Author's Note: Didn't quite finish this one yesterday, but given that only a few episodes of some of these shows are specifically Halloween-related, I don't see it as a problem. Horror fans don't need it to be Halloween just to watch something horror-oriented, after all. Besides, some of these shows could use some love, as I'd like them to continue. So, without further ado...
Last year, Netflix all but dominated the Halloween season, with the premieres of the critically acclaimed shows The Haunting of Hill House and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, to say nothing of the quirky, albeit short-lived delights of the underrated The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, which was like Dita Von Teese hosting a cooking show with the cast of Meet the Feebles or a cadre of particularly creepy muppets.
Alas, Netflix dropped the ball this year, with Hill House and Sabrina yet to premiere their second seasons as of yet, though both were indeed renewed. (Creations was not, sad to say, but I think it may have been intended as a one-off, so that's fine.) Thankfully, plenty of others have opted to pick up the slack with midnight offerings of their very own, including the return of some old favorites. Let's take a closer look... but not TOO close.
We begin with the return of the Hulu anthology series Into the Dark. For those unfamiliar, it's a horror-driven show from Blumhouse Productions (The Conjuring, Get Out), with each feature-length episode taking place on a particular holiday corresponding with the month in which it premieres, with one episode per each month of the year, for a grand total of 12. It premiered last year in October, kicking off the series with, naturally, a Halloween-themed episode called The Body, about a hit man who has more trouble disposing of a body that he anticipates, given the holiday at hand.
The excellent episode featured a stand-out performance from star Tom Bateman (Murder on the Orient Express, Jekyll & Hyde) as the hit-man in question, with Rebecca Rittenhouse (Blood & Oil, The Mindy Project) as his potential soulmate and erstwhile partner-in-crime helping him to complete his twisted mission. The episode was filled to the brim with black comedy and explosive bits of gore, as well as a cameo from Sasha Grey, speaking of explosive bits.
The second season premiere was earlier last month and was entitled Uncanny Annie. It was basically Jumanji-meets-I Know What You Did Last Halloween, with a great turn from former Reign and star of the original The Purge, Adelaide Kane. Kane played a girl still reeling from a friend's death a year before. To that end, she opts to stay home for Halloween to memorialize her friend's death with a group of friends. They decide to play a board game and end up choosing a spooky one called "Uncanny Annie"- hence the title.
However, the game proves all too real, and if someone breaks the rules, they pay the ultimate price. But will the titular Annie honor the rules in the end? You can probably figure it out yourselves. As such, the ending may disappoint some, but overall, I enjoyed the episode, even if it wasn't quite as good as The Body. The series on the whole is pretty hit-or-miss so far, but that's par for the course with anthologies, so I can't say I was surprised.
That said, the holiday-centric premise is a cool one, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve this year. Maybe I'll do another review next month, seeing as there aren't exactly a lot of Thanksgiving-set horror movies out there. Oh, and just so you know, each episode features a different cast, writer and director, so you never know what you're gonna get, but you might want to choose accordingly.
Speaking of anthologies, another one that's sure to be a popular favorite for horror fans is Shudder's revival of the much-beloved Stephen King/George A. Romero classic Creepshow. The new series was spearheaded by, of all people, the original film's composer, John Harrison, who worked with Romero on multiple projects before his untimely death back in 2017. Together with FX mastermind Greg Nicotero, of The Walking Dead fame, the two concocted a 6-episode first season, which concluded last night.
Unlike the original films, each segment has a different director, and each story is from a different author, also unlike the first two films, in which all the stories were written by King. Here, only one was: "Grey Matter," which was one of the two stories featured on the premiere episode. Each episode features two stories, and, as with most anthologies, they can be pretty hit-or-miss.
So far, I really enjoyed the King story adaptation (which featured Scream Queen Adrienne Barbeau, who was in the first film), "The Finger," based on a story by horror luminary David J. Schow; "The Companion," based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale, with a little help from his kids; and "Night of the Paw," a variation of the old "Monkey's Paw" tale, from John Skipp and Dori Miller. The best overall episode, though, was the third, which featured the Halloween tale, "All Hallows' Eve," written by comics scribe Bruce Jones and "Man in the Suitcase," by author Christopher Buehlman. This, for me, came closest to replicating the overall quality of the original film.
Insofar as that sort of thing goes, the show plays as a combination of the first two films, with the animated comic come to life format serving as a wraparound, as well as an appearance from the "Creep," who was featured in the first film, and thankfully, retains his non-speaking status, unlike the goofy "Cryptkeeper" that hosted Tales from the Crypt- not that I didn't love it as a kid. This one is not as goofy, though, which I think works for this particular show.
Only "Bad Wolf Down" and maybe one or two others attempts to replicate the whole comic-book look of Romero's original, with all the primary colors and painted backgrounds and the like, which may disappoint some. But overall, this is a solid endeavor that may go a long way towards helping put Shudder on the map in earnest, which none of its previous series or original films has done as of yet, save maybe securing the exclusive rights to a few horror flicks like 31 and Phantasm: Ravager.
Although, to be fair, the streaming service went a long way towards getting themselves noticed amongst the horror crowd with the recruitment of "Drive-in Critic" Joe Bob Briggs, whose arrival with the 24-hour B-movie fest "The Last Drive-In" crashed Shudder's server due to popular demand back in 2018. Needless to say, he was brought back for more before landing his own 9-episode series, which will continue later this year. Hopefully, Shudder will continue to grow, as I love the idea of a horror-centric streaming service- though I'd love even more to see it become a proper channel, a la Chiller, but minus the commercials.
