I tend to avoid shows with "horror" in the title. If I want a sleepless night, I'll watch cable news. But "The Horror of Dolores Roach," which starts streaming Friday on Amazon Prime, intrigued me, if only because it promised to be a loving adaptation of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" or, as one character in the eight-part series calls it, "that musical with the lady from 'Murder, She Wrote.'"
The marketers are true to their word. Dolores (Justina Machado) is a former weed dealer who returns to New York City's Washington Heights after a 16-year prison stint, hoping to find the ex-boyfriend who owes her a lot of cash and compassion. Instead, she lands a job giving massages in the basement of an empanada shop that's struggling to stay afloat.
When she accidentally kills a squirrely client, the restaurant owner (Alejandro Hernandez) decides to hide the body in his fried turnovers, creating a delicacy that has foodies from across the city flocking to the store. At first, Dolores is horrified. But she can't stop her murder spree; she's developed a taste for blood.
It's a gruesome presence. But slit throats, severed heads and bathtubs filled with blood will only make you slightly sick to the stomach. What's more upsetting is how the dramedy falls short of being anything special.
Creator Aaron Mark, who based the series on his podcast, hints that he has a lot to say about gentrification and race, but any thoughtful points are snuffed out by wild stabs at dark comedy. The ending is as disappointing as Jell-O for dessert.
Perhaps "Dolores" will be more appetizing if you watch while listening to Stephen Sondheim tunes.
Also this week ...
'My Adventures With Superman'
