HBO series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin introduces slasher aesthetic to revive teen thriller – but in a way that empowers women
- The teen thriller franchise is back with an homage to 70s and 80s slasher movies. A masked, bloodthirsty villain keeps the series fresh while preserving its DNA
- The creators subvert the slasher genre though, discarding the male gaze in favour of exalting camera angles and symbolic weaponry to promote female empowerment
The original Pretty Little Liars teen drama had viewers on the edge of their seats with each text message sent to the four main characters by “A”, the series’ anonymous tormentor. In the latest spin-off series Original Sin, however, there’s a whole new level of terror with each cryptic message.
The series’ first season, which is available on HBO Go, Now TV in Hong Kong, introduces a whole new friend group in a different town with their own A – one who is out for blood.
The original Pretty Little Liars TV series (2010-2017) and spin-offs are all based on Sara Shepard’s young adult novel series, but in contrast to the earlier spin-offs – Ravenswood (2013-2014) and The Perfectionists (2019) – Original Sin leans into the slasher genre.
In the new series, five high-school girls – Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison), Tabby Haworthe (Chandler Kinney), Faran Bryant (Zaria), Minnie “Mouse” Honrada (Malia Pyles) and Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco) – bond as A launches a terrifying campaign against their mothers to punish them for their past offences.
Slowly, the girls uncover the truth about their mothers and the other kids at their school.
