Review: 'The Outsider - The Complete First Season' is an Insightful and Fearful Ride

A predator is hiding in plain sight.

Stephen King, the master of the macabre, has given HBO lease to adapt his chilling tale, and now "The Outsider - The Complete First Season" is available on Blu-ray and Digital, packed with exclusive bonus content that takes the audience deeper into the mystery.

When a young boy's mutilated body is discovered torn limb from limb, it sets off a series of events, leading detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) to the most unlikely suspect, and to a monster of pure evil.

The 10 one-hour episodes are all assembled on this 3-disc set, and feature remarkable performances from Mendelsohn and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo, with a supporting cast that includes Jason Bateman, who pulls double duty on "The Outsider" as executive producer and among the series' directors. Each episode is more thrilling than the last, as Ralph, aided by the uniquely gifted Holly Gibney (Erivo), must follow the trail of a predator that is more than man: A supernatural creature that feeds on the despair of others.

The series offers significantly engrossing story-telling. The script manages incredible depth, with a cast of characters that are rich and engaging. This is one of the most phenomenal bits of television from HBO since "Game of Thrones," a series that deserves to be binge watched – though you might want to refrain from watching late at night, or in the dark! "The Outsider - The Complete First Season" will get under your skin and you'll want to revisit the series a second time; it's almost guaranteed you will have missed something with the first viewing.

Along with the full First Season, the disc set is also packaged with insightful bonus content that extends the mythology of the mysterious creature that hunts our heroes. The never-before-seen exclusive to this set, a featurette titled "El Cuco. The Baba Yaga. The Outsider." dives deep into the real-life inspiration for the limited series' monster; it's a powerful reminder of the stories that are passed from generation to generation, and how they can penetrate the subconscious mind. Also included are the HBO episode analysis series "The Outsider Inside."

With commentary from the cast, the crew, and creatives, and the inclusion of the novel's author Stephen King, "The Outsider - The Complete First Season" is an incredibly insightful and fearful ride, and a mystery you will love getting inside of again and again.

"The Outsider - The Complete First Season"
Blu-ray and Digital
$29.98