Marianne Series Review: Madame Daugeron Will Scare The Hell Out Of You

Best selling author Emma Larismon (Victoire du Bois) is drawn back to her childhood home-- the coastal town of Elden, France. She's been away for 15 years. In Emma's novels, a character named Lizzy Larck battles an evil witch named Marianne. Emma is tired of writing the story so she kills off Lizzy. Her friend's mother (Madame Daugeron) is none too happy. She tells Emma to keep writing or everything in her stories will come true. Marianne will take everyone Emma cares about-- one by one. She reminds Emma that Marianne never leaves empty handed.

Madame Daugeron is one of the best new horror villains. She is truly horrifying. Her expressions are all "off". She pulls out her teeth and cuts off little patches of flesh. They are left around town as "witch charms". She drives her daughter to suicide. She wets herself. She levitates. She scares neighborhood children. You do not want to mess with this lady.

Emma's assistant is Camille (Lucie Boujenah). She tries to provide a much needed moral compass because Emma is a mess. We meet Emma's long suffering parents. They spent an uncomfortable amount of time naked. We also learn the backstory of Emma's five childhood friends (known as The Shipwreck Gang). They are Seby (who Emma has a thing for), Arnaud (AKA No No), Tonio (Arnaud's brother), Aurore (who has a thing for Arnaud) and Caro (mostly in flashbacks).

Inspector Ronan is gradually drawn into the strange happenings. There's also a local priest Father Xavier who has a big dog. Hes been terrorizing the kids for years for some reason.

The series takes place over eight days which coincide with the nursery rhyme-- "Born on a Tuesday, happy on a Wednesday, married on a Thursday, witch on a Friday, caught on a Saturday, executed on a Monday, buried on a Tuesday".

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). "Marianne" might be one of NetFlix's best horror series (right after "The Haunting Of Hill House" to which it is often compared). Both are about unresolved childhood drama that comes back to haunt you. With just eight 40-ish minute episodes, "Marianne" a super fast watch. Yes, the show is in French. Just turn on the subtitles. It's WELL worth a watch. Everything about "Marianne" clicks. The aerial scenes of the coastal town, the lighthouse and the waves crashing against the shore really add to the atmosphere. The cinematography is great. There are lots of shots of holes-- holes in books, holes in the ground, holes in the wall etc. The mythology is novel and interesting. All of the actors are excellent. Madame Daugeron will scare the pants off of you. Mireille Herbstmeyer's performance is riveting. She is now near the top of my list of favorite horror villains. My only criticism of the series is that we didnt see more of her. Poor Emma. Have you learned nothing from Anne Wilkes in "Misery"? If your number 1 fan wants you to keep writing, you keep writing!