all that effort does little to make “NOS4A2” compelling television. The stories are disconnected at the outset and Vic’s home life is one-note rote.

The total lack of tonal creativity amplifies what is perhaps the show’s biggest problem: a complete lack of dread. There’s nothing creepy or atmospheric about NOS4A2, a show that takes itself deadly seriously without earning it.

Through its first six episodes, NOS4A2 is a shockingly unscary horror drama prone to ill-considered detours and over-explained supernatural machinations, while wallowing in entirely too many blue-collar cliches and variable Massachusetts accents. A solid cast, some showy makeup and the occasional inspired bit of imagery all get the life sucked right out of them, the only way that the show's clunky pun of a title is at all worthwhile.

NOS4A2 is utterly devoid of dread or menace, and its artistry fails to compensate for its otherwise complete lack of dramatic momentum.