If you love to yarn-wall a show, True Detective: Night Country gives plenty of reason to dust off the pushpins. With the premiere episode, HBO/Max has resurrected the dormant crime anthology series, offering a fresh mystery deep in the icy Alaskan terrain. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis star as this season’s titular detectives determined to crack the case(s) of Season 4. And similar to Season 1, there are spirals and other surreal imagery that hints at the supernatural.
Fans still debate on how much (and how well) Nic Pizzolatto’s first season of True Detective paid off in terms of its dabbling in cosmic horror. But Night Country isn’t playing by Pizzolatto’s rules; while he has an executive producer credit, this season has an entirely different showrunner, writer, and director in horror indie darling Issa López. For fans of this Mexican filmmaker’s breakout 2017 film Tigers Are Not Afraid, her authorship could be a crucial clue in unraveling the mystery of the missing scientists and the murder of activist Annie K.
What’s Tigers Are Not Afraid about?
Tigers Are Not Afraid is a modern fairy tale — but not the kind Disney would dare adapt. Set in a Mexican City plagued by a vicious human trafficking cartel known as the Huascas, its “princess” is a young girl named Estrella (Paola Lara), who is granted three wishes by a magical piece of chalk. But in this critically heralded horror film written and directed by López, kids have to be very careful what they wish for.
Estrella’s story begins bleakly. After surviving a drive-by shooting at school, Estrella comes home to find her mother missing. Like the Tsalal research facility in True Detective: Night Country, the TV blares, as if her mother left without warning. But a big difference here is that a seemingly sentient trail of blood invades this humble home and blooms on a dress her mother has neatly hung up, a morbid omen.
On a quest to find her missing mother, Estrella instead discovers some churlish Lost Boys, a quartet of orphans living in a garbage dump. Reluctantly, they team up to seek vengeance for their family members who were murdered by the Huascas. This young gang is led by the scarred Shine (Juan Ramón López), who carries a grudge as heavy as the gun he lifted from a cartel member. But Estrella is led by the voices of the dead who appear to her, grisly, wrapped in plastic and hissing instructions.
Childlike wonder creeps into the horror through graffiti that comes to life in animation, as well as a toy tiger that becomes a bittersweet beacon. López mixes fantasy elements like ghosts and magic with real-world mayhem to create a sensational thriller that’s as emotionally riveting as it is horrifically unnerving. You can watch it now on Shudder, and you should.
How does Tigers Are Not Afraid connect to True Detective: Night Country?
Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO
Canonically, López’s film and her TV season aren’t linked. However, even within episode one, it’s impossible to ignore thematic similarities. Both stories center on heroines pushed to solve a murder mystery that hits close to home. And episode 1 suggests that like in Tigers Are Not Afraid, Night Country will deal with ghosts who act as guides.
In this first ep, both Navarro (Reis) and Danvers (Foster) hear disembodied voices proclaiming, “She is awake!” And like Estrella and the trail of blood, Danvers receives this message from a dearly departed loved one — a child’s hand reaches over her as she sleeps. Meanwhile, local eccentric Rose (Fiona Shaw) is led to the remains of the Tsalal scientists by what appears to be a ghost named Travis, who walks through the unforgiving ice with no shoes.
Both stories also involve a ferocious predator as an enigmatic element. In Tigers Are Not Afraid, the orphaned children tell stories of tigers, fearsome and brave, as a means of comforting themselves against the cruel world of kidnapping and murder. In Night Country, it’s a polar bear with one eye that appears in two forms: a child’s plush toy and a stalking beast in the night.
Could Tigers Are Not Afraid be the key to True Detective: Night Country‘s case?
Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO
The first episode leaves us with burning questions, like who is the “she” that is awake? Is it possibly the vengeful spirit of murdered activist Annie K? Notably, in Tigers Are Not Afraid, the vicious kingpin is not brought down by the scrappy orphans but by the wrathful spirits of those he murdered. Could it be that Annie K’s back and on the hunt for those who hurt her? Could it be justice won’t be provided by this series’ heroes, but by the dead?
Notably, the original Spanish title for Tigers Are Not Afraid is Vuelven, which loosely translates to They Come Back. And what is it that the Tsalal scientist says in terror before the lights go out at the research facility? “She’s back.”
While it’s too soon to be sure what happened to the scientists found in the snow at the end of episode 1, it seems Season 4 of True Detective will delve into the supernatural deeper than the wildly popular first season. Tigers Are Not Afraid proves that López can create captivating drama, gut-wrenching twists, and haunting conclusions in such a space. So, for anyone looking to get the most of Night Country, this horror gem should be essential viewing.
How to watch: Tigers Are Not Afraid is streaming now on Shudder.
True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT.
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