I absolutely love this show! It's so unique and informative to see other parts of the world in ways that they are not normally depicted. However, my one complaint is just David Farrier in general. I admire him for actually taking the initiative and going to all of these places, but upon getting there and hearing their customs/traditions, he always seems offended. He is never wanting to participate in these activities that are "norm" for these residents, and if someone says something that he doesn't agree with, he automatically is very rude and short with them. I just think a show that explores such different parts of the world would benefit from a more open-minded host.
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ambernicole-209016 August 2018
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tarrynclaire24 February 2019My fiance and I binged the whole series in a night. I don't get the negative comments. The host is fine and makes some funny comments. Very interesting series that draws you in immediately.
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angeleen_1822 July 2018Before getting into the actual review, let me say a few things first. I stumbled across David Ferrier watching his previous documentary, "Tickled", which was by far one of the most disturbing tales about a real-life fetish that turned into a shady business ran by an eccentric - or should I say disturbed - man. I then read more articles from Mr Ferrier, and there are two things that stand out. First, he's more of a gonzo journalist, which means he's there to tell you his story first, what he's experiencing and what his final opinions on the subjects - sometimes deep, sometimes shallow - are. That's not to say it's bad journalism. But simply that the goal here is to take you on an adventure with him, and that sometimes - as noticed in other reviews - there is less to talk about than what you could have hoped for, or there's a lack of information about the subject. But that's partially the point, especially given the format (3 places to discover in the run of 40 minutes). It's not a documentary per se, it's more about him going to those places and discover what they can offer him and consequently offer us the viewers - for better or worse. Secondly, he has a thing for the eccentric, the weird or bizarre side of life. From nuclear testing sites to off-limits sites, Mr Farrier is not afraid to try and push those limits. From blood-sucking ""vampires"" to crazy-looking rituals with the deads or posseded, he's again willing to witness or experience those, even when it is getting extreme - although he too has a breaking point that'll be reached more than once in this whole journey.
Now for the actual review, I gave it a 8 because it was exactly what I expected going in. I do understand some people might be a bit disappointed by one or two of his travels but let me tell you, you definitely won't be if you are watching the whole thing. For starters, I learned about situations that I never even heard of - such as the divided Cyprus or the over-the-top architecture and dictatorial regime of Turkmenistan. By giving a quick inside into those, it was clearly refreshing to learn about something not too often talked about but it still leaves you interested in learning more yourself, which I believe is deliberated - it's showing off a potential "dark tourist" tour, like a photo album, with a glimpse of the story behind the pictures, without trying to expand upon them. Furthermore, his style might not please some viewers - which is expected with a subjective narrator - but I liked the fact he doesn't shy away from giving his personal opinion without forcing his views on us and dares to ask questions that seem often appropriate even though it might be a on a sensitive topic. It helps remember that what we are seeing is what he's experiencing first and foremost. And in the end it all comes down to this, us being able to experience all these weird moments as if we're dark tourists ourselves except we're not because, as he put it, we'd "rather be on the beach" for our own vacation. And this glimpse into the world of dark tourism is in it's weakest only mildly interesting, but most of its time leaves us flabbergasted or confused and even at its darkest moments upset and even sad. Which I believe this series is all about : it takes you into the unknown where you discover the unexpected.
As I said before, no, Mr Farrier's work isn't for everybody and no, not everyone will feel engaged with the material. But personally, since I've first read Mr Farrier's work I've always counted on him to take me down unusual paths full of twists and turns with its fair share of craziness and oddities. And to this day, Mr Farrier still doesn't disappoint. -
The series features interesting sights and events. Things you might not normally come across as they are rather niche and off the beaten track.
The one downside that I find bothersome is the host's being shocked at every slightly controversial thing. I don't know whether it's scripted that way or if he is easily offended, but it often comes across as ignorant.
Looking past that, however, I would recommend the series as it offers an insight into many places that are seen (almost) nowhere else on television. -
An enjoyable time, giving a little bit of knowledge into the world of Dark Tourism. I will say, the presenter often felt he was forcing stories into the show instead of it coming naturally. It has this staged feel to it that feels very one sided most of the time. I also come from Paddock Wood, the location of the War and Peace show, shown in the episode "Europe". And it's obvious that he is drawing at straws as the show itself is about remembering the past, however it's presented in a way that makes the majority of the person's attending nazi sympathisers. Which couldn't be further from the truth. Anyway, good show, just very over dramatic.
