For the last couple of years, Netflix has invested a lot of money in producing horror series. This year’s Netflix Geeked Week has revealed various new additions to the streaming platform catalog in the genre. Archive 81 was not among them, unfortunately; released in January, the horror show was not renewed for a second season. The series was based on a found footage horror podcast with the same name, and one of the executive producers was none other than James Wan.
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Archive 81 follows Dan (Mamoudou Athie) after he’s hired to recover a collection of VHS tapes that were destroyed in a building fire, and that might help understand how the fire began. He has to move to a location in the middle of nowhere and be completely alone to do his job - which he will quickly discover has a much darker story than a simple university documentary about an old building.
Due to the amount of content available to watch today, various TV series are being canceled. Streaming platforms produce more content every month, and only a few are selected to be continued, mostly for monetary reasons. Archive 81 wasn’t one of the selected series, leaving the audience frustrated that they will never know the resolution of this bonkers and wonderful supernatural mystery. Here is why the series deserves more seasons.
Archive 81’s James Wan and Horror
Warner Bros. Entertainment
The filmmaker is known for (most of the time) using a more classical approach to horror that, even though he did not write or direct any of the episodes, is still present in this series. Nevertheless, there is still a new touch he brings to his stories, such as a séance with gas masks in the first Insidious movie. Archive 81 is no different: the series utilize various well-known tropes and techniques while innovating on how this story is told, and the real danger it brings.
One great example is, appropriately, another slow burn séance scene in one of the later episodes: the build-up of tension and an incredibly well-paid-off jump scare could have been a part of his movies. Also, the black mold and the cult in Archive 81 are elements that created a more unique feel to this story. Until a certain point in the narrative, there is really no telling what this story is about, forcing the audience to speculate and discover new secrets with the characters.
Why Archive 81 Deserves More Seasons
The show had an interesting mixture of various elements horror fans love: aspects of found footage, mysterious deaths, supernatural forces, etc. The main plot of Archive 81 was fascinating, grabbing the viewer and making them wonder what was going on from the very first episode. There was a sense of urgency that can be tricky when the character isn’t actively a part of the main storyline, but rather a viewer like the audience, but the series uses the past and present elements and makes it practically impossible to stop watching.
Even though the series followed an investigation, there were solid horror scenes in most episodes. These elements, scary moments and detective ones, are extremely well-balanced and intertwined in a way that enhances one another. This can also be seen in Wan’s The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, where the Warrens try to help a man who committed murder but claims he was possessed while doing it. This mixture of genres creates a distinct atmosphere that quickly catches the audience’s attention.
The main character is really close to his best friend, Mark (played by How To Get Away With Murder star Matt McGorry). The series shows a very healthy representation of positive masculinity and male friendship between these two characters, something that is not quite common in any genre. Also, the other characters in this narrative, such as Melody (Dina Shihabi), who is the protagonist of the VHS tapes storyline, are charismatic and likable enough that the audience cares for them — which is one of the most important things in horror stories. If the viewer doesn’t care for the characters, it’s difficult to create both fear and anticipation, which are the elements that ultimately manufacture the experience of a good horror story.
The series had a solid narrative that had the potential for multiple seasons, especially because of the finale’s cliffhanger. Also, these types of stories, the ones that play with timelines and time travel, can always be deeply explored. It is a shame that the viewers won’t see how time works in this particular universe, given it was interesting and mysterious from the get-go.
What To Watch Next
There are a few options to watch after binge-watching Archive 81 and having the feeling of wanting more. Moving towards a more mysterious tone in a narrative that still has horror elements, the Apple TV+ show Servant from director M. Night Shyamalan is a good pick. If the horror elements are what stood out, the Netflix French show (that was also canceled, but the main plot lines are resolved) Marianne will be even scarier than Archive 81. Channel Zero remains one of the most underrated horror anthology series, with each season telling a different story, and is a must for horror fans. Regardless, the empty hole that’s formed by the cancellation of Archive 81 is difficult to fill.
