A new show about demons and exorcisms, produced by Eli Roth and Jason Blum sounds like something worth checking out, right?  What if the entire season of that show was dropped onto a network not known for scripted television, with a target demographic that has likely never heard of Roth or Blum?  Despite it being an interesting experiment to air seven episodes back-to-back on WEtv, on Black Friday evening, it definitely suggests a lack of confidence in the show.

Having watched the entire first season, South of Hell couldn’t have aired any other way.  Not if it wanted a chance at renewal.  The first two episodes are rough, which is shocking considering the pilot is directed by Roth himself.

The plot alone is intriguing; Mena Suvari plays Maria Abascal, a flea market fortune teller with a side job of exorcism.  She uses her literal inner demon, Abigail, to rid the possessed of their demons.  That’s because Abigail’s diet of choice is other demons.  Abigail takes over, tangles with the possessed, and removes the demon by devouring it.  When Abigail is a bit too strong for Maria to handle, her junkie brother, David (Zacharay Booth), steps in for the assist. Metaphors, much?

The execution, however, is another story.  The digital effects are so terrible that it detracts from the interesting premise. The demons mark their presence with neon contact lenses enhanced, or diminished rather, with the use of C.G.  The voice effects make it difficult to understand the possessed, as does the wind effects that signal the presence of demons.  The dialogue can be laughable, and David’s southern drawl voiceover narration is more soothing than emotive. The worst offender might be the terrible ADR dubbing, as there are multiple episodes where the actors’ mouths are visibly not in sync with the dialogue.

Episode two, directed by Rachel Talalay, continues the aesthetic from the pilot, though somehow the digital effects get even worse.  But, it’s when the directorial reigns are handed over to Jennifer Lynch in episode three, that things begin to improve.  Not only does the production value look remarkably less cheap, but she gives more depth to the story.  When Abigail is in control, she feeds into sexual urges that a more conservative Maria would never, and Maria is the one to face the consequences for Abigail’s actions.  Lynch deftly explores the controversial theme of blame, and saying no, when the girl initially said yes.

As Talalay and Lynch trade director hats for the next two episodes, the plot moves forward with setting up the season’s big bad, the Abascal siblings own father, Enos, played by Bill Irwin.  Enos was the leader of the Order of Everlasting cult, and someone that terrified his own children prior to his death during a raid on the cult.  That the show keeps Irwin’s physical presence mostly relegated to flashbacks and hints that he’s the one pulling the strings in the spike in demonic activity wisely establishes him as more of a boogeyman than father figure.

Answers are slow for Maria, and often come from Abigail’s knowledge of hell and the other demons in it.  She unwittingly amasses allies in Reverend Elijah Bledsoe (Lamman Rucker), his daughter Grace (Paulina Singer), Tetra (Lauren Velez), and Dusty (Drew Moerlein).  Aside from encounters with the possessed, it’s David that causes the most obstacles for Maria.  His drug problem causes him to make one bad decision after another, leading him from one unsavory character to the next, including a mutually destructive relationship with spoiled, rich girl Charlotte (Lydia Hearst).

By episode 6, the story shifts more toward the large scale battle and away from the cheesy digital demon effects.  Director Jeremiah Chechik heightens the stakes and makes us forget the cheese of the early production designs with his visuals.  Episode 6 also marks a fun role for Jennifer Lynch as an evil woman working for the wrong side.  Her maniacal laughter is creepy.

The best surprise of all, though, is Ti West directing the season finale.  I’m not sure if the budget grew exponentially from pilot to episode 7, but West’s episode marks the most aesthetically pleasing of the season.  It’s also a fitting episode for him, considering how much of a mind trip the climax becomes.  Of course, just when you’re finally hooked on the story that it ends on one mother of cliffhangers.

South of Hell is an odd show.  It begins as a very cheesy show with subpar production values, nothing like you’d expect from Blum or Roth.  As the show gains its footing and adds in very talented people behind the scenes does it start to take shape as something worth investing your time.  The characters themselves can be a mixed bag.  We only care about Bledsoe because we want to know his secrets.  David’s knack for trouble is more tedious than it should be, and Grace isn’t given enough personality early on to make her someone we care about.  Tetra, though a smaller supporting role, is much more engaging and the ambiguity of whether she’s good or evil makes her one of the standouts.

This is Maria’s story, though.  While Suvari begins the season unsure of herself, she slowly makes Maria and Abigail, and their struggle to coexist, the true hook of the show.  Forced to share the same body, their fight over dominance and their growth in personality as a result is what ultimately makes South of Hell worth watching. It’s because of Suvari that I’d like to see Abigail and Maria continue their fight.

South of Hell is now available on iTunes and VOD.South of Hell