More People Need To Watch This Highly Underrated Netflix Mystery

If you like a captivating puzzle box, including tarot cards, seances, exorcisms and cults, by Netflix Archive 81 should be on your radar. The series unveils a wild mystery that slowly but surely sucks you in. It’s just that – and don’t let that scare you – you’ll have to get through a few less engrossing episodes first.

Archive 81 is based on a horror podcast of the same name and stars Mamoudou Athie (see also in the Black Box underrated sci-fi movie) and Dina Shihabi in the lead roles. The show hit Netflix in January, around the time Netflix premiered the latest episodes of Ozark. Unsurprisingly, Archive 81 garnered far less attention than the hit crime drama’s conclusion.

Archive 81’s opening is suitably haunting. Grainy footage shows a woman pleading “Please find me, please help me.” She then appears to be screaming when someone grabs her.

From this chilling opening, we move on to the perspective of media archivist Dan (Athie). Dan is hired by a mysterious wealthy man to restore damaged video tapes salvaged from a fire in a New York apartment complex in the 90s. Dan is gifted and curious. We soon learn that he sadly lost his family at a young age.

By the end of the first episode, I was both panicked and bewildered. Something terrible has clearly happened to graduate student Melody (Shihabi), the young woman we saw in the intro who recorded the tapes. The man who offered Dan the archiving job monitors Dan’s every move on hidden cameras. Oh, and Dan saw his dad in the pictures. What?

Over the course of the series, the goosebumps of that opening scene linger. As Dan and Melody find themselves in increasingly uncomfortable situations in their various timelines, we find out why they are forced to see things through.

Another highlight of the show is Melody’s quirky roommate Anabelle, played by Julia Chan. Melody’s optimistic and driven nature is at odds with the unwelcoming Visser Building, home to paranormal-obsessed residents and devilish statues. The questions pile up: why do the inhabitants of Le Visser act so strangely? Will Melody find what she is looking for? Why is Dan talking to a rat? (That last question is never really answered.)

Sometimes I felt scared and lost in the early episodes of Archive 81, but after halfway through that changed. Completely. Archive 81 delivers a satisfying mystery that leaves you fully invested in its world. This is why Netflix made a mistake by canceling the series after one season. Luckily, while we’re left with one unresolved cliffhanger, the rest of the show answers all the questions I had.

If you’re looking for the perfect scary show, Archive 81 is a winner. Don’t let it gather dust – commit to a few episodes and let the chilling mystery draw you in.