As soon as I heard this show was based on the short story "Jerusalem's Lot" by Stephen King, I knew I had to see it. In the 'writing for TV' room for Amazon Prime Video's "Chapelwaite" sat Jason and Peter Filardi along with Scott Kosar and Declan De Barra. They adapted the book well for the small screen.
Directing two episodes each were David Frazee, Rachel Leiterman, Michael Nankin, Jeff Renfroe, and Burr Steers. They infused each episode with consistent technique and style - the ideal cross-directorial collaboration.
"Chapelwaite" enjoyed Mark Korven's musical scoring - he truly set a grim and dire tone throughout the series. Cinematography duties were divided between Miroslaw Baszak and David Greene - both did great work on this project.
The teams who worked on art direction and set decoration brought the 'place' from the books to life. Their work complemented what production design brought to this project for Amazon Prime Video. Costume design and hair-makeup were just as keen on details. Together, they enlivened the 'period piece' sequences prevalent throughout the show.
When it came to performances, Adrien Brody as Captain Charles Boone was a scene-stealer. His co-star Emily Hampshire, who played Rebecca Morgan, gave a strong performance - she was a writer who started out penning a scoop on the Boones but later became emotionally involved in their future. The kids Honor Boone (played by Jennifer Ens), Loa Boone (played by Sirena Gulamgaus), and Tane Boone (played by Ian Ho) were all natural and amazing in their roles.
Minister Burroughs, played by Gord Rand, was quite good. His wife Alice Burroughs, played by Jennie Raymond, was amazing. Constable Dennison, played by Hugh Thompson, and his wife Mary, played by Trina Corkum, set an interesting tone. Daniel Thompson, played by Michael Hough, was remarkable. Able Stewart, played by Devante Senior, did good work in this series - he was closest to the Boone family, working to keep the mill on their estate in order. Samuel Gallup, played by Eric Peterson, was so annoyingly good.
Phillip and Stephen Boone, played by Julian Richings and Steven McCarthy respectively, both gave 'turning point' performances - they were later discovered to be the vampires who were secretly plaguing the town of Preacher's Corners. One of the other vampires included a nameless woman with a fondness for apples, played by Genevieve DeGraves - she was good in her role.
Leading the blood-suckers was Jakub, played by Christopher Heyerdahl, who was brought to Maine by Rebecca Morgan's father. If those letters she found in the Chapelwaite library were anything to go by, he and the Boones had dark dealings. Christopher was enthralling in his role.
Faith Pringle, played by Briony Merritt held plenty of suspense value - she and her strangely malformed infant. Her affair with the town priest Burroughs held dark intent for the plotline as it progressed.
The entirety of the story in this series took place in Massachusetts in the early 1800s, capturing the superstitious vibe and dark flourish of that era in North America. The show borrows its name from the house/estate that features prominently in it. They also included several significant events from the late 1700s - involving the travails and atrocities of the Boone family - that filled key holes in the overall plot of "Chapelwaite" Season 1 on Amazon Prime Video.
The town of Preacher's Corners was not as sleepy as it appeared. Strange mysteries came to light, most of them not good, especially for Charles Boone and his family who recently came to reside in Chapelwaite. They moved into a place where none of the other townspeople trusted or wanted them. The townsfolk didn't quite care for any of the Boones who resided there before Charles and his children.
It dawned on Charles that he had no choice but to face the dark secrets of his family, whom he never quite knew. Only then could he hope to end the ill reputation that hung over his bloodline. He also had to find a 'book' - occult, leatherbound, titled 'Mysteries of the Worm' in Latin, can only be discovered by a human Boone and not any of the undead - that held special importance to the Boones, and to the core vampiric storyline in the show.
Speaking of which, a different kind of 'vampire' theme - tucked away neatly within the folds of each episode - played out in this series. I especially liked the way these vamps were made to resemble the classic Nosferatu style creature.
The old mining town of Jerusalem's Lot - the one on the title of Stephen King's original story that inspired this series - later became the focus of dangerous 'Old God resurrection' events that promised to break the Boone family.
"Chapelwaite" contained suspense and chill in almost every frame. A handful of visceral and grotesque elements were also present - I loved those, and their realism. The otherwise beautiful song of the 'Whip-Poor-Wills' (birds) held dire portent. The vampires called themselves 'The Promised' and worshipped an ancient deity called The Worm - creepy indeed, and adequately explored.
Charles Boone's sacrifice in the finale episode was overwhelming and surprising. He chose to do something horrifying, all so he could take on the burden of safeguarding the book of the Worm from any future misusers.