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This show typifies the saying that it takes all kinds to make the world go around. Some of the locations are truly astounding and must be seen to understand the human experience. The city in Turkmenistan was truly bizarre and belongs in a James Bond movie.
Some of the people were very disturbing. For me the most disturbing are the selfie takers and people who film everything! The show points these people out very well. The most disturbing were the Manson fans idly recording everything the host was doing which I suspect was only to post to their social media for the lofty goal of getting likes and views. More disturbing selfie moments were with dead bodies and destroyed cities. Then there is the one guy who had a bag of hair products because he must look good when walking through atomic wastelands. We truly live in a world where it's just about showing up and saying look at me. -
kaygela27 August 2018I don't understand the negative remarks about the host. He was fun to watch because his reactions came across so authentically. He also showed much respect for the places he visited and people he cane in contact with.
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tvdefrancesco10 February 2021I've never heard of David Farrier before this show. But based on what I've seen in this show he is arrogant, rude, awkward, and downright nasty at times. He belittles people and talks down to them. He's also easily offended and hates Dark Tourism! His voice over narration drives me nuts too. Maybe it's just because I dislike him so much. He treats the people of Asia the worst. Every culture is different and he completely disrespects them. Also how do you almost cut your hand off leaning on a mirror. What a putz. This show would be really good if it had literally almost anyone narrating it.
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gallagherkellie13 June 2022I have no idea why everyone is hating on the host - I find him so intelligent, insightful and funny. I guess the humour in New Zealand and Australia (where I'm from) is different to people watching in the US. Everyone is saying he always looks shocked - wouldn't you be if you saw someone drinking someone's blood? Or getting overly excited and turned on by cannibalism? He's super interested yet knows how weird and crazy it all is so it's a mix of making fun of people as well as making fun of himself for being intrigued by it. I think people are taking him too seriously.
Either way just a good idea for a show too! Love the Japan episode. I want another season. -
purplerice0007 September 2021This shows premise is very interesting and I binge watched it. While I thought the different cultures and ways of living were very fascinating, and I understood why the people were doing what they were doing, the host seemed so squeamish. You honestly can't be a "dark tourist" and experience culture shock at the same time. You know what you signed up for. He just seemed so offended by every thing and was at times, disrespectful to the people and their culture, especially when he looked disgusted by some things. Sure, they're a little gross but you gotta have an open mind. It doesn't matter if he knows he's being disrespectful and acknowledges it, actually that makes it even worse. I just wish there was a host who would be able to understand the culture and reasoning and have fun doing what they're doing. It's fine to watch if you just kind of ignore the guy.
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timpouliot-4850427 July 2018This show is fantastic because of how real it is all the way through to the host. This is also why some people may not like it. The host is very respectable but asks ALOT of questions but he asks questions that many of us would be afraid to ask. In my opinion, this is excellent journalism and how you are able to get the deep and mitt gritty details of a story. This is what makes this show unique.
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acowan088626 August 2018Overall I found the series to be pretty interesting. The presenter didn't bother me as much as he seems to for others.
The series made me want to try a few of the things he did on the tour, especially the JFK tours look very interesting.
Take a little tour of the dark side of life! -
robinhio84_22 December 2020The segments are 15min, not a lot to really dive deep into the topic.
David is super judgemental and instead of exploring why peopld doing what he judges it based on his own reference and then starts to make rude jokes about it. Which then really makes it come across as if ge wants to show of himself. His voice overs are obsolete and don't really add a lot.
Very disappointing -
Very entertaining, interesting and educational.
