Fear Itself

1x01 The Sacrifice: a pretty good first episode of a new horror TV show (i.e. it’s not a dud) that reminds of Masters of Horror (in another channel). The premise (and the quality) of The Sacrifice is somewhere between Hostel and 30 Days of Night, but made-for-TV, naturally. It won’t offend horror fans, I had quite good fun during those 42 minutes. 65%. 1x02 Spooked: the quality is going down fast. This episode is your typical ghost story about a scary house, spiced up with a revenge twist and a childhood secret. Not very original, right? It isn’t, really. To make things worse, the actors are very weak and the dialogues are almost toe-curling. 30%. 1x03 The Family Man: it’s nothing great, but after the previous, and very bad, episode, this one left me satisfied. It’s not brimming with originality, but the beautifully cynical ending contributes to the positive impression (even though I expected it). 60%. 1x04 In Sickness and in Health: a very tedious episode that has very little to do with horror, without any style and bland, but with a pretty original twist. The last two seconds turn everything upside-down, to the point that you have to think whether it actually makes sense. It does, but it grinds a bit. 45%. 1x05 Eater: the best episode so far, though it also has some issues. It needs a more original script and a sharper ending, and better actors wouldn’t hurt either. Great for the standards of the show, but it doesn’t get close to the best of MoH. 70%. 1x06 New Year's Day: what a nice surprise, another horror episode. The gripping scenes of a city inhabited by zombies are interspersed with incredibly annoying flashbacks. The final twist gives the impression that they wanted to shock at any price and it’s quite contrived, but at least something. An episode where we can see most clearly who’s the director (whether that’s good will depend on your relationship with D.L. Bousman). 65%. 1x07 Community: very boring without a single interesting idea. 25% 1x08 Skin and Bones: quite alright episode. Above average for the standards of the show, but average in general. 60%. (08.06.2008)