Nature documentaries are sometimes marketed as consolation viewing. You place one on, study just a few info, admire the visuals, and perhaps go to sleep midway via. Nightmares of Nature could be very a lot not that type of present. Whereas Netflix‘s documentary collection Nightmares of Nature is concerning the pure world, it portrays it as a sinister place, like a scary film. And for essentially the most half, it’s. Predators are lurking at nighttime, ready to catch their subsequent meal. Security will be short-lived, and luck is normally the decider of who survives.
Informed through two speedy seasons and narrated by Maya Hawke, Nightmares of Nature makes animals’ lives appear anxiety-filled, typically violent, and extremely binge-watching-worthy. This isn’t a collection that you just simply activate to have within the background; it captures your consideration and does an amazing job of holding it.
‘Nightmares of Nature’ is a Horror Lens on the Pure World
Produced by Blumhouse Tv alongside Plimsoll Productions, Nightmares of Nature is constructed round a easy but efficient concept: to inform actual animal survival tales within the language of horror cinema. Every season consists of three episodes set in a single atmosphere, following a number of animals as their paths overlap. In Season One: Cabin within the Woods, the themes are trapped in a decaying rural cabin that seems secure till it turns into extremely harmful; in Season Two: Misplaced within the Jungle, the setting shifts to a dense Costa Rican junglewith an deserted analysis facility because the collection’ point of interest. The intent is to make use of horror iconography as the premise of the collection as a result of it really works.
The collection makes use of close-ups, point-of-view photographs, ominous sound cues, and gradual pacing to delay unsafe moments for so long as attainable. There’s an upfront disclaimer stating that some scenes are staged for readability and security, however the conduct itself is actual. When an animal is caught, it’s caught utterly; there isn’t a use of computer-generated imagery to smudge the perimeters.
Maya Hawke Units the Tone
Hawke’s narration contributes considerably to the collection’ success. The voice is gradual and cautious, with sufficient appearing to convey the horror context with out making the animals seem as cartoon villains or heroes.
Hawke has turn into a preferred title after enjoying Robin Buckley in Stranger Issues and has turn into one in all Netflix’s extra recognizable voices, so right here she emphasizes the environment over the exposition. She does not rush with the reasons and retains the stakes excessive — she normally doesn’t inform the viewers that issues are okay, since in lots of instances they don’t seem to be.
There are occasions when the narration nearly oversteps and tells the viewers how they need to really feel. As a rule, the narration offers added significance to moments that will in any other case have light into each other in a typical wildlife documentary.
‘Nightmares of Nature’ Was Designed for Brief, Intense Viewing
One in all Nightmares of Nature’s smartest decisions is its size. The collection has solely six episodesso it doesn’t really feel drawn out. Every season tells a narrative with an outlined arc and escalating pressure, somewhat than disconnected vignettes. The collection is visually interesting, with macro images that offers viewers an excessive close-up of the creatures’ claws, fangs, and swift actions. The slow-motion photographs permit the viewer to soak up essential moments of life or dying and create an impression of gore with out exceeding the bounds of a TV-PG ranking. The collection depicts the violence of the animal kingdom in a practical method.
The horror framing could not enchantment to all viewers; some could discover the dramatization overdone, and purists could favor a extra documentary type. Nonetheless, this creates friction that pursuits the viewer. It’s attempting to draw an viewers that may not in any other case watch this type of present.
Nightmares of Nature isn’t the scariest factor Netflix has ever launched, but it surely is among the extra ingenious. By borrowing horror’s construction and rhythm, it offers acquainted animal tales new urgency and emotional stakes. It’s the type of present that works finest briefly bursts — an episode or two at a time — earlier than you understand you’ve completed a whole season. For viewers in search of one thing totally different from the standard true crime or slasher rotation, that is a straightforward advice.