Stephen King Loves This Horror Series Despite Its 32% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Apple TV+

You don't always have to agree with Stephen King, but when the master of horror recommends a film or series, you should, at the very least, hear him out. Moreover, the author's horror-related opinions rarely miss, and he often rallies for overlooked genre gems like "The Autopsy of Jane Doe" and John Griffin's gripping sci-fi horror series "From," which you might not have heard of. In the past, King has also taken to X/Twitter to (rightfully) dunk on certain genre entries, including sharing his opinion about the worst horror film he has ever seen or beloved blockbusters he walked out of as an adult. Recently, though, King took to Instagram Threads to recommend a critically maligned Apple TV+ series starring Billy Crystal, writing:

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

"Before" is currently standing at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes (which does not inspire confidence), but the disappointment evoked by the series has more to do with squandered potential than it being a botched endeavor from the ground up. It's also worth noting that King seems to like the atmospheric dread of the show, having compared it to William Friedkin's "The Exorcist," which is high praise, to say the least. If you are partial to narratives that leave maddeningly convoluted threads unanswered, this might be the show for you, as it does a solid job of building up suspense and keeping us on our toes. However, before committing to watching the show, let's see what it's even about, shall we?

Apple TV+

Spoilers for "Before" to follow.

Child psychiatrist Eli (Crystal) is on the verge of retiring. He's grieving his wife's death and is gradually losing touch with reality, as he is constantly plagued by dreamlike visions of his own demise. However, a meeting with his final client, Noah (Jacobi Jupe), makes Eli's life more complex than ever, as the child is also afflicted by visions and seems to belong to another time. Noah has not always been like this, of course, as he has gone from being mute to suddenly speaking in many tongues. He's also begun showing a disturbing penchant for violence, having stabbed one of his peers with a pencil. Much as he might prefer to let someone else deal with Noah's problems, Eli feels there's an invisible connection between the kid and his past — a feeling that only grows more discomforting with time.

Now, I know what you're thinking: this sounds like a solid premise for a show that's all about exploring the demons that haunt us through time, forcing us to use the present as a bridge to confronting The Horrors™. However, "Before" commits the sin of leaving breadcrumbs on too many convoluted trails for viewers to follow and then taking too much time to resolve them. Perhaps even worse, the stuff that happens in-between the show's various setups and payoffs is neither interesting nor satisfying. It's a shame, really; with each episode only running about 25 to 30 minutes, "Before" should feel a lot tighter than it does. Instead, the series seems to love repeating the same imagery over and over on its way to a foregone conclusion. By that point, whatever intrigue or mystery it's managed to build up suddenly falls flat, leaving us (and a cynical, frustrated Eli) with an even bigger mess to sift through.

Having said that, it's easy to see how someone could get hooked on "Before" at the beginning. The series starts off by building a tense, suffocating atmosphere that creates the illusion of a gritty detective story merely waiting to be unraveled. As soon as CGI tentacled monsters begin rearing their heads, though, the show's disjointed tone becomes impossible to overlook, and the whole thing ends up feeling like a missed opportunity to create something truly psychologically complex.

"Before" is currently streaming on Apple TV+.