Feria: The Darkest Light
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Feria: The Darkest Light
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Feria: The Darkest Light is a creepy, supernatural thriller series set in 1995, following two teen sisters who wake up to find their lives permanently upended, when their parents become the primary suspects in a 23-victim cult-led murder-suicide. It's violent and scary with full-body nudity as well as abrupt scenes of blunt force violence, murder, forced drugging, and more. A man's body is chained to a wall in a tunnel of caves and is engulfed in explosive fire. After a mass suicide by poison gas, naked bodies are found in a bloody pool of stagnant water. A character budgeons another to death using a communion chalice, with bloody close-ups of the face and head. Eerie supernatural activities include demonic possession, religious ceremonies, and otherworldly creatures. The series is low on positive messages and role models, has a whisper of queer representation, and has one character with a visible disability: a villian. Since the series is set in a small, mountainous Spanish village, portraying characters smoking and drinking feels culturally appropriate. True: It's a gory, horror-mystery full of demon-fueled violence. Also true: There are emotionally valid explorations of sibling dynamics and the ways people grieve, as well as opportunities to discuss themes surrounding cult-like obsession and the social pressures within them.
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What's the Story?
Setting the story in a small picturesque village built into the Andalusian mountains of southern Spain, FERIA: THE DARKEST LIGHT, is a thriller that begins the morning after sisters Eva (Ana Tomeno) and Sofía (Carla Campra) spend the night at a bonfire party at the local quarry. They're frightened awake by the Spanish Civil Guard armed in tactical gear, raiding their home. Sitting down to speak with Guillén (Isak Férriz), the lead detective, they learn that their parents are the suspected leaders of a well-established demonic cult. A ritual sacrifice leaves the bodies of 23 members bleeding out near the entrance of a long-shuttered local mine just outside Sevilla. He shows them the security tape confirming their parents' involvement, leaving them even more confused. The sisters remain home in Feria, and end up expressing their grief and confusion in very different ways. Leaning on sibling stereotypes, Eva, the eldest, tries to stay pragmatic. Sofía, though, tries to understand her parents' disappearance by sinking deeper into the mystery alongside other cult followers.
Is It Any Good?
Even if you're apprehensive about mysteries, cultish intrigue, or gore, absorbing the "gore-geous" scenery from this stunning Andalusian mountainside village may be a worthy consolation. Dad jokes aside, Feria: The Darkest Light is a gratuitous Spanish horror series that is fun to binge but might be a little hard for young folks to follow as plot twists ebb and accumulate. Many teens will relate to the fragile but enduring dynamic between the siblings, and gore-loving families can tune in together in hopes of strengthening their bonds too. As the primary action takes place in 1995, those who fondly remember the waist-tied flannels of the mid-'90s will be gladly transported back in time by the curly phone cords and the angst-ridden music of Radiohead and other era-defining bands.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the two siblings in Feria: The Darkest Light react to their parents' disappearance. What does the story tell you about their personalities that might lead them to respond to this news in very different ways?
The citizens of this insular mountainside village begin to turn on the sisters as they reel from the lack of clarity about the deaths. If the villagers had supported the siblings in their loss, do you think the sisters would have grieved together instead? Why, or why not?
This thriller is full of plot twists, supernatural evils, and ever evolving mysteries. Did you find yourself guessing what would happen next or which characters were actually trustworthy? How does this type of storytelling build suspense?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 28, 2022
- Cast: Carla Campra, Ana Tomeno, Isak Férriz
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Brothers and Sisters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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