Not really extreme or dangerous. Just a window into some interesting people and places. -
brigitteisveryspecial21 February 2020There's lots of scenes containing dead animals, or harm to animals, in multiple episodes. Good to know if you're a half-decent human with some sort of sensitivity towards this
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kaitocallahan16 November 2019Really don't get everyone ragging on the host. He poses questions in a similar way to Jon Ronson, always with a smile and kindness but he's not afraid to ask the tough, blunt questions. I guess some people find this offensive. He also has an extremely dry sense of humour, which again, I think some people found offensive but I think he is pretty funny. Nothing offended me at all. It's a style of journalism where he goes and experiences the places and pushes some boundaries, and asks difficult questions to try and get behind the psych of it all. He's not trying to make a neutral doco. Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot.
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frosty-4443112 May 2021I was expecting the presenter to be awful looking at the comments. However, he is watchable and like a low budget Louis theroux. Overall it's worth a watch.
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I binge watched the first season on a weekend since after first episode I was hooked. Well worth the watch! Shows the world from an angle you didn't know even existed. Some episodes are better than others for obvious reasons however even the less interesting ones were enjoyable.
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A 7 pretty much entirely thanks to the places the show visited and the people met. The guy looks a lot like Louis Theroux and has some similar mannerisms, almost like he's trying to impersonate him, but comes across as far more close-minded and judgemental, and imposes himself on the interactions a lot more. He also seems quite easily shocked etc.
If you have similar views etc to him you may not notice it so much, but otherwise it feels like where a better programme would just show you these interesting things, and here it's shown through the perspective of how the typical netflix staff member/this kind of guy probably sees things. -
ThirtyOne3121 July 2018I'd love to say it's one of the best documentary shows. Fresh and appealing. Dark tourism at its best. A must watch for reality fans. Gonna worth every minute. David and team did a really great job. Watch and thank me later.
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I'd rate it higher if the host and narrator wasn't such a princess about these places and makes everything uncomfortable unintentionally. He says some extremely preacher things about morals and greed and it takes me out of the cool subject matter. Other than that, it's a really interesting show.
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frankverschelling24 July 2018It's a good thing that someone shows us the aspects of life, people barely see or know it's really out there. At episode two they went to Fukushima and all the people went scared because of the readings they got (10 microSievert/hour). Thing is, that it's completly safe to be in for just a while, not to live in, but for a tourist it's oké. I wonder why people are so scared for these readings, while everyone is still getting xrayed (full body dose: 20000 microSievert). I hope more series like these will air on tv, because they are opening people's eyes.
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spear8827 September 2019The show itself is pretty cool as you get to see some outrageous things that don't make it into the holiday brochures. In some episodes you get to learn about different cultures and explore them in a way that you didn't think was possible and in other episodes you see how people have made businesses by being very opportunistic by thinking outside of the box. Unfortunately the host, David Farrier, sucks some of the enjoyment out of this series. He travels all round the world experiencing things that the vast majority could only dream of experiencing but anytime he's challenged or finds anything remotely difficult he gets offended and becomes quite abrupt with his hosts. He should be the poster boy for the overly sensitive and easily offended and while many people will relate and sympathise with him, I just found him to be an irritating child for large portions of the show. He's a poor man's Louis Theroux and should step aside to let somebody who's willing be open minded take over should Dark Tourist get a second season.
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andyphillips9926 November 2018Great premise for a show but poorly executed - found myself bored at times..
Highly suggest you watch idiot abroad / moaning of life instead - which contains just as much 'dark tourism' but with a hilarious and likeable host. -
do_it_again-50613 September 2018I very much enjoy this show and being given the opportunity to learn about the different cultures it presents. Upon visiting the imdb page, I was pretty surprised previous reviewers have had such a strong negative reaction to the host. While he may not jump into every single situation with the upmost excitement, viewers have to remember that he is actually in these situations and experiencing them. Everyone reacts to new things with at least a grade of fear and caution - this is a human instinct we use to protect ourselves. I would encourage viewers to consider what they would do if they were actually experiencing the same situations, instead of sitting idly behind a screen, before they pass such critical judgment.
In contrast to some of the negative opinions produced by others, I have found the meaning the host draws from the situations to be quite powerful. For example, at the end of episode 6 (mild spoiler), while the host was obviously uncomfortable to be surrounded by the rituals involving the dead, at the end his eyes were opened to the different meanings of "death" in different cultures. And, it was evident that his view of death had changed, due to this experience, from a view of fear to one more of acceptance.