“From” Review The Best Show Nobody Knew Existed

There I was, sitting in my dorm room scrolling through my TikTok feed, when all of a sudden I was hooked. It was a clip of a naive little girl looking through her window outside at an old lady. The old lady claimed to be the child’s grandma and persuaded her to open up the window between them, letting her in.

One second later, I was floored at the sight of the old lady shifting into a monster, killing the child and her mother. As a human being I was mortified, but as a horror fan I was captivated.

Created by John Griffin, this EPIX sci-fi, horror-mystery series highlights a terrifying town with no communication to the outside world, trapping all those who enter. During the day everyone is safe, however, once the sun sets and the warning bell tolls, all the residents must lock their doors and nail their windows shut to survive the onslaught of murdering monsters outside.

The scariest thing about these nightmarish creatures is that they don’t look overtly frightening, as they disguise themselves to look like human beings that are recognizable or appealing to the characters. With no physical exit in sight, the characters must discover the town’s complex past in order to escape.

Since From was made by the same executive producers of Lost (Jeff Pinkner and Jack Bender) it is evident that there is no shortage of similarities between the two shows. Just like in Lost, From is more character-driven; the episodes focus more on the question of “how did we get here?” rather than the monsters themselves. 

Outside of trying to solve this mystery, the characters all have different backgrounds and traits that make them unique. We first meet the Matthews family—consisting of Jim Matthews (Eion Bailey), his wife Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), their young son Ethan (Simon Webster), and their teenage daughter Julie (Hannah Cheramy).

After seeing their RV circle around town multiple times with no end in sight, we watch as the town’s self-appointed Sheriff, Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), teaches the Matthews about their new harsh reality. Perrineau plays the most complex character in the series—a war veteran who loses his wife living in this town. As leader, Stevens must keep everyone safe, even if that means he must make difficult decisions.

Other characters include Donna (Elizabeth Saunders) who leads the community house, and Victor (Scott McCord) who is creepy and strange, but an essential player in solving the town’s mysteries. 

While the series is unknown to many audiences, the first season of From was actually a massive success. It gained a loyal fan base, received excellent reviews from horror critics, and even garnered a 96% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, leading to a renewal for a second season on MGM+. Season two currently airs on a weekly episodic basis, and the characters are still working towards figuring out the town’s puzzling past piece by piece.

Personally, I think if the show was on HBO Max, Hulu, or Netflix, it would be the talk of the town. It’s complex, dramatic, scary, and if you are a horror fan like I am, you are going to love this program.

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