You may want to wait a little longer to hang your twinkling lights and decorate your Christmas trees. Halloween may be dead and gone but something wonderfully wicked has only just been released.
Wednesday is Netflix’s newest original series, one that makes true on its promise of a blockbuster feel with a star-studded cast to match. The eight-part series follows the beloved character Wednesday Addams, as she navigates perhaps the scariest of settings. High school. Of course, with director Tim Burton pulling the strings, the ‘educational institution’ Wednesday finds herself in is not so much swarming with jocks and cheerleaders than it is with werewolves and vampires.
Some viewers have questioned the mid-November release date, arguing that a Halloween debut would’ve been more effective. However, the show needs no seasonal gimmick to fall back on. Wednesday transcends all things Halloween.
Wednesday releases flesh-eating piranhas in the school pool, nonchalantly fights off a gang of boys and finds herself slap bang in the middle of a murder-mystery all within the first 50 minute episode. From this alone, the series promises to be action packed with each instalment introducing a sub-plot and or character more exciting than the one before it.
It is impossible to not compare this 'Silent Hill meets Mean Girls' offering to Netflix’s previous teen horror success The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Both contain just the right amounts of creep, drama and one too many cliché lines we just hate to love. However, where Wednesday clambers above the rest, is its lovable protagonist brought to life by the brilliant Jenny Ortega.
Ortega, most famously known for her role in You, had undeniably big shoes to fill when taking on the fan-favourite Addams character. Her predecessor, Christina Ricci, still remains in the hearts of horror fans 31 years after her first unforgettable appearance in The Addams Family. But fear not, Ricci tastefully returns to the gory yet glamorous world of the Addams in the series as Wednesday’s botanics teacher Marilyn Thornhill. Despite this external pressure, Ortega seamlessly steps up to the plate.
From the beginning Ortega finds herself in good company with Catherine Zeta Jones as the frightfully beautiful Morticia, and Luis Guzmán taking on the role of Gomez Addams. A controversial casting decision for some sceptical Addams fans who argue that Guzman doesn’t quite deliver on the subtle sexiness provided by Raul Julia in the 1991 film. However, his comedic relief undoubtedly offers a refreshing palate cleanser amid all the doom and gloom.
Alongside Mr Addams, Wednesday’s supernatural school peers and blindingly colourful roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) provide viewers with the exact right contrast of vibrant emotion to Ortega’s sullenness. The two roommate’s adjoining decorative window is the perfect visual example of this.
It is not just the show’s characters that are sights to behold. Netflix seems to have spared no expense into the show’s production, showcasing impressive set designs and contemporary costuming that stays true to the characters. And let’s not forget the freakishly animated severed hand, Thing.
It’s more than fair to say that Wednesday will happily be consumed by Gen-Z audiences with Ortega’s emo-core aesthetic set to be the next viral fixation.
All eight episodes of Wednesday are available on Netflix from 23 November.
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