Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from the MGM+ series, From.
After going through its first season, there's a pretty evident danger established in From. The Epix-turned-MGM+ series is in the midst of its second season and is continuing to prop up the mysterious night creatures as the scariest thing in this show. There's a whole lot more to this show, though, than these monsters. The overarching theme that actually gives From its intrigue and creates the most tension isn't necessarily whatever those monsters are, but it's the fear and hopelessness that radiates through the town.
For this series to drive home everything it sets out to do, it takes some seriously convincing acting. Harold Perrineau of Lost fame leads the way as Sheriff Boyd. There's a collection of others who add to the show’s seriousness in David Alpay, Elon Bailey, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. Those three were the ones who introduced us to this world, as Bailey and Moreno’s husband and wife team of Jim and Tabitha Matthews had to quickly learn that the world they were just transported to is a far cry from home. Alpay’s character of Jade reacted in a way most would, believing this was all a farce until he experienced the devastation that's around the corner in this world. Through these characters, From is able to show off the scariest thing it has to offer.
What We Know So Far About the Monsters in 'From'
Early in Season 1, From shows us that there's something dangerous out in the woods. To this point, there isn't an official name for these beings (which adds to the mystery), but there are certain things we know to be true with these monsters. The show gives us a few important details about them, particularly that they only come out at night. When daylight is present, the town folk can freely live their lives (or whatever “life” this really is). When the sun begins to set, though, residents must head indoors or risk an encounter with one of these beings, from which there is usually no return. Sheriff Boyd is shown walking down the road ringing a bell to signify that it's time to begin packing up for the night.
We also learned in Season 2 that the monsters stay underground during the day. When Tabitha’s furious hole-digging exercise landed her under a pile of rocks and underground, she was met by Victor (Scott McCord) as he showed her the creatures in their lifeless state. When they “come to life” at night, anyone who lets them inside or is stuck outside, will surely meet their demise as these are vicious monsters that will rip a body bone-by-bone, leaving just a shell of their victims.
While all of this should make them the scariest thing going in From, there is a way to limit their threat. We know that bullets do no harm to them, but there's a way to keep them out of buildings — through the talisman. These items, which were discovered by Boyd, are hung above the door and have a power over these creatures, which means they won't enter any house that has one up. So through these talismans, keeping the windows shut, and making sure you're inside at night, there's a way to live in this town without ever being killed. We saw that the town had been able to avoid any incidents for 96 days before the first attack in the series premiere, which established the possibility of survival. That means the monsters aren't the scariest parts of this show.
The Fear and Hopelessness in 'From' are Terrifying
It's hard not to watch a show like From and put yourself in their situation. As long as you remain diligent, most of us could make it through the nights here and never have to come face-to-face with a monster. What there isn't a defense for is the unknown. What makes the circumstances in From so unique is that there’s no way of knowing what exactly is going on. A show like Lost or Yellowjackets where the characters are stranded following a plane crash at least is something that is understood. As frantic and scary as it is to survive a plane crash, there’s a sliver of hope — even if its diminishing — that there are people out there looking for you. With From, this isn’t something that’s making the news. They’ve disappeared into a world that isn’t known.
This is what results in the fear and hopelessness that we see at different levels within each resident. With each passing day, there’s a growing sense that this is their reality now with no shot of returning home. The Season 1 storyline in which they attempted to build a radio tower was the one thing that lifted everyone up, because of the hope it offered, but when that fell through, that hope was lost. What ends up happening when the fear of being alone, the fear of never being found, and the void of hope all come together, is a situation like Abby (Lisa Ryder) losing it and shooting innocent people in the town.
Actually, the threat of the monsters is really rooted in this fear. The majority of people that we see either welcome these creatures in through the window or slip up in their defense tend to have lost all hope. The series premiere saw Frank (Bob Mann) fail to head home to be with his family during the night as he got drunk at the local drinking spot. This led to his wife and daughter dying at the hands of the monsters in the first attack we see.
From does a terrific job of demonstrating its collection of characters’ inner workings. For a show that has a growing list of people, it has done a competent job of highlighting how they operate and what drives them. We’re starting to see a few characters lose hope in Season 2, which is when things have typically begun to spiral. After experiencing the nightmarish attack on Colony House, Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori) is beginning to see the hopelessness of the situation. And who could blame her? How many nights can you spend holed up in your house? There comes a breaking point with each character, and that point is usually met when the fear of this place and all its mystery meets the loss of all hope.
From is now streaming on MGM+ with new episodes released on Sundays.
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