REVIEW — The Unknowable: Darkland

Come one come all — step right up to Screambox’s The Unknowable: Darkland, a series that turns the joy and laughter of an amusement park into cries of torture by the existential monsters of another dimension. A part analog horror series divvied up into eight episodes, Darkland mirrors the likes of The Twilight Zone, Stranger Things, and your worst nightmares.

In 20-minute segments, Darkland tells the story of an abandoned amusement park and a missing teen. One disgraced detective takes on the case, discovering a plethora of cult activity, magic and mysticism, and terrifying revelations that we can barely comprehend. All analog and told in a half-epistolary-half-third person style, Darkland turns the fictional, titular theme park into legend. For the purposes of this review, I won’t go over every episode, but I’ll touch on a few aspects along the way.

Episode 1: Lost & Found

I was expecting a regular ol’ horror series, but I did not get that — what I got made me rethink how you could tell a story to provide the absolute highest amount of dread possible. Narration (by Sean Burgos) leads you into a rough outline of the story; local Oklahoman teen Tammy Gillis (Christine Schlehuber) disappears after breaking in to the defunct Darkland amusement park with her friends, who were all found murdered within the park. Detective Fairbanks (Robert Briscoe Evans) takes on the challenge after police fail to produce any leads, and with the help of psychic Elsa Rose (Alanah Allen), discovers the secrets of the park’s mysterious owners-gone-missing: Dexter Venito (Brandon Sean Pearson) and Theodosia Birchwood (Hannah Howzdy).

The narration is present throughout the entire episode, all the way through the series, giving Darkland a book-like quality that I rarely, if ever, see. It feels otherworldly, almost like you’re reading a newspaper or a Wiki article about this “real” event. It is also not your typical look; with grainy visuals, pieced together with what seems to be archive footage from other works, this series is hard to look away from. It is entrancing and ghastly at the same time. Even after the series finale, I am still in awe — that’s really the only way I can describe it.

Side note: I used to work at a broadcasting company and while working on a documentary, I was tasked with picking out archival footage to use from their library. This felt exactly like what Darkland did, and I can only assume director/editor Kyle Cooper sought out to find the most jarring, psychedelic, horrifying clips he could muster. Just… wow. I love it. A million stars right off the bat.

Episode 2: Visions

As we dive further into the story and learn more about the characters, Darkland leans a little into the “epistolary”-portion of the story. Darkland owner and purveyor, Dexter Venito, starts a little cult around an unseen, eldritch force — Erendu. With the help of a ring and plenty of hallucination, Venito monologues about the coming of the end of the world — and his pathway to eternal paradise. This monologue is jawdropping, and Pearson’s recital makes it so much more plausible how cult leaders can lead others to their doom. It is a peek into unfathomable darkness.

Episode 4: Ink & Paint

With the introduction of Darkland‘s mascot, Pokey Possum, Tammy’s disappearance and the legend of the cult get more serious, and more sinister. Rituals involving ink and sexual deviancy occur behind the scenes as Pokey captivates park visitors, almost hypnotizing them. Episode 4’s ending provides just another tier of madness — transmutation.

Episode 5: Blue Prints

But Darkland isn’t just sci-fi, lo-fi scares. There are still stakes to be risen. As many cults do, things come to a head with a mass suicide. Darkland doesn’t shy away from blood, violence, and obscene imagery that sticks in your brain well after watching. It’s like a jolt back to reality telling you that yes, these characters are up to something bad. Deadly, but delightful. I can’t stop watching.

Episode 7: 10.21.78

As we near the end, the story begins to wrap up. More about the lead up to Tammy’s disappearance is told, mainly about her interest in Darkland and accidental finding of Venito’s ring. But just because we are nearing the end doesn’t mean everything will be solved. By the last episode, our hearts are torn out, turned upside down, and we are left with what I can only describe as a pile of dread. The story may have been wrapped up in a neat little bow, but there are still answers I yearn to know. I wanted to continue this story so badly, never seeing an end. Elsa leaves us with a possible opening for more… we shall see if this happens or not.

The Unknowable: Darkland is truly something special. The look and feel of it is so off-putting yet extremely cravable (literally, I can feel the texture of this series). The visuals are trippy and terrifying. The story opens a world of possibilities and offshoots. Darkland is an experience. Darkland is a wild ride… I never want to get off.

The Unknowable: Darkland is streaming now on Screambox. Want more? Follow Darkland creator Zachary Donohue on Instagram, as well as series director/editor Kyle Cooper here and here.