Helstrom: Season 1 – Hulu Review

HELSTROM is a new Hulu series in the adventure and horror genres. It’s based on a Marvel comic and it’s deliciously dark! We’re dealing with exorcism and demons in all the right ways. All 10 episodes in season 1 are on Hulu now. Read our Helstrom season 1 review here!

HELSTROM is a new Hulu series that you will definitely want to check out. This is a series that gets dark and brutal pretty fast, so get ready to enjoy elements of both horror and adventure. It’s a Hulu original but based on a Marvel comic, which opens up to all kinds of supernatural elements. 

The keywords for this Hulu series are demons and exorcism. Another very important element is family, which includes struggling with having a serial killer relative on the loose. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Continue reading our Helstrom season 1 review below. All 10 episodes of season 1 [each around 1 hour] are out now.

A strong cast to tell a dark story

The story in Helstrom is pretty damn dark. As noted earlier, we’re dealing with demons, exorcism, and a serial killer. In the lead roles as Daimon and Ana Helstrom, we have Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon respectively. Tom Austen has been in The Royals TV series while Sydney Lemmons was in a brief key role in Fear the Walking Dead and also Velvet Buzzsaw.

Also, can we just acknowledge that Tom Austen (Daimon Helstrom) does look eerily similar to Tom Mison who starred in the Sleepy Hollow series? Just wanted to mention that!

Another key character in Helstrom is Victoria Helstrom, the mother of Daimon and Ana. She’s played brilliantly by Elizabeth Marvel (Swallow) who should definitely make you pay attention.

Working as helpers – in various ways – to the two estranged Helstrom siblings are several wonderful supporting actors. We have June Carryl (Camille Bell on season 2 of Mindhunter) as Dr. Louise Hastings and Ariana Guerra (Raising Dion) as Gabriella Rosetti. Finally, Robert Wisdom (The Alienist) is “Caretaker” and Alain Uy (True Detective season 2) is Chris Yen.

Helstrom season 2?

Since Hulu is releasing all 10 episodes in season 1, people will soon ask the question: Will there be a season 2 of Helstrom?

Well, as with all things right now, it depends on how many watches the series (and how quickly). However, right now, the pandemic is also playing a big part in what gets greenlit. Still, if this series is as big a success as they expect, then Helstrom season 2 should be a sure thing.

If you want to do your part in ensuring this, then watch the entire season quickly and encourage others to do the same. I honestly think you’ll want to watch all episodes fast (because it very intriguing and to avoid spoilers) and also want to share the experience.

A release two weeks before Halloween should be perfect for this series, so if it can’t make it during the horror season of Halloween, then there really isn’t much hope. I think it’ll do just fine though. Check it out for yourself!

Check out Season 1 of Helstrom on Hulu now!

Paul Zbyszewski is the creator of Helstrom and this is far from the first TV series, he has worked on. He’s already been nominated for an Emmy twice while working on Lost (2004-2010). More recently, Paul Zbyszewski has worked on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. From what we’ve seen with Helstrom so far, this Hulu series is definitely the darkest storytelling, he’s done.

The episodes in season 1 are directed by many different directors. The pilot episode is directed by Daina Reid (The Handmaid’s Tale) and should definitely make you want to keep watching. Other directors include Anders Engström (See), Michael Offer (Homeland), Amanda Row (Doom Patrol), and Jovanka Vuckovic (XX).

Season 1 has 10 episodes and you can go ahead and binge-watch the entire season over the weekend since they’re all out now. Each episode has a runtime of around one hour, so there’s room for lots of horror and great storytelling. 

Helstrom Season 1 is out on Hulu from October 16, 2020.

Details

Creator: Paul Zbyszewski
Stars: Tom Austen, Sydney Lemmon, Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Wisdom, Ariana Guerra, June Carryl, Alain Uy, Erica Temblay