With the recent acquisition of the broadcast rights to the upcoming fourth season of Arrested Development, Netflix continues to forge ahead with their experiment in building original content. This week it is being reported that they are in the process of finalizing a deal for a new horror series from Eli Roth, and unlike a lot of his recent projects, he is actually planning to direct this one himself. The series is called Hemlock Grove, and will be based on an upcoming gothic horror novel by Brian McGreevy. They are said to be committing to a 13-episode order with each episode running an hour long. Is this another smart acquisition or are they shifting their focus on original content far too quickly?

The plot revolves around the murder of a young girl whose body is found mangled in the woods of Hemlock Grove. McGreevy will co-write the script and executive produce along with his writing partner Lee Shipman. The duo were also responsible for a spec script that was acquired by Warner Brothers earlier this year called Harker, about a Scotland Yard detective who is trying to track down Dracula.

I’m certainly curious to see what Eli Roth can do in the realm of television, but I think I’m even more interested to see how this all plays out for Netflix. After the many questionable moves they made earlier this year, their stock is finally starting to recover thanks to rumours of an acquisition by Verizon. The push for original content seems like a smart play to me, especially when it comes to finding new homes for canceled shows. (Firefly fans are now trying to get them to resurrect their favourite show as well.) What do you think about this latest potential addition to the Netflix line-up? Are you still a supporter of Netflix or have you lost your confidence in them as a company?