Jordskott
Episodes 1-2
Created by Henrik Bjorn
Starring Moa Gammel, Stina Sundlof, Johannes Brost, Hans Mosesson
Shudder
Release date: April 6, 2017

The Swedish horror series Jordskott made its American debut on AMC’s horror streaming service Shudder on Thursday, April 6th. The first two hour-long episodes (of ten total) are currently available with a new episode premiering each Thursday.

Created by Henrik Bjorn, Jordskott is a hard series to pin down. There are children disappearing and reappearing, strange parasitic illnesses, conspiracies, and ancient legends about the forest. Even the word is hard to translate as a Google search of “Jordskott” yields varied translations, most coming back to “earth shot” or something with “soil.” Whatever it means, the show blends police drama with the supernatural and creates an eerie, atmospheric, and uneasy world. Horror fans should take note of this, as it’s yet another binge-worthy series.

The centerpiece of Jordskott is Eva Thornblad (Moa Gammel), who looks like a young Cate Blanchett. She’s a SWAT negotiator put on administrative leave after putting herself at risk during a hostage situation. When her father commits suicide, she uses that as an excuse to return to her hometown of Silverhojd. Eva has altering motives. Years earlier her daughter disappeared and was presumed drowned, a story Eva never believed. A young boy has gone missing and it mirrors her daughter Josefine’s disappearance.

Soon strange things begin happening around Silverhojd. Her father’s will is mysteriously missing. A young girl (Stina Sundlof) turns up in the middle of the road wearing one of Josefine’s earrings… is it Josefine? A distraught Eva thinks so. Why does this girl react violently to a picture of Eva’s father? Eva has only two people she can seemingly rely on: one is her old doctor (Johannes Brost) and the other is a crazy old timer Olof (Hans Mosesson). She tracks down Olof and he agrees with her about her daughter and believes her father responsible in some kind of conspiracy plot.

This conspiracy is left ambiguous, but the kidnapped boy’s father is somehow involved as well as members of the police and soon people end up dead or left for dead. Olof believes it has to do with ancient prophecies about disturbing the forest, which Eva’s dad did by building a cellulose factory. The story so far plays like a horror version of a John Grisham saga. One minute you’re engrossed in a conspiracy, the next there’s a parasite-infected girl feeding off plants.

All I know is, 2 hours in and Jordskott is hypnotic and captivating. The Swedish landscapes are gorgeous and there are layers to the story I can’t wait to see get peeled away.

Jordskott is available now on Shudder. Shudder is $4.99 a month, and available on Roku or online at Shudder.com. The next episode of Jordskott releases on Thursday, April 13th.

Video

Jordskott (A Shudder Exclusive) – Official Trailer

Jordskott (A Shudder Exclusive) – Episode 1 (Clip #1)