Staci Layne Wilson’s Castle Rock review says the J.J. Abrams-produced Stephen King series on Hulu is off to a smooth and scary start

Castle Rock is not a very nice place to live. Or die, for that matter. In the opening moments of this scary new series based on Stephen King’s stories (all of them!), Shawshank Prison warden Dale Lacey (Terry O’Quinn) kisses his wife goodbye one morning, starts up the car and heads out. But instead of going to work, he drives deep into the Maine woods. I won’t spoil what happens next, but let’s just say he’ll be playing hooky for all eternity.

What secrets did the respected warden leave behind? Insidiously woven into the walls of his home and behind the bars of the prison, Lacey’s legacy unfolds. Using the same plot device as Desperate Housewives, Castle Rock’s narrator is dead… but not forgotten. While there are many different storylines developing in the first few episodes of the series, they are all centered on the discovery of a mysterious, mute prisoner who was found locked away in a secret cell… it seems Lacey was trying to keep this particular convict under the strictest of wraps.

Castle Rock cleverly utilizes many actors from previous King offerings – from Sissy Spacek to Bill Skarsgård – and hints at past traumas (yellowing newspaper clippings show headlines like, “Dog Attack!” clearly referencing Cujo). While all of these layers of detail will certainly delight the Master of Horror’s adroit fanbase, knowing them is not necessary to the enjoy Castle Rock.

The J.J. Abrams-produced series is, above all, an absorbing narrative suspense drama. We learn about the town of Castle Rock through its newest inhabitant, a lawyer named Henry Deaver (André Holland) whose name is the only word spoken by the otherwise mum prisoner who’s being held at Shawshank, though no one can say why. Henry grew up in Castle Rock, but his childhood was marred by tragedy and he moved away as soon as he could. When he’s compelled to return at the behest of the uncanny inmate, he finds that it won’t be so easy to leave town again.

Suffice to say Castle Rock is off to a smooth start.

Not rated
Ten 1-hour episodes

https://youtu.be/H14tqKZYhgg

If this Castle Rock review intrigued you, watch the new series now on Hulu.

Hulu’s Castle Rock Review – Get Caught Dead Watching It

by Staci Layne Wilson