3 reasons you need to add Facebook Watch’s The Birch to the top of your watchlist
By Mads Lennon
The new Facebook Watch horror series, The Birch, will premiere on October 11. Here are three reasons you shouldn’t skip this monstrous story.
Facebook Watch’s newest season drops just in time for Halloween! The streaming service is shaping up to be one to watch. In October, Facebook Watch will be releasing two terrifying new series, The Birch and Limetown.
If The Birch sounds familiar, that’s because it is based on the award-winning short of the same name from Crypt TV. The series follows three teenagers whose lives become entangled around a creature living in the woods.
She is sworn to protect those who need her help when summoned, but everything comes with a price.
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The series will premiere Friday, October 11 at 1 P.M. PT or 4 P.M. ET. Midori Francis (Good Boys, Ocean’s Eight), Xaria Dotson (American Vandal), and Dempsey Bryk (Black Mirror), star.
Is The Birch worth checking out? I had the chance to watch the first two episodes of the series, and I will answer that with a resounding yes. Here are a few reasons why it should move to the top of your watch list.
3. The Birch has a unique and intriguing monster at its center.
We don’t learn much about the nameless being summoned into the world by the end of the first two episodes. We do get to see her looming in the shadows and exacting horrific vengeance against those who wrong her summoner.
I’ve never seen a creature designed like the one we see on the show. I imagine they didn’t have a huge budget, but it still looks great. Overall, I was very impressed with the special effects. I am fascinated by the backstory and lore around this being.
Before she is summoned, we learn a little bit about her from the in-universe internet. She shares some similarities with Slender Man. But the series executes the storyline in a way far more rewarding than any Slender Man film and series I’ve seen.
2. There is body horror galore.
For a short show airing on Facebook, you might be surprised by how graphic and terrifying some of the kills, and body horror depictions are in the first two episodes alone. Think Evil Dead and Poison Ivy, and you’ll get an idea of how the monster likes to kill its prey.
1. The cast is excellent, and the characters aren’t cliche.
There are some familiar tropes and cliches used in the show, but none of the main characters fall overwhelmingly into any of those traps. The series main actors are strong and make you care for their roles, or hate them if that’s what the moment calls for. They also have strange and disturbing backstories.
I was left with plenty of questions after watching the first two episodes of the season, but the show left me with a burning desire to know more. I also enjoy how The Birch seamlessly weaves the three distinct narratives together. It brings the story to life and shows the impact of the woods and the being within.
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What do you think about The Birch? Are you planning to watch the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The Birch will premiere on Oct. 11 on Facebook Watch.