Horror fanatics won’t have to wait too much longer for the television adaption of The Horror of Dolores Roach because the summer premiere is just around the corner. Prime Video has finally announced that the horror dramedy will premiere on July 7th, and the streamer additionally released first-look images to give audiences a taste of what’s in store. Adapted from the hit Spotify podcast series of the same name, The Horror of Dolores Roach is billed as a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired urban legend rife with love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.
The series consists of eight, half-hour episodes starring Justina Machado as the titular character. In the series, Dolores Roach has just wrapped up serving an unjust 16-year prison sentence and is in her a rude awakening upon returning to her life. To her dismay, she returns home to find her family is gone, her boyfriend is missing, and Washington Heights is severely gentrified. Dolores eventually reunites with an old stoner friend, Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who lets her live and work as a masseuse in the basement under his empanada shop, Empanada Loca — one of the last fragments of her previous life. Her unanticipated career success creates a dangerously symbiotic relationship between Luis and Dolores, with Luis eventually unmasking an odd proclivity. When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands” Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive.
Check out the first-look images for an inside look into the forthcoming series.
The Horror of Dolores Roach cast members include Machado, Hernandez, Kita Updike, K. Todd Freeman, Judy Reyes, Jeffery Self, Marc Maron, and singer Cyndi Lauper.
The new horror series comes from Aaron Mark, the creator, writer, and director of the original podcast. He also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Dara Resnik. Additional EPs include Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, and Chris Dickie under the banner of Blumhouse Television, Spotify’s Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O’Donnell, and Justin McGoldrick, GloNation Studios’ Gloria Calderón Kellett, and Roxann Dawson, who also serves the pilot director.
The Horror of Dolores Roach Has Evolved Across the Years
Last February, Amazon gave a series order to The Horror of Dolores Roach, giving Aaron Mark another chance to tell Dolores’ twisted tale in a new medium. Though the series is being adapted from the Spotify podcast, Dolores’ journey actually began nine years ago in the form of a stage play. Originally titled Empanada Loca, the initial concept for The Horror of Dolores Roach came from Aaron Mark’s one-woman show that starred EP Daphne Rubin-Vega.
“After eight years living with the indomitable Dolores Roach in multiple forms, I could not be more thrilled to be bringing her to life on television with this powerhouse team,” said Mark during an interview with Variety following last year’s series order announcement.
After developing the concept into a successful stage play, Mark later adapted Dolores’ story into the podcast and brought Rubin-Vega on board once again to star in the titular role. The success of the podcast only catapulted the series into further acclaim where it eventually caught the eyes of the coveted horror production studio, Blumhouse. During the series announcement, president of Blumhouse Television, Chris McCumber discussed the show’s uniqueness and what helps it stand apart from other horror series.
“’Dolores Roach’ is exactly the type of fresh, bold, and completely unique storytelling that Blumhouse is passionate about making. Audiences will soon see why this modern-day horror story with a darkly humorous twist is just so special.”
Audiences can check out The Horror of Dolores Roach when all eight episodes become available on Prime Video July 7.
