The Netflix Dark True Story Thriller Chills You To The Bone

Devil In Ohio follows the story of a hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Suzanne Mathis, played by Emily Deschanel, best known as the titular character in Bones. Mathis takes in a teenaged cult escapee, Mae (performed by Madeleine Arthur of To All the Boys), in the hope of offering her a better life.

Rounding out the main cast are Sam Jaeger who depicts Peter Mathis, Suzanne’s husband who is a real estate developer, and Gerardo Celasco portrays Detective Lopez, who is tasked with probing into Mae’s case. The ensuing chaos in the Mathis family forms a significant part of the storyline as the mystery unravels.

While the series spins a fictional account, it’s rooted in the chilling reality of a true crime case from Ohio’s dark history, as revealed by Devil in Ohio creator, and author of the book of the same name, Daria Polatin. The backdrop of the story is inspired by the infamous crimes of Jeffrey Lundgren, a cult leader operating in and around Ohio in the 1980s. Lundgren led a smaller cult, formed from excommunicated members of the Reorganized Church of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS).

In 1989, Lundgren masterminded the murders of the Avery family. Lundgren had his followers dig a pit in his barn, anticipating the placement of five bodies. Lundgren lured his victims to the barn under the pretext of preparing equipment for a camping trip, where the family was gagged, tormented, and shot–their deaths masked by the sound of a chainsaw. The story behind Devil in Ohio certainly has always had the potential to become a gruesome horror adaptation.

In a twist of fate, police unknowingly visited Lundgren’s farm the day after the murders, triggering his flight from Ohio to West Virginia, and later to California, leaving behind his cult and the gruesome secret of the abandoned farm. Nine months later, an informant led the police back to the farm where they discovered the bodies of the Avery family, prompting a nationwide manhunt in collaboration with the FBI.

Lundgren’s abandoned followers provided crucial information that led to his capture. He was arrested, along with 12 other members of his sect, and sentenced to death for his crimes.

Reviews for Devil in Ohio from both critics and audiences were middling, with some fans drawn in by the eerie true crime tale and others finding it a bit longer than it needed to be without taking full advantage of the source material. Ambivalence toward Devil in Ohio is seen in its Rotten Tomatoes score which is split right down the middle at 50 percent.

The show was an immediate hit on Netflix as it immediately rose to the take the top spot of most streamed shows during the week of its release. New audiences can make up their own mind as all eight episodes of Devil in Ohio are currently available to stream on Netflix.