Hanging on every word

2015.

The follow-up is the story of a marriage that has already fallen apart, and a devastated child about to disappear as a result of the collapse. Dead. And she is the perfect choice to get this series rolling, creating a beautifully surreal atmosphere that maintains a period feel while blending elements of traditional gothic with some more modern styles of horror and suspense.

We also get a fascinating insight into the lives of the girls living at the college. Those classic white summer dresses and hats, the symbolic removal of the gloves as the carriage leaves the town limits, are the obvious symbols of the staid sexual repression of the period.

But we also see much more of the way the girls are treated as almost purely ornamental (the school is invited to a garden almost solely so the girls can be used to make the place look prettier).

The girls are trained to fear their own sexuality, and even the women are misogynists (especially Appleyard). Even the college itself is a cheaper option among finishing schools, the very embodiment of aspiring to rise above one’s station.

And with so much more attention focused on the snooping, the distrust and conspiracies among its cast of curious characters, Picnic at Hanging Rock is set to make mischievous Miranda and her friends household names all over again.

This slick, beautifully produced series does more than just retread the old version. It adds more to the mystery, refreshes it and deepens it, and for all its extra machinations and detail, punches the pace up to a higher level as well.

(M) premieres at 8.30pm tomorrow on Showcase (Foxtel). A new episode screens each week, or all six episodes will be available for binge-watching through Foxtel’s On Demand service from tomorrow night.