Disc Reviews
The Following – The Complete First Season Review
The Following is a psychological serial killer thriller series starring Kevin Bacon as embattled FBI Agent Ryan Hardy who is the subject of escaped serial killer and Edgar Allen Poe devotee Joe Carrolls’ (James Purefoy) obsession. After Carroll escapes from death row, Hardy, the agent who originally captured him, is drawn into a cat and mouse game of death and pursuit as Carroll activates his own cult of brainwashed killers against him and the world. With more twists and turns than you would ever expect, anyone could be good or evil and no one can be trusted.
Created by Kevin Williamson of ‘Scream’ fame, this darkly original and captivating series makes a welcome fast transfer to the home market. I loved this when I first saw it and if anything, it is much better on second viewing when you can begin to appreciate the narrative complexities and really enjoy it as a fine piece of entertainment.
The first season had a decent run of fifteen hour long episodes included here along with over three hours of bonus features. A large number of these are featurettes, some are brilliant (such as ‘The thrill of horror’ about creator Kevin Williamson and ‘The Following production chronicles’ which provides an interesting and in depth insight into the production of the show), some are more miss than hit (‘The Follower’s den’ being a particularly pointless lowlight). However, these are balanced out by the extended pilot episode and standard finale episode with Creator and Director commentaries which are outstanding and a valuable addition to the viewing experience. Other worthy bonuses include two items exploring cults and the killer cult in the series in particular which are well worth a watch. Deleted scenes are included but I didn’t really find they added much or filled in many gaps – good editing clearly!
I really enjoyed this dark thriller series and this set provides a great introduction for a narrative that will continue very soon when Season 2 premieres in the US in January. Strongly recommended for horror and good old fashioned edge of your seat thriller fans alike. Impressive and unpretentious.
Claire Hyypiä