Ares
I am a sucker for the Netflix recommendation engine, and so when the show Ares was plastered all over my home page for the past week, I finally gave up and gave it a shot.
The series is a Netflix original, and while I thought it meant that this was just one of those overseas shows Netflix grabs the license for once it already has aired abroad, that isn’t the case here. This is an original Dutch series made by Netflix specifically, and I genuinely can’t remember if I’ve ever watched a Dutch language show before. But get over your fear of subtitles and dive into it, as if you’re a horror fan, I think it’s a worthwhile watch.
Ares is short, extremely short. It’s only eight episodes long, and each of those are only 25-30 minutes total, making this just short of a four hour experience in total, Mandalorian-style. It’s essentially a very long horror movie, and while I suppose it could return for another season, the first season does end somewhat…conclusively, shall we say.
The story follows Rosa, a biracial medical student who gets inducted into Ares, a secret society in Holland that is mostly full of rich, white, generational members, so her inclusion ruffles a few feathers, to say the least.
The entire series takes place almost entirely within the Ares complex itself, and it turns the traditional “secret society” story on its head in many ways, as you quickly learn that the order exists as a way to secure prosperity for Holland by keeping…something in check, something scary and dark that lives chained in the basement.
The horror is not what happens to poor young Rosa per se, but rather it’s the society itself that comes under siege from a rash of brutal suicides of many of its most promising members. Rosa quickly finds herself rising in the ranks and unlocking the secrets of Ares as the series hurdles toward a blockbuster finale that I would absolutely make sure you make it to.
Ares
If I had to compare Ares to similar horror projects, the most obvious one is probably the recent Suspiria remake with Dakota Johnson, as the secret society vibes are incredibly similar. Tone-wise, and in terms of visuals, I actually got a lot of Hannibal vibes, the NBC show, not the movie. I don’t think Ares is as good as either Suspiria or Hannibal, mind you, but I definitely think it’s worth the eight short episodes.
This is one of those series where it’s worth staying for the ending alone. It can be rather slow moving, minus its fits of brutal ultra-violence, many of which will stay with you, even if you’re a horror veteran, but by the end I really appreciated the final reveals of the various secrets of Ares, its past and its monster, though I won’t say more than that.
If that was some sprawling 16 episode, hour long series, I may not give it a recommendation. But I think Ares is interesting enough to not overstay its welcome, and it benefits from being this short, an easy series to get through in an afternoon or two like I just did. I wouldn’t mind this being the end of the series after just one season (you’ll see why), but I would certainly be curious to see what on earth they would have planned for season two to try and top this.
In a sea of Netflix original overload, Ares is worth a few hours. Let me know what you think of it.
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