I originally wanted to write this when I had finished Season 1 of From, but uh…I ended up binging all the first season in a few days. So, the next best option was to do Seasons 1 AND 2.
Hopefully you can see a pattern already. Yes, I couldn’t help myself and binged all of Season 3, in one day might I add.
So, because of my lack of self-control, I’m now writing this based on all available seasons instead. I’m keeping this review as spoiler free as possible due to the type of show it is.
I’ll give you a short synopsis of the show in case you’ve never heard of it before. From is a mystery-box horror TV-series from MGM+. It’s about a town that if anyone enters, no one can leave. If that wasn’t bad enough, at night no one can go outside or open their windows/doors because monsters, or as I call them, weird freaks, come out and kill anyone who let’s them in or dares to go outside. No one knows where this place is, nor do they know why they can’t leave. You can also check out a trailer for Season 1 here.
Here’s what I thought about the show.
// Point 1: What’s in the Box?
As mentioned previously, From is a mystery-box style show. Now even though I know mystery-boxes can have multiple layers to them, I’d honestly refer to From as a Russian Nesting Doll mystery-box type show with the number of unknowns this show has. Just from the first episode alone, you already get questions like:
- Where is Fromville?
- Why can’t people leave?
- Why are there weird freaks roaming around?
- Why are they murdering the townspeople?
- Why do the talismans keep them out?
- Why does the jukebox keep turning on randomly?
- Follow-up question: Why does the song seem relevant?
- What’s the significance of the tree in the road?
- Why does everyone see it?
And again, that’s just the first episode. The rest of the season and the subsequent seasons only raise more.
The reason I find mystery-box shows so fun is because you get to come up with your own theories for why something is the way it is until the show potentially answers the question. I unfortunately cannot mention some of the theories I have since that’s spoiler territory but I have quite a few now. And that’s what attracted me to this show. I don’t like just being given the solution to a mystery right away. I like trying to figure out why myself only for something else to get tossed into the mix and have to figure out why for that too.
Since I’ve watched all three seasons, I will say I still don’t have all the answers to the questions raised by each season. I have some, but not all. I’ve seen some complaints online about this, but I personally don’t hold the same position. I don’t really care that I don’t have all the answers. We have some and there’s still another season coming out (5 seasons are planned). Patience seems to be a running theme in aspects of this show, anyway. Just gives me the chance to come up with my own theories until we learn more.
I also don’t know if I want all the questions answered. Sometimes aspects in horror media are better left unanswered. It leaves room for some mystery. Plus, even in real life, we don’t have all the answers for everything. Why should it be any different in media?
// Point 2: The Characters
One of the complaints I saw online is a lot of the characters’ problems could be solved by talking to each other. There is some truth to that, but I think it ignores the effect the town has on its people. The townspeople of Fromville are trying to live as normal as possible, but the dangers the town poses affect everyone psychologically. Living under constant threat will change people, making them less trusting and willing to open up to others. So for me, it makes sense when characters aren’t always forthcoming with information. There’s also instances where sharing information would mean endangering a loved one, and if you’re fortunate still to have family in this town, you’re going to be less likely to fess up.
I also really like the cast of characters in this show. They all deal and respond to the horrors of the town differently. The one thing that seems constant for everyone is they all think they’ll be the one to get them out of the town, but how they come to that conclusion differs. Some think they’ll find the key to going back home in the surrounding forests, others think the answers lie in the mysteries in the town itself, while some experience something darker, thinking it’ll help. Whatever the means, every single resident has gone through it.
One of the most recurring lines you’ll hear is characters telling others, “you either adapt or lose your mind”. And that’s what you see the townspeople do: adapt. Some have been there for a long time, so they’ve already adapted—this is just their new normal. But for others, like the Matthews family and Jade who both have the displeasure of being new residents of the town in the very first episode, they both have to learn to adapt to this new normal, or else. And you do get to see that happen to them, for better or for worse.
Despite them being unable to communicate well, the townspeople do support one another. When someone goes through something traumatic, characters are there for them and remind them that whatever happened is not their fault but the town’s fault. There are absolutely some instances where yes, the character is 100% at fault, but this line only comes up when something happens that *could* be blamed on the character. It just goes to show, despite their flaws, they are trying their best to get through this shitty situation together.
