You don't always have to agree with Stephen King, but when the master of horror recommends a movie or series, you should, at the very least, give it a listen. Moreover, the author's opinions related to horror rarely miss, and he often gathers for overlooked genre gems like The Autopsy of Jane Doe and John Griffin's striking sci-fi horror series The Odd, which you may not have heard of. In the past, King has also taken to X/Twitter to (rightfully) bash certain genre records, including sharing his take on worst horror movie ever seen or beloved blockbusters he came out of as an adult. Recently, however, King accepted it Instagram themes to recommend the critically panned Apple TV+ series starring Billy Crystal, writing:

"BEFORE (Apple+): This show has a creepy EXORCIST vibe, and Billy Crystal is very good. "Short and terrible episodes."

"Before" currently stands at 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (which doesn't inspire confidence), but the disappointment caused by the series has more to do with wasted potential than a failed grassroots venture. It's also worth noting that King seems to like the show's atmospheric scares, comparing it to William Friedkin's The Exorcist, which is commendable to say the least. If you're partial to narratives that leave insanely convoluted threads unanswered, this might be the show for you, as it does a solid job of building suspense and keeping us on our toes. However, before we commit to watching the show, let's see what it's all about, shall we?

Spoilers to follow "Before".

Child psychiatrist Eli (Crystal) is on the verge of retirement. He mourns the death of his wife and gradually loses touch with reality, as he is constantly tormented by dreams of his death. However, meeting his latest client, Noah (Jacobi Juppé), makes Ellie's life more complicated than ever, as the child is also plagued by visions and seems to belong to another time. Noah, of course, was not always like this, as he went from being mute to suddenly speaking in many languages. He also began to show a disturbing propensity for violence after stabbing one of his peers with a pencil. As much as she prefers to let someone else deal with Noah's problems, Ellie feels that there is an invisible connection between the child and his past - a feeling that only grows more uncomfortable as time goes on.

Now, I know what you're thinking: this sounds like a solid premise for a show that's about exploring the demons that haunt us through time, forcing us to use the present as a bridge to face The Horrors™. However, "Before" commits the sin of leaving breadcrumbs on too convoluted paths for viewers to follow and then taking too much time to resolve them. Perhaps worse, the things that happen between the show's various settings and payoffs are neither interesting nor satisfying. It's a shame, really; with each episode only lasting about 25 to 30 minutes, "Before" should feel a lot tighter than it does. Instead, the series seems to want to repeat the same images over and over on its way to a foregone conclusion. By that point, whatever intrigue or mystery he managed to create suddenly falls flat, leaving us (and a cynical, frustrated Ellie) with even more chaos to sift through.

Having said that, it's easy to see how someone might get hung up on "Previous" at first. The series begins by building a tense, suffocating atmosphere that creates the illusion of a tough detective story just waiting to be unraveled. However, once the CGI tentacle monsters start rearing their heads, the show's disjointed tone becomes impossible to ignore, and the whole thing ends up being a missed opportunity to create something truly psychologically complex.

"Before" is currently streaming on Apple TV+.