Cryptid - Season 1 - DVD

Content: Actually, it is a very typical shoving match between 18-year-old Niklas (Julius Fleischanderl) and his schoolmate Sebastian. But then Sebastian literally explodes in front of Niklas, which does not remain the only mysterious death at a high school in a small Swedish town. Niklas not only has to suffer from the fact that he is suspected by many to be to blame for Sebastian's death. His sister Lisa (Astrid Morberg) and he are also haunted by disturbing visions. All this seems to be connected to the supposed suicide of their mother seven years ago. Together with his friends, Niklas tries to find out who or what is behind the bloody deaths - but the mystery lurking beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the small town is much more monstrous and dangerous than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams.

The Swedish series "Cryptid" is a successful mix of mystery, horror and teen drama. From the first few minutes there is a bit of sex, a dose of drama and plenty of blood poured out in the best splatter style. While there are quite crude moments like this every now and then, the series thankfully doesn't rely too much on such shock effects. Rather, it tries to craft a mythology all its own, one that steadily thickens from episode to episode. That, where the whole thing leads to, is admittedly not 100% convincing. But despite some minor dramaturgical weaknesses, the ten episodes of this first (and hopefully not only) season are a lot of fun.

Because the episodes are not particularly long at just over twenty minutes each, the season can be "weg-bingen" very well at a stretch. The creators have managed to give the series a really captivating atmosphere, through which even some rather conventionally designed plot elements and stereotypically drawn characters work really well. Moreover, they skillfully avoided copying other genre series hits that focus on teenage protagonists. Of course, one feels reminded here and there of "Dark", "Stranger Things" or "Riverdale". Yet "Cryptid" always remains completely original and delightfully surprising.

Season 1 then offers something of a conclusion. But by the final scene, it is made quite clear. This story is not yet told to the end and a second season must absolutely still follow. Hopefully the creators will succeed again in this balanced mixture, which works really well in the first half of the season. So if you're in the mood for a lot of teen drama with some gore and mystery elements, you shouldn't miss this series. Absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The picture of the DVD is on a good to very good TV level. Coloration is very punchy and overall sharpness is particularly convincing in the brighter moments. In the darker scenes, there are a few isolated weaknesses in the sharpness of detail. Fortunately, you'll look in vain for smudges, really distracting blurs, or similar weak points. The audio is available in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, with well-executed sound effects bringing the surround channels into play in many scenes. Dialogue is also powerful, while being mixed rather directionally. Overall, quite clearly: good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there is no bonus material.

Conclusion: "Cryptid" is a successful mix of mystery, horror and teen drama. The Swedish series scores with an engaging atmosphere and successful plot twists. It's easy to forgive a few clichés and weaknesses in the dialogue. The 10 episodes are on the DVD in good picture and sound quality, only the lack of any extras is a negative. All in all, however, still a clear case of: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp