On first thought, a nature documentary may not be the first thing to put on for the Halloween season. Sure, nature can be horrifying, but it lacks the narrative of whichever October slasher reboot comes around this time of year.
But the new Netflix documentary series, “Nightmares of Nature,” changes all of that. The show combines the grisly thrill of horror narratives with the informative appeal of nature documentaries to show the natural world at its prettiest and ugliest.
The first season, titled “Cabin in the Woods,” came out on Tuesday, Sept. 30, consisting of three episodes of approximately 45 minutes each. Every episode was directed by Nathan Small and narrated by Maya Hawke, an actress famous for her role in the Netflix series “Stranger Things.” The season follows the adventures of a pregnant mouse, a raccoon and a young American bullfrog as they try to survive in the same plot of woods.
“Nightmares of Nature” is not just a recount of these animals’ behaviors as they happen naturally. Instead, they feel like characters involved in a dramatic plot, scurrying around for food while avoiding the many creatures willing to hunt them. It’s a big, connected story, one that feels deliberately crafted by the makers.
The pregnant mouse must avoid hawks, snakes and other preying eyes, while also finding enough food and shelter to give birth. The bullfrog is forced into hiding, traumatized by aquatic terrors from life as a tadpole and fearing the cannibalistic impulses of larger bullfrogs. The raccoon has less to worry about when it comes to being hunted but must become a better hunter himself or risk starvation.
While each animal has their distinct narrative, there are also indirect interactions that occur between them, building up to a potential meeting later in the season. There’s a scene of the racoon declining to eat a hognose snake after it plays dead, and soon after, a hognose snake slithers around the bullfrog’s hiding place. Later on, the racoon ends up indirectly providing food for the mouse in a foreboding cabin. It speaks to the interconnectedness of nature, though it can feel too staged at times.
The most stunning feature of the documentary is the visuals. There are unforgettable close-ups of the animal protagonists, stunning captures of creatures munching on each other from multiple angles and dramatic slow-motion clips of intense action. Netflix marks the documentary with a TV-PG rating, but the series isn’t afraid to show the piercing, gouging, bleeding and swallowing realities of the outdoors.
Hawke’s narration does a good job establishing the suspenseful tone. She speaks at a measured, spooky pace that carries the weight of these unforgiving scenes of nature. Sometimes, she can feel too present in the story, clashing with the visuals and making the scenes seem catered to humans at the expense of feeling natural.
The distracting narration is most apparent when Hawke makes snarky remarks about how gross something is or makes a surprised exclamation from the point of view of an animal. Considering the TV-PG rating, these interjections aren’t unexpected, but they do stick out. On the contrary, she does a great job enhancing some of the nastiness when she breaks down exactly what’s going on. The gruesomeness of what looked like an ordinary scene of a hognose snake eating a bullfrog doubled when she described how the snake’s fangs were “popping” the puffed-up frog.
The sound design has similar highs and lows, including moments where environmental noises and brief, unexpected swells of music are used to help amplify the tension tastefully. However, some scenes use an intrusive, suspenseful score that would better fit an action-movie.
As a whole, “Nightmares of Nature” succeeds in delivering a unique approach to nature documentaries, one that not only borrows dramatic elements, but also the narrative, from horror movies. Even with the emphasis on scariness and the interconnected story, there’s a lot of insightful information delivered to the audience.
I can see this series really resonating with younger audiences who might be genuinely frightened by the presentation and see the animal protagonists as admirable friends. But I couldn’t get as invested in the overly present narration and contrived story, which lacked the distance and authenticity of more traditional nature documentaries.
The second season of “Nightmares of Nature,” called “Lost in the Jungle,” was directed by Charlotte Lathane and will premiere on Oct. 28.
Rating: 3/5
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