Santa Clarita Diet
Greetings, ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ is a horror comedy television series that was created by Victor Fresco and ran from 2017 to 2019. During this time, it aired 30 episodes across 3 seasons before being cancelled by Netflix after a particularly intriguing cliff-hanger. The principal cast consists of Drew Barrymore who came to prominence as a child actress in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ and Timothy Olyphant who had a primary role in the 2010 remake of ‘The Crazies’. Liv Hewson plays their daughter but her acting credits so far are fairly limited while Skyler Gisondo, who stared in ‘Liquorice Pizza’ in addition to this year’s ‘Superman’, is another major cast member. Other performers include Mary Elizabeth Ellis who was in ‘Liquorice Pizza’ too and Natalie Morales who had a recurring role in ‘Parks and Recreation’. ‘Firefly’ stars Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk are also part of the team. Tudyk took over Fillion’s role for the third season when he was unavailable. The score was composed by John Debney, who was also involved in ‘The Relic’ and ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, and Jeff Russo who contributed to the ‘Fargo’ TV show.
As can be gleamed from the title, the series is set in California’s Santa Clarita. It follows husband and wife realtors Sheila and Joel Hammond who are the parents of impulsive teenage girl Abby. During a house viewing with prospective buyers, the timid Sheila suddenly becomes sick and vomits an amount that is far beyond normal. She thinks she somehow hurled up an internal organ of hers as a fleshy red ball was discovered on the floor. A panicked Joel takes Sheila to the emergency department but they leave once it is clear they aren’t going to be seen any time soon. In the days following the disturbing occurrence, Joel is starting to notice that his wife is acting somewhat strangely but Sheila insists that she has never felt better. The unusual behaviours include her acting recklessly were she once would had been risk averse and her being consumed by a ravenous sexual appetite. The strangest phenomena is when they discover that Sheila no longer has a heartbeat. Confused by what it all means, Joel takes her next door to be inspected by the nerdy neighbour named Eric as he is interested in all sorts of weird subjects.
Eric, one of Abbey’s school friends, comes to the conclusion that Sheila is the living dead and that she is being driven entirely by the primal impulses of her Id. He also warns that she will need to consume human flesh and that she will likely begin to decompose and literally fall apart in time. Worryingly he also informs Joel that he may have to kill her himself if she turns feral. Later on the increasingly free spirited Sheila is at a bar where she dances with new realtor Gary, who is successfully taking their customers out from under them, as she finds him attractive. Despite her overwhelming desire to sleep with him, she stays loyal to Joel and goes home alone. The next day Gary turns up at the Hammond household where he finds Sheila gardening. Unhappy with how the other night ended Gary tries to force himself on Sheila but is taken by complete surprise when she starts mauling him. Joel is struggling with all the madness that is happening to his wife but he clings to the hope that he and Sheila can somehow make it through. He wanders into the garden and looks on terrified at the gruesome sight of his wife eating Gary.
I didn’t know much about ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ except for its cannibalistic elements before taking the plunge but it had been on my watch list for years. Once I did finally sit down to see it, I wasn’t overly struck and thought it was going to be a clichéd sitcom but I’m glad to say that the show founds its footing after a few episodes. Even though some of the jokes could be seen a mile away and character’s decisions became predictable early on, I still found it endearing and looked forward to the next episode as they often ended on a cliff-hanger. The show builds up an interesting and unique lore to explain the history of zombification. It is also revealed in the first season that there is an ancient order of hunters that slay the undead which imperils Sheila and Joel. If you’re looking for something a bit different and don’t mind the light gore, ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ might be the show for you.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing. So now, I must shed innocent blood. Come with me.
Candyman
Candyman
