Looking for a creepy drama to binge-watch this weekend? Netflix has got you covered. Midwinter of the Spirit, ITV’s 2015 horror drama starring Anna Maxwell Martin is available to stream on the platform and is currently storming Netflix’s Top TV chart. The series is based on the Merrily Watkins book series by Phil Rickman, who is known for his mystery and supernatural novels. Rickman co-created the series with Welsh screenwriter and novelist Stephen Volk, who specialises in the horror genre with a focus on the psychological aspects of the supernatural. His credits including the 2011 drama, The Awakening.
The three-part drama, which blends the traditional police procedural with supernatural horror, follows single mother Merrily Watkins, a vicar and exorcist, who is asked by the police to help solve a baffling and gruesome murder. Anna Maxwell Martin leads a star-studded cast, featuring Shameless star David Threlfall and Happy Valley‘s Siobhan Finneran. Intrigued? Here’s all you need to know about the series…
What is Midwinter of the Spirit about?
Set in the bucolic Hereford countryside, the story follows Merrily Watkins, a single mother and country vicar who has trained to be an exorcist. But her newly acquired training has put her on “the dark side of the pulpit”. “She’s become one of the few women priests working as an exorcist – a job increasingly mistrusted by the modern Church and rarely talked about, even though it operates in virtually every diocese in the UK,” ITV said.
When Satanist Paul Sayer is found brutally murdered in a nearby forest, the police call on Merrily for assistance and she joins DCI Annie Howe and DS Frank Bliss in their investigation. As she digs deeper into the case, along with her mentor Reverend Huw Owen, Merrily finds her own teenage daughter’s life might be in danger.
Who stars in the show?
Anna Maxwell Martin, known for her roles in Motherland and Until I Kill You, stars as Merrily Watkins, while David Threlfall (Code of a Killer, Shameless) plays Rev Huw Owen. Other cast members include Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey) as Angela Purefoy, Ben Bailey Smith (Law and Order: UK) as Lol Robinson, Leila Mimmack (Home Fires, Becoming Human) as Rowenna Napier, Kate Dickie (Red Road, Game of Thrones) as DCI Annie Howe, Sally Messham (Aftersun) as Jane Watkins and Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella) as Bishop Mick Hunter.
© Ben Blackall/ShutterstockWhat have viewers and critics said?
Viewers have praised the show as “brilliant” and “chilling” on social media. One person penned: “Fantastic drama #MidwinteroftheSpirit excellent gripping script – totally freaked out!” while another wrote: “Just binge watched #midwinterofthespirit due to new found love of @SallyMessham chilling/brilliant.”
Others praised leading star Anna’s portrayal of Merrily Watkins, with one person writing: “#AnnaMaxwellMartin is so talented & totally brilliant in #MidwinteroftheSpirit @ITV,” while another added: “This is such a wonderful cast. Everyone is superb but Anna Maxwell Martin is especially so.”
© Aimee Spinks/ShutterstockMeanwhile, the series was met with positive reviews from TV critics, with The Telegraph describing the show as “gripping”, “surprisingly faithful adaptation” and an “exceptionally creepy visit to the spirit world”. The Guardian said the show was “a lot of fun and chilling too,” noting that the story is “not a slow build”, and “dives straight in”.
Midwinter of the Spirit is available to stream on Netflix now. The series is also available on ITVX.
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