The Horde

Eerie, atmospheric, addicting.
I was absolutely chilled by the first episode. Its matter of fact tone while dealing with the shocking reality of long dead family members returning as they were to a future they cannot comprehend is a fascinating concept. This is a brave and intelligent take on the 'undead' without the usual clichés. I was mesmerized. There are many little twists and turns and unexpected little surprises throughout.

I have seen the first two episodes, and it is my new favorite series. It's too bad American TV always has to go for the flash and over-the-top horror movie tropes in their tired attempts at gothic chills (Fox's Sleepy Hollow, NBC's awful Dracula). This quieter but much scarier French show delivers genuine shock and will haunt you days afterwards.

Bravo Sundance! The Returned (Les Revenants) Is Worth The Commitment!
NO SPOILERS:

The Returned (French: Les Revenants) is a television drama series created by Fabrice Gobert and shown on Canal+ in France, BeTV in Belgium and SVT in Sweden. Eight episodes were shown from 26 November to 17 December 2012. It is an adaptation of the 2004 film They Came Back (in French titled Les Revenants). Season 2 is to air in 2014.

Credit to Wiki for the synopsis:

"In a small mountain town, many dead people reappear, apparently alive and normal: road accident victim teenager Camille; suicidal bridegroom Simon; "Victor", a small boy who was murdered by burglars; and Serge, a serial killer. They try to resume their lives as strange phenomena occur: amongst recurring power outages, the water level of the reservoir mysteriously lowers, revealing the presence of dead animals and a church steeple, and strange marks appear on the bodies of the living and the dead."

Let's get the obvious out of the way. Yes, the audio...

What Are They Doing In Heaven Today
The French series Les Revenants/The Returned aired on Sundance. The music by the Scottish band, Mogwai, is essential to the mood and feel of this series. This is a mystery, but not a who done it, it is more a question and a lot of missing parts.

The series is set in the aftermath of tragic bus accident which took the lives of an entire class of students on a school trip. The Alpine town featured in this series has beautiful scenery. We meet a young girl,climbing over an embankment onto the road and walking back to her home. She was one of the girls who perished in that tragic accident. She arrives home, goes to the refrigerator and starts eating. Her shocked mother comes into the kitchen and can't speak. Camille, the young girl apologizes for being late and says she is so hungry. She goes onto say that she doesn't know what happened, but she awoke from a nap on the side of the road. The family is confused, and in other parts of the town strange happenings are occurring...

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