NYCC 2017: Amazon’s Lore Brings the Scares

Amazon brings us Lore, just in time for Halloween! Part scripted, part documentary, Lore recreates the true events behind some of our creepiest folklore. Based on the podcast by the same name, Lore breaks down a story an episode, from creepy dolls to werewolves to haunted houses.

The anthology features an appealing list of guest stars in season one including Robert Patrick, Colm Feore, Holland Roden, Campbell Scott, Adam Goldberg, and Kristen Cloke.

Podcaster Aaron Mahnke turns narrator for the television version, guiding us through each episode of spooky history. He, one of the producers – Gale Anne Hurd – and actress Kristin Bauer van Straten (Minnie Otto) stopped by NYCC 2017 to share some inside scoop on Lore!

Mahnke is really enjoying expanding the scope of storytelling from his podcast to the new Amazon anthology series. Picking folklore that can work in this format is a challenge; be it a tale obscure or commonly known, Lore has thirty minutes to tell a complete, dramatic, and scary story. (He thinks they are up to the challenge).

The legendary Robert Patrick (Reverend Eliakim Phelps) guests on Lore in season one, and he happily embraced the opportunity to do something different than his “regular” job on Scorpion. The story of a man desperately wanting to communicate with his dead wife one more time resonated with him.

Teen Wolf star Holland Roden (Bridget Cleary) and producer Brett-Patrick Jenkins talked about Lore’s innovation, from podcast to documentary/dramatic series anthology. Roden’s episode – about a woman accused of being a changeling – particularly appealed to her.

A fan of the original podcast, Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd was delighted to be approached for the filmed version. With her love of historical non-fiction and horror, she finds Lore the perfect blend of smart and heart-stopping.

Kristin Bauer van Straten (Minnie Otto) shows up in season one of Lore, as the mother of a little boy with a dangerous doll. Is she going crazy? Is her son? This former True Blood star also happens to be a fan of Amazon-produced shows, as she recited a list of what she’s watching!