YAGA review: Could this thriller be Halloween's buzziest drama?

From Carrie to Crystal Lake, spooky shows are in abundance this Halloween. But could YAGA end up being the buzziest of them all?

Based on the play by Kat Sandler, the eight-part Sky One mystery thriller is set to subvert the Slavic folk tale of Baba Yaga with an unapologetically sexy and rage-filled feminist slant.

In the first moments of the play (and of this series), we hear the voice of Baba Yaga listing all the cursed, unflattering, and downright disgusting tales that have been told about her. She then questions them and flips them on their head.

At the centre of the story, though, is a mystery: the disappearance of wealthy college student Henry Park (Hudson Williams). He’s gone missing in a small town, and leading the investigation are Rapp (Noah Reid), a chaotic private investigator with dubious methods and a penchant for flirting, and Carson (Clark Backo), a guarded local detective who would much rather do things by the book. He’s not prepared to take any of Rapp’s nonsense.

Amid their investigation, they meet our key cast of characters. There’s Henry’s strange roommate Logan (also played by Williams), Geena, the mildly terrifying owner of the diner and Lily, her sweet teenage daughter. Then there’s Pam (Ezra Franky), Henry’s "violent" ex-girlfriend, and, of course, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), the seductive professor.

While fans have been sent into a spin from the show’s steamy trailers (which have particularly focused on Heated Rivalry’s Williams) this raciness is only really hinted at in the first two episodes (the only ones, so far, that have been made available for reviewers). Rather, the drama boasts a unique tone. It beautifully balances the line between playful and dark, and in the best way, you never quite know where you stand.

Although the show stays faithful to the spirit of the source material, it adds enough new details to intrigue those familiar with it. The dialogue – much of which has been lifted straight from the play – is sharp and witty, with Reid and Backo’s electric chemistry providing the backbone for these early episodes. Swinging between fighting talk and flirtatious banter, they’re a delicious double act.

While her best scenes are still to come, Moss is completely mesmerising and unpredictable - crucial qualities for the mysterious Katherine. None more so than during her frequent back and forth discussions with Reid. Intriguingly, while the show so far seems very faithful to the play, there’s one key addition in the series in Logan, Williams's second role. It’s an interesting direction for this adaptation and a large question mark still looms over the impact this new character will make on the rest of the series.

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The hope is that as it progresses, the show will embrace the unadulterated feminine rage depicted in the play. There's a lot of ground to cover in only eight episodes, including some dark reveals later on. It will be interesting to see how some of the more theatrical moments (particularly a rug pull near the end) translate to TV.

By far the most effective aspect of the series, however, is the decision to bookend the episodes with commentary from Baba Yaga herself. This is her story, after all, so she should get her say.

It’s an audible reminder that, while she’s not yet at the forefront of this story, she’s always lurking at the edges of it, preparing for her moment in the spotlight. Clearly, that moment is going to arrive in a big way. As viewers, we just need to be ready for it.

YAGA releases on Sky and NOW on 31 October.

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