My final point is less about the characters and more about the actors who play them. There are a lot of smaller, not well-known actors in this show. I think I’ve only seen a few of them in something else before. I feel like this works in the show’s favour. Instead of focusing on certain characters because you’re familiar with the actor, you’re just focusing on the characters themselves. I find it helps in getting to know the characters better. You have no preconceived biases and instead you get to find your favourites through the story progressing.
// Point 3: Sound Design
Ever since I got a good set of headphones, I wear them whenever I consume any type of media, including while I was watching From. I was able to pick up on more subtle sound design choices that way, which really made From’s environment seem more unsettling and uncomfortable. There were times when characters would be talking inside various locations, and you’d be able to hear the creaking of floorboards from somewhere within the place. There would be no music either during moments like these, just dialogue and any other environmental sounds. The homes in Fromville are rather old so it makes sense they’d creak and groan, but considering how dangerous the town is, it gives a sense of dread too. Is something in the house, listening, watching? There’s a lot we still don’t know so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility but the not knowing when you hear those sounds makes the show feel creepier.
A personal anecdote: while I was watching From in the evening, during one of these quiet moments in the show where you could hear the house making sounds during dialogue, I started hearing a scratching noise. It scared the shit out of me, but initially I thought it was in the show. It kept happening so I paused and took my headphones off. Sure enough, it was something on my roof, not the show. I laughed it off after, but it really blew my mind just how seamless it felt with the show. I just thought it was another house noise in the show since it was already creaking. I don’t know if it would have creeped me out as much had there been music over that part.
// Point 4: What Goes Shriek in the Night?
I really enjoy the weird freaks in From. As you’ll very quickly see in episode 1 of Season 1, the weird freaks have a more monstrous form, but it’s not that form that I find scary. Sure, it’s not something pretty to look at but monsters are monsters, you know? They’re supposed to be scary to look at. It’s the form that they appear to the townspeople I find scarier—they just look like humans. If you’re new to town, and you hear someone knocking on your window, asking to be let in because of x, y and z, only to open the shades to find a person standing there, well wouldn’t you let them in? I mean, they’re asking for your help. Maybe you personally wouldn’t, but there are certainly people who would. And that’s how the weird freaks get you—they play on that desire to help, since they just look and sound like us. It’s what makes them so effective and terrifying as monsters, not just what they can do once they get you.
The other thing that makes them an interesting threat it how they lure the townspeople. It’s not just that they look like humans that does it, it’s the things they say and do that does. They say anything they can to get you to open the door. Trying to make it seem like they’re someone you know, a friend, maybe your grandma. Other times they just toy with you, trying to get in your head to enrage you. They’re predators and they know how to lure their prey.
There’s a throwaway line when a couple of characters are talking about the weird freaks. They mention that the weird freaks don’t have to run to catch anyone because they’ve got nothing but time. I’m choosing to include this line because it’s something you’ll pick up in the first couple of episodes anyway. These things don’t chase after anyone who does go outside for whatever reason after dark. They just walk and flank. It’s scary how calm they are when they’re hunting. Even when they do get close to someone, even if that person is about to head inside, they don’t give chase. They just walk, with a smile. Super freaky stuff.
I think the reason for their calm and collected demeanour is just to further toy and torture those in the town. Even when they are killing the townspeople, they’re not quick about it. They take it slow, torturing their victims. There are other ways they torture people too but that’s going into more spoiler territory, so you’ll just have to watch and find out for yourself.
// Final Thoughts
I really liked From. It’s not perfect and does have flaws but they didn’t diminish from the story and its many mysteries. I did legitimately get scared from it a few times too. There were a few nights where I watched it late into the night and that was probably a bad idea. I went around my very dark house at night with my cell light, not looking at the windows after I finished watching.
If you like mystery-box like shows and are a fan of horror, I highly recommend giving it a shot!
Seasons 1-3 of From can be watched on Paramount+. Season 4 has been renewed and will drop sometime in 2026.
