Cutthroat ‘Island’

(Published Oct. 12, PDI-Entertainment)

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

Contributor

Stretch a slasher flick concept across 13 hour-long episodes and you get the new murder mystery series “Harper’s Island.”

The body count rises weekly, as a murderer stalks visitors of the picturesque island situated off the coast of Seattle. These guests are about to attend the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington (Christopher Gorham and Katie Cassidy), most of them unaware of the grisly crimes single-handedly committed by a madman who visited the place seven years ago.

But some of them know that dark chapter in the island’s history well. Among the guests is Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), the groom-to-be’s best friend. She’s a former resident of Harper’s Island whose mother was among the rampaging killer’s victims. The murderer was gunned down by Abby’s Sheriff father (Jim Beaver). But there’s a baffling new series of killings being committed by a mysterious assailant.

Just like the ‘90s “Scream” series of movies, most of the characters of “Harper’s Island” are easily distinct, falling into almost archetypal categories. There’s the good girl, the outsider, the old flame, and so on. When the slayings start, however, everyone becomes a suspect, and many of the characters are fleshed out just enough to reveal some possible motives. Figuring out the real deal in a gaggle of red herrings can be tough and challenging.

The slasher-murder mystery works, the whodunit puzzles a bit reminiscent of those in much smarter shows like “Twin Peaks” and “Veronica Mars.” And like in the aforementioned “Scream,” established facts aren’t always reliable, and there are untold secrets that will make sense of the chaos in due time.

The pacing can be frustrating, initially, since it takes a few episodes for the characters to discover the terrible things happening around them. Also, there are transparent horror clichés and obvious ploys that don’t work too well.

But the payoff is worth the wait. Many questions are answered satisfyingly, sometimes shockingly. The revelations elaborate on the entire horrid affair, but it takes patience--and plenty of casualties--to get to some twisted truths.

“Harper’s Island” airs on Studio 23 every Wednesday at 9 p.m.