Bill Skarsgård's Tragically Maligned Netflix Horror Series Was Way Better Than Its Rotten Tomatoes Score

Bill Skarsgård's Tragically Maligned Netflix Horror Series Was Way Better Than Its Rotten Tomatoes Score Imave via Sophie Giraud/©Netflix/courtesy Everett Collection By  Carolyn Jenkins Published 3 minutes ago Rotten Tomatoes | Letterboxd | Metacritic Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King. Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Before Bill Skarsgård became a scream king in popular ventures like It and Barbarian, the performer was on the cutting edge of Netflix original programming. Skarsgård’s first heavy-hitting venture was in the underrated horror series Hemlock Grove. Adapted from Brian McGreevy’s book of the same name, the series takes place in the titular Pennsylvania town, where every conceivable supernatural entity has a story to tell.

The first season is quite a faithful telling of the book, following two teenage boys who have more in common than they may realize. Young Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) recently moved to town with his mother and is trying to keep his status as a werewolf under wraps. This situation gets complicated when he meets Roman (Skarsgård), an upir, otherwise known as a daywalking vampire. Roman hails from the richest family in town, while Peter lives in a trailer. Even so, the two find common ground in a town filled with secrets.

While Roman and Peter uncover the circumstances behind the death of a local high school girl, they learn that their destinies are inexorably intertwined. Natural enemies, they still find kinship, which culminates at the end of Season 1. Subsequent seasons didn’t have the same panache as the first one, but that doesn’t mean it has earned its 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. A fascinating mix of supernatural lore and high school hijinks, Hemlock Grove is a must-watch for supernatural horror fans.

‘Hemlock Grove’ Was a Love Story Between Peter and Roman

Had Hemlock Grove been adapted only a few years later, it would likely have been more readily embraced. Bill Skarsgård has become a horror icon, even more so than his brother Alexander Skarsgård, star of HBO’s True Blood. The younger Skarsgård is equal parts emotional and disturbing in Hemlock Grove as an upir, unaware of his lineage.

The main draw of the series is the relationship between Roman and Peter. Peter comes from a line of werewolves that sometimes skips a generation. His last family member of the trait was his grandfather, and he has had no one to share his secret with. Peter immediately recognizes that Roman is an upir, though he doesn’t know it himself. All he knows is that he has a fetish for blood, and just about everyone obeys his commands.

Together, the two acknowledge they have a greater destiny even if they are on opposite sides of an ancient rivalry. Roman finds a connection with Peter because he is seemingly the only person who sees him for who he is. Not a fully fledged upir, Roman constantly has to rebel against his overbearing mother, Olivia’s (Famke Janssen) pitiless pursuit to turn him into a monster. Her previous relationship with people of Peter’s lineage makes her racist against him and hates that Roman has found fulfillment through their friendship.

Hemlock Grove goes far beyond the high school shenanigans of vampires like in The Vampire Diaries. The Netflix series is dark, never shying away from issues such as self-harm and sexual assault. Hemlock Grove deserved more from Skarsgård’s first leading role as the vicious yet empathetic Roman Godfrey. The actor started his journey as an icon at a time when original programming on Netflix was few and far between. Hemlock Grove is available to watch on Amazon Prime and Shudder.

Hemlock Grove

Like Follow Followed Thriller Release Date 2013 - 2015-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Eli Roth Directors Eli Roth

Cast

See All

• Bill Skarsgard
• Landon Liboiron

Genres Thriller Powered by Expand Collapse

• TV Features
• Hemlock Grove
• Famke Janssen

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your Collider account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.

• Terms
• Privacy
• Feedback

Recommended 17 hours ago

The 10 Most Underrated Splatter Movies, Ranked

17 hours ago

If You Love 'Stranger Things,' You Need To Read These 6 Stephen King Books

17 hours ago

10 Cozy Movies To Watch After Thanksgiving Dinner

17 hours ago

The 5 Biggest Problems With 'Wicked: For Good'

What To Watch

July 20, 2025 The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Trending Now This Beloved Action-Adventure Series Is Still One of the Best Ever Made 33 Years Later Following a 100% RT Season 9, ABC's Top Procedural Rockets Up the Streaming Charts The Greatest Movie From Every Horror Subgenre in the 2010s