‘Hemlock Grove’ Is a Streaming Hit on the Apple Store

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He’s become well-known for playing unsettling roles in horror projects like Stephen King’s Castle Rock and IT, as well as Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Zach Cregger’s Barbarian. But before his success in those films, he starred in a little-remembered three-season TV series alongside a former James Bond and X-Men actor, and surprisingly, the show is now gaining attention again on the Apple Store.

As a real fan of horror and thrillers, I had high hopes for Hemlock Grove. It really seemed to have everything going for it – a talented cast, based on a novel, and even Eli Roth as a producer! But honestly, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Critics were pretty harsh, and even viewers seemed really divided on whether they liked it or not throughout its run. Here’s what the show is about…

This Netflix series, inspired by Brian McGreevy’s book, takes place in Hemlock Grove, a struggling old steel town in Pennsylvania. The town is divided between the very poor and the incredibly rich, and everyone is hiding something. As strange and disturbing events happen, the town’s dark underbelly is revealed, making everyone a suspect and proving that appearances can be deceiving.

The series starred Alexander Janssen, Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron, Penelope Mitchell, Lilli Taylor, and Dougray Scott. It premiered on Netflix in April 2013 and ran until October 2015, making it the streaming service’s first original horror show.

‘Hemlock Grove’ Was a Huge Misfire for Netflix


Netflix

Netflix is famous for hit shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday, which have become some of the most popular TV series ever. But before those shows, back in 2013, Netflix wasn’t the streaming giant it is today. One show, Hemlock Grove, actually helped pave the way for Stranger Things, Wednesday, and many other successful series on the platform.

The first season of the show was critically panned, earning a mere 26% score on Rotten Tomatoes – placing it among Netflix’s lowest-rated original series. Many critics found it not scary or suspenseful, but simply boring. Sarah Dobbs of Den of Geek described it as “idiotic, tedious, and frequently offensive,” with nothing positive to say. The Daily Telegraph in the U.K. bluntly called it “Netflix’s first flop.”

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Join our newsletter to explore Hemlock Grove’s streaming resurgence, Bill Skarsgard’s early genre roles, and the cultural arc of Netflix’s early horror experiments – curated analysis and context that make the show’s comeback clearer for fans.

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Hemlock Grove was a show that sharply divided audiences – some called it a must-watch, while others considered it a complete waste of time. Despite this, it was incredibly popular for Netflix at the time, even surpassing the viewership of the hit series House of Cards in its first season. However, that success didn’t last, and after three seasons and a few Emmy nominations, the show was canceled and removed from Netflix in 2022. Now, a decade after its release, many are rediscovering Hemlock Grove, largely through its availability on the Apple Store, after FilmRise acquired the streaming rights.



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2025-12-30 23:10