Horror comedy series Shining Vale came to Starz in 2022, and I for one loved it. I followed it through both of its short-lived seasons, and was puzzled when Starz not only cancelled it, but removed it from its streaming service entirely.
Shining Vale starred Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear as Terry and Pat Phelps, a couple in a challenging marriage. Pat wrote a very successful “Mommy Porn” novel in the past, and was struggling to write another when the family lived in Brooklyn. After she indulged in a brief affair with the apartment maintenance man, Pat and Terry decided to take their two teenaged kids Jake and Gaynor and their fluffy dog Roxie and move away from the city.
The family settles in the quiet town of Shining Vale, where they move into a very large house that soon shows all signs of being haunted. The main ghost, who Pat starts to see and converse with is Rosemary, played by Mira Sorvino, and viewers spend a lot of time trying to determine if she is good or evil.
Since Shining Vale has been removed from Starz, there has been no way to way to watch or rewatch it, but that has changed in the just the last few days. Both seasons of Shining Vale are now available to stream on max!
Shining Vale shouts out to horror movies and has a solid cast
What makes Shining Vale such a great watch for horror fans is the fact that it pays homage to so many different horror movies, most notably The Shining. The curtains in the Phelps home are the same pattern as the rug in the iconic film and Terry has some scenes with an axe.
But other films are honored during the series as well, including The Changeling and Paranormal Activity (plus many more). And the cast is amazing. Cox and Kinnear have great (and funny) chemistry together, Dylan Gage is awkwardly hilarious as video game geek Jake, and Gus Birney steals scenes regularly as the promiscuous Gaynor. Gaynor sets her sights on a cute fellow student named Ryan, who is extremely religious, so she starts to dress in a less sexy fashion…very funny considering how she dressed prior to her crush on Ryan.
In addition to Sorvino’s appearance as the intriguing and very charming ghost Rosemary, we also get Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Merrin Dungey and Judith Light, who also create memorable and fun characters. So, yes, Shining Vale is funny. But is also presents a very intriguing mystery, and some genuinely scary moments as Pat starts to unravel.