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Devil in Ohio is a best-selling thriller novel which has now been made into an eight-part series. Since I’ve remainded a book ignoramus since leaving school, I haven’t heard of it, and in any case, I wait for the film or TV series.
In the opening, a young woman appears to have escaped from someone abusive, but I wasn’t quite expecting the reason, since the billing confirms she’s escaped from a cult. Having been found in Ohio with a strange wound, she’s taken to hospital and put in the care of psychiatrist Dr Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel), is first named Lauren Trauma within the hospital, so only people in there who use it will know her situation, making the hospital a safe space.
However, once in there, we learn she’s prone to self harm, so her case needs to be handled delicately. Cop-wise, Detective Alex Lopez (Gerardo Celasco) is in charge of the case, although after we later learn her real name, it does feel a bit daft that Suzanne confirms to Alex that it’s Mae Dodd, yet he doesn’t clarify spelling… for example, Mae? May? Sorry, slight ‘grrr’ at that.
Along the way, after husband Peter (Sam Jaeger) is let down in a business deal, he begins to hide his family fiduciary issues from his wife. Plus, the eldest two daughters don’t quite get on at school, including middle daughter Jules (Xaria Dotson), who feels very uneasy around Mae. That’s understandable, since she doesn’t exactly inspire positive feelings all over, and as you’ll see, she has rather a strange attitude towards religion…
But how did their paths cross? Well, this is one aspect which really doesn’t sit right with me. I understand that while the ultimate aim would be for Mae to go to a foster home, there would definitely be somewhere inbetween, surely? It just feels ridiculous that since the Mathises just happens to have a huge house, it’s okay to take her in, in the short term. In reality, there would definitely be a clear confliction of interest.
Meanwhile, lots of weird stuff has started happening ever since she came along, getting ever more gross as it pans out. Plus, a smarmy Amon County Sheriff, Wilkin (Bradley Stryker), comes looking for her. Amon is from where she hails – a place that’s 100 years old, the mobile phone signal is non-existent, and there’s cornfields by the dozen…
So, in this review, I’ve have only set the scene whilst avoiding spoilers. I have to say that Devil In Ohio, so far, is very slow-moving, and I wish things did move along rather faster.
Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.
Devil in Ohio is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Netflix from Friday September 2nd, and you can buy the novel in Paperback and Kindle.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 40-50 minutes per episode (8 episodes)
Release date: September 2nd 2022
Studio: Netflix
Format: 2.00:1
Series Directors: John Fawcett, Steven A Adelson, Leslie Hope, Brad Anderson
Producer: Ian Hay
Creator/Novel: Daria Polatin
Music: Will Bates
Cast:
Dr Suzanne Mathis: Emily Deschanel
Gina: Stacey Farber
Helen: Alisha Newton
Peter Mathis: Sam Jaeger
Mae Dodd: Madeleine Arthur
Malachi: Tahmoh Penikett
Detective Alex Lopez: Gerardo Celasco
Rhoda: Samantha Ferris
Noah: Keenan Tracey
Adele: Marci T House
Sheriff Wilkins: Bradley Stryker
Teddy: Ty Wood
Jules: Xaria Dotson
Tatiana: Djouliet Amara
Isaac: Jason Sakaki
Dani: Naomi Tan
Sebastian: Evan Ellison
Gina: Eva Bourne
Captain Peck: Jennifer Copping
Victoria Benenati: Janelle Beadall
Teen Suzanne: Lilah Fitzgerald
Dr. Beverly Daniels: Theresa Wong
James Dressler: Max Montesi
Melissa Green: Lia Frankland
Abigail: Caroline Cave
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.