MTV appears to be on the comeback tip in recent weeks. "Awkward." is proving to be quite a nice distraction and is actually a very interesting teen comedy series. Before that, there was "Teen Wolf" and "The Hard Times of RJ Berger." "Jersey Shore" is probably my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. And now there is "Death Valley."
"Death Valley" is an unusual blend of "Cops" and every gory special effects monster movie you could think of that's been a hit in the last 40 years. "Death Valley" follows the Undead Task Force (UTF), a special unit of the Los Angeles Police Department that specializes in cases that have a supernatural twist to them: monsters. It seems that the "Death Valley" in question is not just home to humans, but also to zombies, werewolves, and vampires. And the cops of this special police unit dispose of each menace accordingly to the traditional horror movie standards (i.e., zombies have to be shot in the head).
In time for Halloween, here is "Death Valley," MTV's take on popular horror movie trends and cop shows. The show mercilessly skewers said trends while still trying to be respectful of the movies that played into its inspiration and influence. The show is not scary at all, at least to adults like myself (I'm 26) or teenagers, but young children would be advised to not watch this show not just because of the gory special effects, but also because of the salty language and sexual innuendo (vampire prostitutes?).
MTV seems to be coming back into an era of semi-decent programming with "Death Valley." "Awkward.," "Teen Wolf," and "The Hard Times of RJ Berger" have also played significantly in helping MTV's return to semi-decent cable programming. I just hope I haven't jinxed this channel's chances of coming back, honestly, by singing such high praises for its newest shows.
"Death Valley" - 10/10
"Death Valley" is an unusual blend of "Cops" and every gory special effects monster movie you could think of that's been a hit in the last 40 years. "Death Valley" follows the Undead Task Force (UTF), a special unit of the Los Angeles Police Department that specializes in cases that have a supernatural twist to them: monsters. It seems that the "Death Valley" in question is not just home to humans, but also to zombies, werewolves, and vampires. And the cops of this special police unit dispose of each menace accordingly to the traditional horror movie standards (i.e., zombies have to be shot in the head).
In time for Halloween, here is "Death Valley," MTV's take on popular horror movie trends and cop shows. The show mercilessly skewers said trends while still trying to be respectful of the movies that played into its inspiration and influence. The show is not scary at all, at least to adults like myself (I'm 26) or teenagers, but young children would be advised to not watch this show not just because of the gory special effects, but also because of the salty language and sexual innuendo (vampire prostitutes?).
MTV seems to be coming back into an era of semi-decent programming with "Death Valley." "Awkward.," "Teen Wolf," and "The Hard Times of RJ Berger" have also played significantly in helping MTV's return to semi-decent cable programming. I just hope I haven't jinxed this channel's chances of coming back, honestly, by singing such high praises for its newest shows.
"Death Valley" - 10/10