Nerds That Geek Web Series Review – ‘Under the Flowers: Waking the Witch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Of the many story concepts out there, one that I tend to gravitate to on a regular basis, is the eternal fight between good and evil. Because this particular notion is simply fascinating when all is said and done, and it opens up so many possibilities storytelling wise for writers because it can be applied to so many genres, and it really does resonate with the audience. For us every day folks love to see bad people stumble and fall because their twisted ideas have no place in the world and recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy a story that handles this long standing concept in brilliant, layered fashion, by way of the third season of Under the Flowers.

For ‘Waking the Witch’ reveals to the audience that Rose and Charlotte and Jackie are fighting hard to save the Afterlife from a group of evil individuals known as the Hollow, and these twisted spirits will stop at nothing to claim every last soul in Crystal Springs. Which means that this trio of women are facing some insurmountable odds, since the evil in question is working fast and efficiently behind the scenes and that prompts them to search out a long lost Witch in this realm, one who is unaware of her abilities and if they are able to wake her and help her realize her potential, she could be essential in helping good, secure a victory. But this win may come at quite the cost and well, that’s all I’m going to say about the plot for the time being.

Because we need to talk about all the wonderful things that Writer/Director Richard Wilson brings to the table in the third season of this magnificent web series, because it is his boldest venture to date. For this particular story takes the time to explore various elements from just about every form of religion on the planet, since you’ll find notions of reincarnation here and various discussions of what heaven and hell might look like, and what I find fascinating and important about this, is that religion is something you rarely see explored within the confines of the horror genre. Because it seems that an unspoken rule of said genre is to only use religion in a scary story when it can properly line up with the plot, that way the scares remain the focal point. So, to see a horror series take the time to dive into religion and postulate that all of them are right in the end is fascinating and refreshing to say the least.

However, it is the scares where this season of the show truly shines, because they are quality and chilling for certain. For Richard clearly pulled out all of the stops in this one in order to sell the pure evil that resides within the heart of the Hollow and well, the scares here definitely left me unsettled. Because all the visual tricks when it comes to this, work like a charm on screen, since they transform already sullied characters into unrecognizable monsters from our nightmares and even the jump scares, something that rarely bother me, are impactful in this story since they too help to remind us that the Hollow are playing for keeps and there will be no gentle moments from them as they push toward their goal of domination.
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All of these elements make ‘Waking the Witch’ hands down the most enjoyable season in this saga to date and I think what I love about it, and the series as a whole, is how every single season does its best to stand on its own and offer up the audience something exciting and new. Which is no easy feat for certain, but this series pulls it off with little effort and really, that makes Under the Flowers such a refreshing and intriguing web series in general, since it is willing to try new things in an era of Peak-TV where formula is the name of the game. So, if you get a chance, swing by the show’s official website and give this new season a look, because you need to check out this brilliant story and if this is your first time hearing about the show, well swing by the site regardless to immerse yourself in a unique horror story that continues to deliver quality and thoughtful storytelling with every new chapter that arrives.   

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