Fear Itself: Season One (2009)

It seems like the horror community pretty much turned its collective back on 2008’s weekly episodic horror series, Fear Itself, originally broadcast on NBC. Even I only watched a few episodes before basically forgetting all about it. In fact, only eight episodes actually aired before the network pulled the plug on the show during the summer of 2008. Now, the series has been released on DVD with all of the 13 episodes (some even with director’s cuts) included.

Though this Mick Garris-created series might feel like just another Masters of Horror (which he also created) with a different horror director (some well-known, others not so well-known) directing each episode, I was actually quite surprised at the high quality of some of the episodes. I might even dare to say that this is better than or at least on par with the Masters of Horror series! The only real difference is that on network TV filmmakers couldn’t get away with as much blood and guts as they could on cable. This actually works in favor on Fear Itself, though, because it makes the scares all that much creepier and able to crawl under your skin more as opposed to a visceral, one-time shock of a gore scare.

The directors gracing Fear Itself with their talent include Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond), Mary Harron (American Psycho), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Darren Lynn Bousman (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Saw) and Larry Fessenden (The Last Winter, Wendigo). Some of my favorite episodes came from these well-known names, but a few lesser known names like Eduardo Rodriguez (Curandero) and John Dahl (Joy Ride) surprised me at their high quality episodes.

In fact, my favorite episode was probably Rodriguez’s “The Circle”. Set on Halloween night and opening with an eerie trick or treating scene, the episode quickly moves to a horror author and his friends holed up in a remote cabin…and two trick or treaters delivering a mysterious book where what’s written inside comes becomes horrifyingly real. This is one of the most stylish and suspenseful episodes of the series and really has some startling scenes. With the Halloween night setting exploited a bit more, this could easily turn into a frightening feature-length movie. Plus, it really makes me want to hunt down Rodriguez’s horror film Curandero.

My second favorite would have to be Darren Lynn Bousman’s twitchy end of the world episode “New Year’s Day”. This is an intense, suspenseful episode that throws you into the chaos of a mysterious catastrophe happening in the wee hours of New Year’s. The drama is heightened by jumping back and forth between the present and an earlier New Year’s Eve party our lead character attends. Though the spastic camera work and flighty editing is a bit much, overall the episode was very stylish and I loved the twist at the end!

In Larry Fessenden’s “Skin and Bones”, a rancher returns home to his family after being lost in the wilderness…but his miraculous homecoming is marred by the fact that he has become possessed by a wendigo. First of all, Doug Jones as the rancher was AMAZING! His gaunt, hollowed face was terrifying enough, but his mannerisms really sold the performance! This was a definitely creepy episode and kept my eyes glued to the screen for the entire running time!

I dug many of the other episodes, including Stuart Gordon’s “Eater”, Mary Harron’s “Community”, and Brad Anderson’s (Session 9) “Spooked”. A few of the episodes weren’t to my liking (Breck Eisner’s “The Sacrifice” was a bit too generic and “Something with Bite” by the relatively unknown Ernest R. Dickerson [Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight] felt kind of hokey), but overall Fear Itself delivers quite a frightfully fun collection of bite-sized horror!

Don’t let Fear Itself go overlooked any longer, seek it out for some surprising and satisfying scares!

Order it on Amazon!

Masters of Horror - Family (2006)

A young couple moves into a picture-perfect neighborhood. Children play outside, the trees are in full bloom, flowers sway in the bright sunshine and lawns are perfectly manicured. The young couple, Celia (Meredith Monroe) and David (Matt Keeslar), is hoping to make a fresh start and may even be ready to start a family. They meet one of their neighbors, named Harold (George Wendt), who appears to be a very nice, older bachelor. Appearances can be deceiving, though, because Harold has a family of his own, one that he has built himself. See, he carefully chooses people, kidnaps them, kills them and strips their bodies of flesh with acid until there is nothing left but a skeleton. He then dresses them up and interacts with them. He has a wife, a young daughter, grandpa and a grandma, all who, in his eyes, are real. Soon, Harold sets his sights on Celia, whom he thinks would be a perfect addition to his ever-growing family.

John Landis really impressed me with his entry into the second season of Masters of Horror. I was never too keen on checking out his Deer Woman from last season, but I sure am glad I watched Family. His signature black comedy touches are all evident in Family – from the auditory hallucinations that Harold experiences when talking to Celia to the satirical look at Middle America and “family values.”

George Wendt is fantastic as the deplorable yet likable Harold. Though he does horrible things in private, he comes across as very pleasant and personable as he and Celia and David become better friends. You almost feel sorry for him, at least until the ending. Meredith Monroe also shines as Celia, a woman with her own hidden secrets. She is bubbly, bouncy and a whole lotta cute! Each character is well-developed and we quickly grow attached to them all even though the episode is only an hour long. Writer Brent Hanley did a wonderful job with the script and the character development.

The story is also well-done by Hanley, as it slowly unfolds and we are thrust further and further into the gruesome world of Harold. We get so drawn into the story and characters that the big twist at the end comes as a complete surprise! The ending fits perfectly with the tone of the story and it is entirely entertaining. Though the story is familiar, it still manages to feel fresh when handled by Landis and the actors.

I also must mention the old church music that was used throughout the film – it fit perfectly into Landis’ skewering of Middle America. The contrast that the soundtrack provides against the values that Harold holds dear and his murderous actions sets the whole satirical tone for the film.

The gore isn’t too shabby either…we get to see people melted down to bone, lots of melted flesh and body fat, gristle hanging off bone, a hammer through a skull and lots of implied gore. Though the gore is not plentiful, I thought that the amount used was perfect for the episode.

I haven’t seen nearly enough Masters of Horror episodes, but I would go far enough to say that Family is the cream of the crop. It has stellar acting, a great premise, humor, satire and an ending that will blow you away!

Available from Amazon!