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Season 1 – Archive 81

Play trailer 2:19 Poster for Season 1 – Archive 81 Jan 2022 Drama Mystery & Thriller Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
An archivist takes a job restoring damaged videotapes and gets pulled into a mystery involving the missing director and a demonic cult.
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Archive 81 — Season 1

Archive 81 — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

An intriguing blend of horror and noir, Archive 81 offers addictive supernatural thrills that are haunting in the best way.

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Critics Reviews

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Brad Newsome Sydney Morning Herald 01/28/2022
A slow burn rather than a carnival ride of scares. Go to Full Review
Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya Autostraddle 01/27/2022
Jump-scares and quick hits of horror come from those elements, but the most unnerving parts of the series hinge on the deep dread of isolation. Go to Full Review
Alison Stine Salon.com 01/26/2022
Video is alluring as a medium. And in Netflix's mystery series Archive 81, it takes on a power as mysterious and majestic as Cthulhu. Go to Full Review
Stephanie Malone Morbidly Beautiful 06/20/2024
4/5
Visually striking and gorgeously cinematic, an unnervingly haunting score ensures a constant state of nervous unease. With echoes of series greats like LOST and TWIN PEAKS, it asks intriguing questions and leaves you ravenous for answers. Go to Full Review
Nuha Hassan Hear Us Scream 07/21/2023
The drama and horror features will rope the viewer into the series slowly, however, it takes time for the suspense to build up. Go to Full Review
Meara Isenberg CNET 04/06/2023
Archive 81 is worth digging out of Netflix's vault. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Cindy M. @Cindymur May 25 I love James Wan but Archive81 was good in parts good thriller See more Clayton H. @Otrclayclay444 May 25 This is really good it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. See more Bill P @RT28912689 Mar 3 Not bad, but I can see why Netfilx didn't renew it. It's a good, mysterious, fantasy/horror series for people who like this and have some patience. It suffers from what a lot of serial horror and sci-fi fall into: plodding. Almost every episode has a two or three minute sequence of walking down a dark hallway or basement or other creepy but boring environment. Each episode piles on the mystery and doesn't move the plot along much. It's not a bad gag, and the cast is great, but few people would be writing about it and telling their friends,. "you have to see this" which is what Netflix was hoping for. See more David D @Viscro Feb 3 This is some of the best slow burn mystery horror out there. It's a crime that this never got a 2nd season. It ends on a huge cliffhanger too, which makes it even worse. See more Paul M @Cubone114 Jan 30 I enjoyed the series — it’s quite gripping and very mysterious. Nothing is as it seems at first. Over time, however, it drifts too much into a supernatural, sci-fi-like direction for my taste. What really convinced me was the dark atmosphere and the uncomfortable, oppressive feeling of being watched. The sound design is great in places, but sometimes a bit too much. I’m deducting points because, in my opinion, there are some plot holes and decisions made by the protagonists that don’t make sense. See more Led 9 @Mr.James Jan 2 This was a great show. Was disappointed we never got a 2nd season. See more Read all reviews
Archive 81 — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jan 14, 2022 Mystery Signals Haunted by a family tragedy, Dan begins to restore videotapes for a cryptic film; he's startled to learn of his connection to their missing creator. Details Episode 2 Aired Jan 14, 2022 Wellspring Messages from the dead arrive while Dan follows Melody on her investigation into the Visser. Details Episode 3 Aired Jan 14, 2022 Terror in the Aisles The past loops back around as Melody returns to Steven with Jess; Mark checks out a find; Dan tries to map his situation, but he may be losing his way. Details Episode 4 Aired Jan 14, 2022 Spirit Receivers In the woods, Dan encounters the unexpected; in the tapes, Melody learns about the cult and makes contact during a shocking séance. Details Episode 5 Aired Jan 14, 2022 Through the Looking Glass The past blurs into the present when Melody visits a forbidden floor in search of an inspired Anabelle; music leads to lost souls and revelations. Details Episode 6 Aired Jan 14, 2022 The Circle Panic grows when Dan learns about his predecessor and Melody tries to track the source of the Visser's dangers. Details Episode 7 Aired Jan 14, 2022 The Ferryman The veil drops from a cursed film's origins; at the Vos Mansion in 1924, Iris recruits Rose for a blood ritual; Dan knows he must find Anabelle. Details Episode 8 Aired Jan 14, 2022 What Lies Beneath The Otherworld beckons; Melody circles back to the Visser, where a new devices captures a sacrifice; much depends on Dan's journey into the unknown. Details
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Season Info

Creator
Rebecca Sonnenshine
Executive Producer
Rebecca Thomas, Paul Harris Boardman, James Wan, Michael Clear, Rebecca Sonnenshine
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jan 14, 2022