Good American Family; Bad Influence

“In a world where every half-decent tale gets the true-crime TV treatment, this one was obviously going to make it to the screen. But this fictional dramatisation is inept. It veers wildly in tone, from tawdry horror to heart-tugging melodrama, via moments of comedy. While the story itself is gripping, the drama is oddly tacky.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“It swings from fraught parental melodrama towards hammy horror. Who is the real villain here? Ultimately, will you care? A whiff of luridness never quite goes away, even as this drama depicts, with some skill, all these complicated psychologies – the unravelling façade of a good American family, and one giant can of worms beyond.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Across three episodes, there are interviews with former performers, none of whom look old enough to be long out of their teens – if they are at all. We hear from family members who became increasingly concerned about the filming, and we meet the mothers of the children who took part. It builds a picture of a woman whose powers of manipulation and business savvy found an ideal home in the shadowy world of online content creation with children.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian