Photo by: Chris Reardon/MGM+
This From Season 2 premiere review contains minor spoilers
Imagine you’re traveling cross-country on a typical vacation, but it quickly turns into an unimaginable nightmare that you can’t get out of. Think Lost with a splash of Midnight Mass, and you get the MGM+, formerly EPIX, series From.
Created by John Griffin, From tells the story of a small town in the middle of nowhere that traps anyone who enters. At night terrifying creatures roam the land and it’s best to remain indoors until daybreak. The first season premiered in February 2022 and the second season kicked off on Sunday, April 23. Harold Perrineau and Eion Bailey lead the cast with Catalina Sandino Moreno, Simon Webster, Hannah Cheramy, Scott McCord, Ricky He, Chloe Van Landschoot, Corteon Moore, David Alpay, Elizabeth Moy, Pegah Ghafoori, Elizabeth Saunders, and Avery Konrad making up the ensemble cast.
From is one of those horror shows that not only stretches the genre’s creativity, but perfectly paces the tension as the secrets of the town unfold. The season 2 premiere gave viewers an inkling of what the 10-episode journey will have in store.
More Residents. More Secrets
The new season picks up right where the season one finale left off. Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau) is stuck at the bottom of a well after walking through a Faraway Tree, Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and Victor (Scott McCord) are in the underbelly of the mysterious town where the monsters sleep, and the rest of the residents of the town are gathered at Colony House trying to contact anyone with their makeshift radio, but when they do get a signal a shocking turn of events informs viewers that the people of the town are being watched.
In the “Strangers in a Strange Land” season 2 premiere episode, the aftermath of that call begins to unfold as new residents arrive in the town via bus. Knowing what will become of them if they don’t learn quickly what predicament they are now trapped in, the older residents try to aid the newcomers the best way they can. One of the newcomers who arrives on the bus is Elgin (Nathan D. Simmons), a man who appears to have had some sort of premonition about the town. His addition to the cast almost mirrors Sara Myers (Avery Konrad), who also has some sort of connection to the town.
From already had a great core of characters viewers are still getting to know as their backstories continue to be explored. The new additions might be overwhelming, but the season two premiere slowly introduced a few of the newcomers which is a needed balance with bringing on new characters. David Alpay’s Jade character remains a comic relief in the series as Elizabeth Saunders’s Donna character further depicts her badass leadership skills which will be very useful with the scared newcomers.
Just a Hint of Fear
One of the best things about From is that it truly is a frightening show. Although the monsters on the show appear human, they are some of the most terrifying creatures I’ve ever seen, and this is coming from a horror lover. There were a few moments of fear in the season two premiere, but they were mainly tension based filled with anticipation of what could happen. I found myself holding my breath waiting for something scary to happen, but it didn’t. That only adds to the essence of why From works well as a horror show. It’s heavily based on the unknown.
Viewers still don’t know how the town came to be, what the monsters really are, how the residents can escape, and how they got trapped there in the first place. It seems just when viewers get an answer to one mystery another begins to unfold. From is a continuous Pandora’s Box that keeps viewers invested in the story of the characters and anxious to uncover the truth about the mysterious town.
New episodes of From drop Sundays on MGM+.
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Amber Dover is a multimedia journalist with over a decade writing about pop culture. Cat mom with a deep love of horror, you can follow Amber at @Glambergirlblog on Instagram and Twitter.
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