the first 2/3rd of the series was incredibly intriguing and I really enjoyed, but the last 1/3 was where they dropped the ball. it was sloppy, characters acting for the plot-sake out of their characters, jarringly bad CGI, very fast paced compared to before (especially the last episode). they clearly only put a cliffhanger so they'll get a 2nd season. overall, very promising at the beginning, but ending was a let down. 7/10. u

It is a shame that this was canceled already. I really enjoyed the first season.

Surprisingly enjoyable. The mystery is interesting, builds well upon itself, and keeps you watching to see what's going on. Overall I hated only the performance of the main character, who l think could have been replaced with a cardboard cutout without any loss. [spoiler] Luckily as the show progresses he becomes more of a side character and the story is not about him. Also too bad the story is not contained in the season, as it does not answer everything and the ending is quite open. Hopefully, a second season is made.[/spoiler]

Twist on the "found footage" genre in that the "found" footage was damaged in an apartment fire, and is now being restored by someone whose family was killed in a house fire, and now turn up on the film he's been hired to restore. I smell an onion metaphor coming on.

What the heck were the Netflix execs thinking when they binned this?? This was a really promising saga

A true insult to the podcast. Does not deserve to share the same name of such an incredible story. Also lets not forget that they made Melody straight. Disgusting. If i could, my rating would be countless numbers below 0.

Good series if you're into mystery. Cthulhu meets X-Files meets Sliver meets Blair Witch.

GOOD
- intriguing lore (the statue, the mold, the cult, the compound, the black ink)
- plot is well-done and interesting
- some good actors and interesting characters

BAD
- protagonist is forgettable and no good actor
- ending of first season is decent at best, disappointing for some

Overall: despite its flaws definitely worth you're time if you're into X-Files style mystery without actual horror.

OMG finished this show in one day. I was really impressed! I did NOT think that it was going to get that convoluted and twisted. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a show and have been like wait wtf?? At the end (but in a good way). So many plot twists and so much deeper than I thought. The ending was :asterisk_symbol:chefs kiss:asterisk_symbol: so good. It sets up the next season very well. New recommendation for sure!

This is some good stuff.

[spoiler]
I just wish it didn't go full blown demonic shit and instead kept it mysterious with more mind bending elements.
But it's alright so far, all though it's starting to get a little bit cliché.
[/spoiler]

Episode 7 next!

I feel like Archive 81 is a show the Netflix content algorithm would spew out. It's seemingly a collage of various interests and styles without really having something holding it together [spoiler](we got podcasts, a guy alone in the woods inside a modernist house, the mysterious groundkeeper, big corporation coverups, secret research labs, two churches on the same grounds, secret cults, ominous sounds and voices, demons, medieval witchcraft, possessions, religion, alternate dimensions, reality bending and betcha the true crime sells)[/spoiler]. As to be expected the pace is quite slow thanks to the very gimmicky "found footage" tie in and not made more interesting by dull performances - the show really becomes way too meta in the video watching segments. I'll probably just read the spoilers rather than finishing it...

Well, I've made my comments in a couple of episodes. Just want to say the overall show is very well written, it starts quiet and slow, the mistery unfolds episode after episode at the right rhythm, forcing the viewer to an inevitable binge watching. This is what makes a good TV series.

Ooooh, mysterious, slow, creepy vibes! There aren't many jump scares, which is a good thing, imo. More twists that change your perspective, which are a longer lasting fun.

It started off really good but the last episodes are so meh...

it was interesting and mind blowing, especially, towards the end. it also had creepy vibes in it. however, it was slow paced that some episodes bored me.

Usually terror content is pretty bad. This one was pretty good, what a pleasant surprise.

had a rosemary baby type feel to it everybody felt shady and slimey even his best friend looked like he was hiding something from Dan didnt like the end but anticipating Season 2!!

Just finished the season. It was really good, a nice twist to the usual found footage media. There is only one thing to critique, and is that for me, this should have been a one-season-only show. That semi-open ending was not of my linking. I would have prefered a tidy, closing one; but nowadays they make every show to continue it at least for three or four seasons. There is a big downside in this, that if Netflix choose to cancel it (which is pretty common), the story stays wide open. Also, the theme itself was pretty good for the episodes given, but i don't think it can be stretched to a second season without derailing to much. Shit, i would have even take a couple more episodes if it mean that the story could have been auto-conclusive. Don't know why this got me so mad, but i really liked this and got hooked up really good, but this final move caught me off-guard. Anyway, let's hope S2 is green-light and let's wait like 2 years to see how it goes.

I took my time to watch it because at first it looked quite nice. The first few episodes set up what seems to be a nice found footage suspense show. I got to understand where it was going and wanted to know more. But then it starts descending…

[spoiler]The common sense in the main characters is thrown out the window. It comes to a point that you just don’t believe in the story arc anymore because it feels forced by the on-purpose poor decision making.[/spoiler]

By the end I hated the main characters so much that [spoiler]I couldn’t be bothered by him theoretically being stuck in 1994 or trapped in the otherworld.[/spoiler]

Anyways, it’s one of those shows that’s different for everyone and it’s only 8 episodes, so I would advice to give it a shot.

Really liked this show as ti was something different.The start is very promissing and i can't say it dissapoints but overall in the last two episodes i believe they could have done bettter.Music is really creapy,the atmosphere is dark and mystery is everywhere.The script becomes more and more blow mind so if you like this kind go and watch this.If you don't like horror stuff,or paranormal-blow mind things don't waste your time. 7.4/10

Hated this. Slow and boring

I'm not usually a "the books were better" type of person but in this case I feel the podcast is better. As a visual show I feel its more interesting than a lot of things out there and I feel it's definitely worth the watch but I'd also recommend listening to the podcast. Some of the changes don't really make sense to me like turning Jesse into Jess (and changing his/her role in things) as well as other behavioral changes that seem to be more pandering than to improve upon the story. As a story from 2016 I don't think anything needed to be changed, there was nothing exclusionary or offensive to any group that I could see. I'm trying not to be too overly critical of this as I watch each episode but some changes just feel off compared to the original. Any ways, I'd rather have this as is than nothing at all. I just hope they don't have to go too far down the suspension of common sense highway to make this visual version of the story work.

More intrigue than horror. Some weirdness, but the only thing creepy about the series is the music.

The style is amazing. The way the story is told is really well done. The cinematic aspects are also fairly good. The plot is 5 episodes stretched to 8.

The main characters are annoying, not interesting. Character motivations make no sense at times and they act chaotically. This could have been so much better with some really minor tweaks to the characters and more substance to the plot at several points. The shows makes some events seem like they are really big reveals, but they aren't. It's almost like the details weren't worked out well enough, so there is hand waving and avoidance. Too much screen time is given to boring topics. The really interesting stuff is underdeveloped.

This show is carried by the minor characters. The two main characters are generally a detriment to the show, but the minor characters are far more interesting and well written/acted.