Netflix’s 8-Part Sci-Fi Sleeper Hit Delivers the Best Lovecraftian Horror of the 2020s

From 1985 to 2005, director Stuart Gordon became synonymous with adapting H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror stories. Be it Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak, Dagon, or Dreams in the Witch-House, Gordon had a knack for translating Lovecraft’s monstrous creations into frightening entertainment better than any other horror filmmaker. In 2020, HBO attempted a small-screen adaptation of the legendary horror scribe’s work with Lovecraft Country. However, it paled in comparison to an even scarier Netflix series that debuted two years later.

Released on Netflix on January 14, 2022, Archive 81 is a head-spinning blend of supernatural mystery, found-footage thriller, and cosmic horror. Although it doesn’t adapt a Lovecraft story per se, the underrated horror show is based on the podcast of the same name. With eight bingeable episodes perfect for the Halloween season, cue up Archive 81 and see how it channels Lovecraft’s phantasmagoria.

‘Archive 81’ Presents a Haunting Cosmic Horror Mystery

Based on the 2016 podcast created by Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger, Archive 81 is set in present-day New York. The Netflix horror show follows Dan Turner, an archivist hired to restore degraded footage from a Hi8 tape recorded in 1994.

The tape belonged to Melody Pendras, who recorded a documentary about a burned-down building for her grad school dissertation. As Dan examines the footage, he becomes embroiled in a maddening mystery that cranks up the tension and suspense with its dark, creepy atmosphere and eerie analog aesthetics. The slow-creeping dread lulls you in and leads to a jaw-dropping finale.

Without spoiling the vast conspiracy Dan discovers, Archive 81 is a twisted psychological trip clearly inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s brand of interdimensional cosmic horror. With hidden dimensions, deistic worship, ritual occultism, and a surreal blurring of reality, the creative blend amounts to the most unnerving Lovecraftian ode since Stuart Gordon’s halcyon days in the 1980s. The way the timeline shifts back and forth between the present and 1994 to gradually clarify what Melody went through is truly unsettling.

For cosmic horror enthusiasts who enjoyed Panos Cosmatos’ movies Mandy, Beyond the Black Rainbow, or his episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, “The Viewing,” Archive 81 is must-see TV. Never mind Lovecraft Country, which isn’t scary, nor does it do H.P. Lovecraft’s brand of horror justice.

If You Like ‘Archive 81,’ The Directors of Episodes 3 & 4 Have More Lovecraftian Horror

Thanks to its lo-fi aesthetic, immersive mystery, and ultimate supernatural revelation, Archive 81 holds an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75% audience score. Given the acclaim, it’s a shame Archive 81 didn’t receive a second season.

Much of the series’ acclaim is credited to directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, who directed Episodes 3, “Terror in the Aisles,” and 4, “Spirit Receivers.” The fourth episode has the show’s highest IMDb rating (7.9), which isn’t surprising considering Benson and Moorehead’s previous Lovecraftian sci-fi terrors.

If Archive 81 is up your alley, Benson and Moorehead’s 2014 film, Spring, is an ideal companion. The same goes for their nightmarish 2017 follow-up, The Endless, which genuinely pushes the boundaries of Lovecraft’s fascination with otherworldly monsters. Even their highly underrated 2019 sci-fi thriller Synchronic incorporates Lovecraftian themes. Benson and Moorhead were inspired choices to helm two episodes in the middle of Archive 81‘s short run, advancing where Gordon left off in the mid-2000s.