Bloody Disgusting’s “Shining Vale” review is spoiler-free.
Starz’s newest series, “Shining Vale” (trailer here) uses classic horror homages to comedic effect to capture domestic dysfunction. At the center of it is actress Courteney Cox, playing against type as a floundering author whose life is spiraling in the wake of an affair and a midlife crisis. The atypical characters and repurposed iconic horror scenes transform the familiar family sitcom format into a unique, era-bending horror-comedy depiction of inner demons.
Patricia “Pat” Phelps (Cox) was once a bestselling author of an erotic novel, but she’s since been stuck in a writer’s slump and unable to crack her second book. She’s been sober for nearly seventeen years but struggles with depression. Her husband Terry (Greg Kinnear) and her teenage kids Gaynor (Gus Birney) and Jake (Dylan Gage) barely want anything to do with Pat, not after she slept with the handyman. Pat and Terry decide to give their marriage a last-ditch effort by spending their savings on a creepy old house in Connecticut and uprooting their family to the suburbs. Pat has her inner demons to battle, but she notices their new home may have its own demons. If only her family would believe her…
It turns out that depression and possession share similar symptoms.
Written by series creator Jeff Astrof from a story he wrote with co-creator Sharon Horgan, “Shining Vale” adheres to the familiar beats of haunted house and possession horror. What makes it feel fresh is the blending of horror and television influences, along with Cox’s central performance. The house wastes no time letting both Pat and the viewer know that something is amiss; things go bump in the night, and ghostly visions are seen and experienced. Then there’s the trapped-in-time Rosemary (Mira Sorvino), an ambitious new friend to Pat. Her style and persona effectively blur timelines and eras the more the two interact.
So, too, do the town’s wholesome “Leave it to Beaver” vibes, creating a stark contrast for the flawed and dysfunctional Phelps family. Gaynor’s attempts to fit into her new high school, even going as far as to assimilate into the abstinence club for a crush, provide the most substantial connective tissue between the Phelps and the outside world. Beyond that, though, the focus remains on Pat’s tenuous grasp on her life and increasingly altered reality.
Iconic moments from The Shining, The Exorcist, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and more get repurposed in amusing ways throughout the series. Jack Torrance’s unforgettable, sinister warnings to not interrupt his work as Wendy offers sandwiches get lifted verbatim, reused in perfect context as Pat attempts to meet her deadlines. Pat’s new bathroom even resembles the infamous one in Room 237. A partygoer in a later episode hits the party favors a bit too hard and winds up peeing on the carpet in front of guests after uttering, “You’re going to die up there,” an homage to Regan in The Exorcist. It’s a perpetual wry wink to the greatest hits, yet “Shining Vale” finds clever ways to use them in context to Pat’s story.
Horror aside, it’s Cox’s performance that sets “Shining Vale” apart. Her comedic chops are on full display, but her authentic vulnerability grounds the series. The emotional turmoil that comes from disappointing her loved ones and the drive to succeed when everyone expects failure creates fertile ground for Cox to explore in engaging ways. Ageism, the potential for inherited mental illness, and romantic and career competition complicate matters and propel the narrative forward even when the demonic elements render the trajectory a bit more predictable. Sorvino also shines as a delightful foil having a ball.
Whether “Shining Vale” will eventually attempt to use its robust horror knowledge to subvert the tropes remains to be seen. So far, it’s a familiar and relatively predictable story that’s updated with a compellingly flawed lead in Cox, fantastic comedic supporting players, and entertaining uses of iconic horror moments.
Note: This “Shining Vale” review is based on the first seven episodes screened for critics.
“Shining Vale” premieres on March 6 on Starz.
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