With spooky season now in full swing, Dreamworks Studios have dipped their toes into scary (sort of) content for the first time. Fright Krewe, the new animated series on Hulu and Peacock, is an unarguably solid start. The series is meant for children, made obvious by the relatively simplistic art-style and pre-release trailers, and so the weight of balancing horror and handleability regarding the young audience was tantamount; for the most part, Fright Krewe achieves this balance. It’s undoubtedly creepy, though much of this is achieved through layered environmental work and clever, easygoing scares that could serve as a proper introduction to the genre for those unable to access the best of it.
The series follows a group of mismatched students who, after an unfortunate in-class accident, are all sentenced to detention together, cleaning the local graveyard in the dead of night. As I’m sure you can guess, a bunch of school-age kids running around an old graveyard (shortly after the repeated mention of a haunted gravesite) doesn’t end well. Who knew? Jokes aside, the opening episode sports impressive concepts and visuals that ooze personality. Not astounding or anything, but plenty good enough to set itself apart in that way.
Eli Roth’s name on the backend of all the trailers was a good omen; he’s got an undying dedication to this genre in every form. This year especially, with this series releasing and his holiday-themed slasher Thanksgiving set to release next month, he’s cementing himself as a household horror name. Fright Krewe benefits greatly from his sensibilities; it feels familiar with the genre and clearly understands precisely where and how to impose content limits. Maybe the most compelling aspect of the show is that it simply feels like it belongs in the Halloween season, it nails the “vibe”, if you will.
The least compelling is found on the other side of the content-restriction coin. In the past, Dreamworks has proven very capable of making “kid” movies for folks of any age. The How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda films are all ageless classics. Not that Fright Krewe had to live up to those, not at all, but the show doesn’t achieve the same immortal nature that Dreamworks has managed before. The humor and dialogue are unusually cheap at times; you’ll come off an effective, fear-filled set piece and be immediately drained by a string of long-dead, lazy jokes.
The set-up cheapens the whole ordeal, too. The first episode is unashamedly straightforward, not bothering to garner any interest or intrigue before tossing you into a plot twist you see coming a mile away. Sure, it shouldn’t overcomplicate itself and risk confusing its audience, but there is a chasmic difference between overcomplication and proper pacing. Going back to the word cheap, unfortunately, the storytelling feels that way from the jump. Though, by proxy, the show doesn’t drag at all. Going straight for the jugular gets you to the jugular, regardless of how jarring it is.
In the end, to harp too heavily on Fright Krewe would be pointless. It’s a series completely aware of what it is, not trying to overdo anything or promise more than what it can offer. Just as the teases and trailers promised, we’re given a perfectly suitable, consistently fun spooky season series that you’d be remiss to dislike. Adults will find fulfillment in casual watches, and perhaps a patented background play, while children will find plenty of shock and awe to maintain their attention. If Dreamworks wants to push horror-esque content going forward, they’ll need to do a little more than this, but for now, Fright Krewe is harmless Halloween fun.
Fright Krewe is now available to stream on Hulu and Peacock.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BclT-pJdoBo]
If Dreamworks wants to push horror-esque content going forward, they’ll need to do a little more than this, but for now, Fright Krewe is harmless Halloween fun.
Movies, long drives, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
