TV Review: “Blood & Myth” Takes a Deep Dive Into the Motivations of an Alaskan Murderer

The latest true-crime release from Hulu takes a different approach from the recent trend of docuseries, instead showcasing the complex story of a murder in Northern Alaska as a feature-length documentary. Blood & Myth adapts the bestselling audiobook Midnight Son, diving into the deep implications and reactions to a murder in a remote native village in Northern Alaska.

Blood & Myth focuses its attention on the story of one man, Teddy Kyle Smith, an Iñupiaq man who was on his way to becoming a successful actor, but instead put a different kind of spotlight on native people. Teddy reportedly had an encounter with Iñukuns — sinister beings well known and long feared by the Iñupiaq people – which led him on a murder spree, including that of his own mother.

Teddy’s shocking and remarkable story gained the attention of a fellow Iñupiaq man, James Dommek Jr., who upon learning of the bloody attacks, becomes intrigued by the killer’s story and motivation – and embarks on a quest to find out more. James expresses that he has more in common with Teddy than he doesn’t. Both men are modern Native people, trying to carve out a place for themselves in a more western society. James even dabbled in filmmaking like Teddy, having starred in a commercial and done other freelance work in the field.

The documentary follows James’ quest to learn more about Teddy’s story throughout, slowly peeling back details and potential motivations. Teddy claimed that it was seeing the Iñukuns that drove him to commit these terrible acts, something which falls on deaf ears in the western court system. Yet, the existence of Iñukuns is accepted as fact by northern native communities and supported by firsthand accounts and chilling sightings. James’ years-long quest eventually leads him to an interview with Teddy in prison, where for the first time, he can find out more about the story from the man himself.

Blood & Myth tells an interesting tale that I certainly was unaware of. Unfortunately, I found the presentation of the mystery to be a little dull. We essentially know all the details from the start of the documentary, so it isn’t really building towards anything – other than perhaps the interview with Teddy. Still, it’s a worthwhile documentary to put on in the background, and something true-crime aficionados will definitely enjoy.

Part manhunt, part ghost story – Blood & Myth arrives Thursday, September 4th, exclusively on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

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