The show came close to capturing the frightening tone of Stephen King's short story. This series was certainly worth watching.
"The Worm That Doth Corrupt."
Directing two episodes each were David Frazee, Rachel Leiterman, Michael Nankin, Jeff Renfroe, and Burr Steers. They infused each episode with consistent technique and style - the ideal cross-directorial collaboration.
"Chapelwaite" enjoyed Mark Korven's musical scoring - he truly set a grim and dire tone throughout the series. Cinematography duties were divided between Miroslaw Baszak and David Greene - both did great work on this project.
The teams who worked on art direction and set decoration brought the 'place' from the books to life. Their work complemented what production design brought to this project for Amazon Prime Video. Costume design and hair-makeup were just as keen on details. Together, they enlivened the 'period piece' sequences prevalent throughout the show.
When it came to performances, Adrien Brody as Captain Charles Boone was a scene-stealer. His co-star Emily Hampshire, who played Rebecca Morgan, gave a strong performance - she was a writer who started out penning a scoop on the Boones but later became emotionally involved in their future. The kids Honor Boone (played by Jennifer Ens), Loa Boone (played by Sirena Gulamgaus), and Tane Boone (played by Ian Ho) were all natural and amazing in their roles.
Minister Burroughs, played by Gord Rand, was quite good. His wife Alice Burroughs, played by Jennie Raymond, was amazing. Constable Dennison, played by Hugh Thompson, and his wife Mary, played by Trina Corkum, set an interesting tone. Daniel Thompson, played by Michael Hough, was remarkable. Able Stewart, played by Devante Senior, did good work in this series - he was closest to the Boone family, working to keep the mill on their estate in order. Samuel Gallup, played by Eric Peterson, was so annoyingly good.
Phillip and Stephen Boone, played by Julian Richings and Steven McCarthy respectively, both gave 'turning point' performances - they were later discovered to be the vampires who were secretly plaguing the town of Preacher's Corners. One of the other vampires included a nameless woman with a fondness for apples, played by Genevieve DeGraves - she was good in her role.
Leading the blood-suckers was Jakub, played by Christopher Heyerdahl, who was brought to Maine by Rebecca Morgan's father. If those letters she found in the Chapelwaite library were anything to go by, he and the Boones had dark dealings. Christopher was enthralling in his role.
Faith Pringle, played by Briony Merritt held plenty of suspense value - she and her strangely malformed infant. Her affair with the town priest Burroughs held dark intent for the plotline as it progressed.
The entirety of the story in this series took place in Massachusetts in the early 1800s, capturing the superstitious vibe and dark flourish of that era in North America. The show borrows its name from the house/estate that features prominently in it. They also included several significant events from the late 1700s - involving the travails and atrocities of the Boone family - that filled key holes in the overall plot of "Chapelwaite" Season 1 on Amazon Prime Video.
The town of Preacher's Corners was not as sleepy as it appeared. Strange mysteries came to light, most of them not good, especially for Charles Boone and his family who recently came to reside in Chapelwaite. They moved into a place where none of the other townspeople trusted or wanted them. The townsfolk didn't quite care for any of the Boones who resided there before Charles and his children.
It dawned on Charles that he had no choice but to face the dark secrets of his family, whom he never quite knew. Only then could he hope to end the ill reputation that hung over his bloodline. He also had to find a 'book' - occult, leatherbound, titled 'Mysteries of the Worm' in Latin, can only be discovered by a human Boone and not any of the undead - that held special importance to the Boones, and to the core vampiric storyline in the show.
Speaking of which, a different kind of 'vampire' theme - tucked away neatly within the folds of each episode - played out in this series. I especially liked the way these vamps were made to resemble the classic Nosferatu style creature.
The old mining town of Jerusalem's Lot - the one on the title of Stephen King's original story that inspired this series - later became the focus of dangerous 'Old God resurrection' events that promised to break the Boone family.
"Chapelwaite" contained suspense and chill in almost every frame. A handful of visceral and grotesque elements were also present - I loved those, and their realism. The otherwise beautiful song of the 'Whip-Poor-Wills' (birds) held dire portent. The vampires called themselves 'The Promised' and worshipped an ancient deity called The Worm - creepy indeed, and adequately explored.
Charles Boone's sacrifice in the finale episode was overwhelming and surprising. He chose to do something horrifying, all so he could take on the burden of safeguarding the book of the Worm from any future misusers.
The show came close to capturing the frightening tone of Stephen King's short story. This series was certainly worth watching.
"The Worm That Doth Corrupt."