Hulu is gearing up to debut its brand new horror anthology series, Monsterland; here's everything we know about the series including a premiere date, story details, and cast reveals. Based on North American Lake Monsters, a collection of short stories by Nathan Ballingrud, Monsterland will feature Mary Laws (Preacher) at the helm as the writer and executive producer. Aside from a behind-the-scenes team that includes Babak Anvari and Lucan Toh, the anthology will present a stellar mix of stars.
After finding success in the world of horror as the home of Blumhouse's Into the Dark film series and Stephen King's Castle Rock, Hulu will look to expand the genre with more original programming. The anthology format for horror has worked for other networks as of late. Shudder backed the Creepshow remake while Amazon Prime developed Lore, a series that presented more bite-sized horror stories. Of course, American Horror Story stands as the supreme horror anthology series to date, with a renewal from FX through season 13. In fact, American Horror Story has been green-lit for a spinoff titled American Horror Stories, which is set to debut on Hulu.
Monsterland will focus on episodic stories that present the "thin line between man and monster". Starring notable figures like Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), and Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable), the Hulu series will arrive just in time for Halloween. Along with a date announcement, the stream has also provided some insight into what viewers can expect.
Monsterland Release Date
Plans for Monsterland were first announced in May 2019 when it was still known as The Untitled Mary Laws Project. Later that year, casting began making headlines as the contemporary anthology was officially retitled. To coincide with the traditional Halloween season, Monsterland is set to hit Hulu on Friday, October 2. The first season of Monsterland will consist of eight standalone episodes.
Monsterland Cast & Story Details
In addition to the premiere date confirmation, Hulu reiterated that Monsterland will center on a world full of fantasy creatures such as mermaids, werewolves, fallen angels, and other creatures. The synopsis also states that the series "follows broken people driven to desperate acts in an attempt to repair their lives." Kelly Marie Tran, in particular, will star in an episode titled "Iron River, MI" as a character named Lauren who returns to the same hometown that her best friend went missing in years prior.
Kaitlyn Dever will appear in a separate episode as Toni, a struggling waitress and young mother to a troubled little girl. The character sees no light at the end of the tunnel until she meets a mysterious out-of-towner named Alex (Jonathan Tucker). His presence and knack for changing identities will make Toni question her own reality. The rest of the Monsterland cast includes Taylor Schilling, Adepero Oduye, Roberta Colindrez, Charlie Tahan, Nicole Beharie, Hamish Linklater, and Bill Camp.