The Living And The Dead

The Living And The Dead, from creator of Life On Mars Ashley Pharoah and Doctor Who director Alice Troughton, is rural period folk horror. This makes it basically Please Watch This Craig. As such I was probably bound to be easy to get watching... but not completely on side.

I’m not entirely convinced that its apparent monster-of-the-week with arc plot format was the best call, though. That could be sustained across six weeks, but it feels like a serial would be a more natural fit.

(Also, as of the end of the first episode, the audience has seen elements showing that the supernatural is a thing but our heroes are still entirely sceptical. Can that last without the Scully problem setting in? If this is just a one-off series it doesn’t need to, but the MOTW suggest that might not be the idea...)

The horror folk side of folk horror is well used, with a new (to me) version of The Lyke-Wake Dirge as the theme tune and a new She Moved Through The Fair in episode one - even though it’s not about a ghost visiting a loved one...