Spooky Oz Thriller for ThreeNow

An Australian supernatural series that streams on Paramount+ and Netflix internationally lands here next month on ThreeNow.

Playing Gracie Darling is named after the best friend of Joni Gray, who disappeared during a séance when they were teenagers. Reads the blurb:

Twenty-seven years later, in a small town where the local kids get their kicks with a game of ‘Playing Gracie Darling,’ another girl disappears. Joni, now a child psychologist, returns to the town to confront her deep fear of the unknown and find out what really happened to Gracie that fateful night.

The Guardian said this “derivative occult mystery series fails to cast a spell …

“Atmospherically, Playing Gracie Darling is directed assuredly … And it is quite well acted, with a particularly strong, grounding lead performance from Morgana O’Reilly, who had a small but memorable role as a hotel employee in The White Lotus season three.

“But the writing in this series comes across as very self-conscious and overall the show feels fusty and antiquated.”

ScreenHub, however, thought it “a compelling and haunting watch” that “stands out from the pack …

“It may not descend directly into outright horror (it’s an Australian prime-time drama after all) but the tone is more unsettling than your usual six-part small town mystery.

“In the three episodes available to critics, it does a solid job of keeping things nice and uneasy.”