Season Review: Fright Krewe Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

An ancient prophecy and a Voodoo Queen put misfit teens in charge of saving New Orleans from the biggest demonic threat it’s faced in almost two centuries. But, honestly? Saving the world might be easier than becoming friends.

Our Take:

Much like its feature films, DreamWorks Animation has its share of hits and misses in the world of television streaming. It depends on the quality of its shows fit for all ages. So far, it has garnered some successful ones like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Trollhunters, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, mainly for their stories, characters, world-building, and representations. However, it isn’t without some bland yet occasionally watchable misfires, including ones based on existing properties like Madagascar and The Boss Baby. I only watched a handful of them based on my interests. However, they’re enough to clarify that the studio’s original shows put much effort into their creative concepts compared to some of the cheaply-made expansions of its famous brands. Seriously, who asked for two Boss Baby shows on Netflix?

On paper, DreamWorks’s latest original series, Fright Krewe, looked to be another solid example of the studio’s booming original programming slate. It was created by Eli Roth, known for his iconic splatter films like Cabin Fever and Hostel, and James Frey, who produced Queen & Slim and many others. Of course, Roth is no stranger to being involved in something less gory and more family-friendly, thanks to his directorial effort in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t shy away from the horrific things that go bump in the night, especially when it involves the supernatural.

With the series being out since October, you might wonder why I’m reviewing this spooky series during the holiday season. For starters, Fright Krewe is renewed for a second season, which is expected to launch sometime next year. Considering how it ended, I can’t say I’m surprised. That alone allows people, including me, to rewatch its first 10-episode season or experience it for the first time until then, mainly the latter. From my perspective, it bears the question of what other viewers see in the series that deserved another series of adventures for the unlikely team of young ghost hunters. Well, it’s easy to see that Fright Krewe serves plenty of creepily diverting moments to introduce young viewers to the supernatural horror genre. Unfortunately, it did nothing else besides that to provide something unique and thrilling to the misfit-teens-saving-the-world plot.

Fright Krewe is another series that uses its theme of friendship to depict characters from different backgrounds finding common ground to survive or save the world. Of course, they have their share of powers from the Loa backing them up. Soleil (Sydney Mikayla) is the Krewe’s leader and a horror fanatic with fire and wind abilities. Stanley (Chester Rushing) is the jock with intellectual powers. Missy (Grace Lu) is the mean girl and Soleil’s former best friend with super strength and a Rougarou curse. Pat (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) is the timid new kid who can hear the minds of people, critters, and spirits. Finally, Maybe, also known as Will, (Tim Johnson Jr.), can travel to the Shadow Realm, and I’m not talking about the one from Yu-Gi-Oh.

On the one hand, these characters deliver enough moments in their messages, voice cast, and personalities to maintain my slight interest in them. One example comes from the episodes “The Swamp” and “The Light”, which involves Pat finding the truth behind his father’s death, only to discover that a fairy known as the Feu Follet took his soul. These were the only episodes I liked the most due to their representation of overcoming loss and moving on, which is carried over to Mayor Furst regarding his loss of his wife. On the other hand, its by-the-numbers and underwhelming plot struggled to match the heights of similar shows involving friendship, teamwork, and the supernatural.

Sadly, the animation in Fright Krewe doesn’t help make the show better, either. While the backgrounds are respectable for the show’s atmosphere, I couldn’t say the same for everything else, especially the characters. Despite their approachable designs, the characters’s movements and facial expressions were surprisingly limited. While there’s one fight sequence in “The Craving” that I thought was okay, the rest of the series looked second-rate and stiff. The characters express their emotions a few times, but they hardly come close to fully emoting. I know there are some shows with a similar animation style that put some effort into making them appealing. Unfortunately, Fright Krewe isn’t that type of show, showcasing DreamWorks Animation’s desire to cut corners regarding the presentation in some of their shows.

Overall, Fright Krewe doesn’t pack enough frights or clever spins on the genre to maintain DreamWorks’s reputation of delivering television quality. Besides its passable voice cast and messages fit for young viewers, the series showcases that its formulaic characters, underwhelming seasonal plot, and stiff animation are more frightening than the vampires and rougarouses it depicted, and not in a good way. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen from DreamWorks Animation this year, as that title goes to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, in my personal opinion. However, it also doesn’t do much to get me excited for its upcoming second season like everyone else who liked it more than I did.