The remote and very snowy island of Pystyranta is the location for this wintery Finnish thriller, ‘Evilside', known as ‘Korvessa Kulkevi' in its local language. It centres around the exploits of a group of teenagers led by the enigmatic Aapo Rajaluoto and the mystery around his death.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Life on a remote Finnish island must be a challenge, particularly if you’re a hormonal teenager who wants to escape a life of ice fishing and freezing temperatures for the bright lights of Helsinki. And that’s exactly what Johanna Hakala wants to do. She lives with her dad – a hard-working fisherman – and yearns for more in life. She’s a talented artist, creating fantasy and gothic drawings influenced by her love of heavy metal music.
She’s sought out by Aapo to become the fifth member of his team of followers. He’s into the occult and LARPing (live-action role-playing – I had to Google it!). And despite some resistance from his girlfriend, Katri, recruits Johanna to join them. But Johanna misinterprets his interest as something more, and when she pulls him to one side and tries to make her feelings for him known, she’s quickly rejected by Aapo. Unfortunately for her, some other kids spot them together and video her embarrassing fumblings. The video is quickly shared, resulting in her being picked on and mocked by her schoolmates. Johanna still follows Aapo and his gang around, though – still hoping, like a rejected puppy, to be welcomed back into the fold.
But then one night, Aapo goes missing. He was last spotted by the waterside, and when a search reveals his bag and shoes, his family and friends fear the worst. And sure enough, his body – still dressed in his occult clothing – turns up on the back of a snowmobile, and it’s clear that he’s been murdered.
Enter specialist police detective Ulla Penttinen (who we only briefly see in Episode 1) to investigate the case and discover who murdered the boy.
It’s unusual for Walter Presents to target the “young adult” market, but that’s pretty much where this series is focussed. It’s about the terrible insecurities and angst of those pubescent years, the cruelty and meanness that kids that age have to put up with and inflict on one another.
In terms of acting, there are some decent performances – Olivia Ainali who plays Johanna is particularly worthy of a mention. It’s not the sharpest script you’ll ever witness, but it’s an engaging watch. It’ll be interesting to see how the series develops once Detective Penttinen – played by the excellent Amira Khalifa – enters the action.
Walter Presents: ‘Evilside' is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.