Another revival of a popular horror franchise arrived with the surprisingly effective Are You Afraid of the Dark?, which was presented as a stand-alone "limited series event." The original series was also an anthology series, but this one-off incarnation is not, and is instead a self-contained three-part story featuring an all-new cast of characters forming the much-beloved Midnight Society. The original was sort of like the teen version of the more tween-oriented Goosebumps series, but this one is actually kind of creepy, even as an adult watching it- though, I confess, it's been years since I've seen Nickelodeon's original series, so maybe it was spookier than I remember.
Granted, by the time I saw the original, I was just getting into the "hard stuff," and by the time of the first revival, I was headed into my late teens, so I'm sure it must have seemed tame by then. But I do remember that first incarnation having its moments, and so does this revival. I mean, I can't say I was scared, per se, but I can definitely see younger kids getting freaked out by some of this, particularly the bits with the scorpions and perhaps some of the stuff with the creepy clowns.
But the main reason I really dug it was that the cast was genuinely likable- not always a given these days- especially leading lady Lyliana Wray (Strange Angel, Maximum Ride) as Rachel, the new kid in town who finds her nightmares coming true in spectacularly elaborate fashion via a carnival coming to town, led by the nefarious Mr. Top Hat (Rafael Casal, Blindspotting). The end result is akin to a more modernized version of Disney's Something Wicked This Way Comes, though not quite as scary as that- though, to be fair, that's a tough act to follow.
Although hardcore horror fans won't be freaked out by it, and longtime fans of the show will be disappointed that there aren't any familiar faces from the original- at least none that I was aware of- it's still a lot of fun, is true to its roots, and if you dug Stranger Things and the IT movies, you'll probably like this, though it's nowhere near as adult as those two series. Think of it as Stranger Things-lite, and keep an eye/ear out for some clever horror references (note the name of the town and the names of some of the characters).
For those who want something somewhat similar to Dark, but decidedly not for kids, there's the series adaptation of the short film The Birch. Taking that short's approach and expanding it considerably, as with Dark, it revolves around a teen girl, Evie (Xaria Dotson, American Vandal), this one even more troubled, as her mother OD'd on drugs about a year before the show starts. Still reeling, she takes to witchcraft to heal her wounds, targeting a local group of drug dealers who may have contributed to her mother's death in more ways than she knows.
The genuinely creepy show benefits enormously from its short film format, meaning that each episode only runs about 15-20 minutes, leaving the viewer thirsty for more. It also has a highly elaborate storyline that spans several generations, and each episode tends to focus on a particular character, meaning you see things from various perspectives, not unlike a Tarantino film. This ambitious approach sets it apart from the pack, and makes this one a can't-miss and the creators ones to keep an eye on. It's available on the newly-minted Facebook Watch.
I'm not a big fan of all those "Ghost Hunter" shows, but I was a huge fan of author Hans Holzer, the self-proclaimed "First Ghost Hunter," as a kid. He was one of the occultists who worked with The Warrens (of The Conjuring fame) on investigating the notorious Amityville Horror house, and his various investigations are ripe for their own series. With that in mind, I checked out The Travel Channel's The Holzer Files, which re-opens Holzer's many cases, with a helpful assist from his daughter Alexandra, who provides the titular tapes, which feature recordings and videos of her father's various investigations.
When the show focuses on these tapes, it's fascinating and legit spooky, especially those creep-tastic recordings of Holzer's spiritual mediums, Sybil Leek and Ethel Meyers. It's also pretty engrossing when it details the actual histories of the various locations it explores. However, in the second half of the show, they bring in the ghost hunter types and that's when things get a little goofy.
With all these ghost hunters out and about investigating stuff, you'd think they'd have actually found something solid by now, but I haven't seen much that convinced me personally. Like Fox Mulder, "I want to believe," but nothing I've seen on any of these shows have done the trick- if anything, they only serve to make me even more skeptical. Maybe I'm actually a Scully at heart. Either way, check out the first half for sure- it's legit scary- but, as for the second half, proceed at your own risk, I'm afraid. (Or not.)
Speaking of The X-Files, CBS has thrown its hat in the ring with a similar sort of series in Evil, the latest from Michelle and Robert King, of The Good Wife/Fight fame. The two took a previous stab at horror with the underrated political-themed Brain Dead, which was a good as an explanation as any for why things have gone so sideways in the arena of politics as they have lately, putting the blame on ear-burrowing aliens with hidden agendas.
Evil is much more straightforward. Basically, you've got a trio of people who investigate creepy goings-on on behalf of the Catholic Church, with priest-in-training David Acosta (former Luke Cage star Mike Coulter) leading the brigade, assisted by no-nonsense skeptic psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers, Westworld) and tech expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show), who mostly debunk fakers while occasionally coming across what may be the real deal.
Definitely on the creepy side, as always, is Michael Emerson (Lost) as Dr. Leland Townsend, who may well be in league with the devil himself, given his inside information on everyone. So far, the show has explored angels and demons alike, along with the expected exorcism and a few (maybe) ghosts. The end result is basically a variation on the underrated The Exorcist TV show, so those who miss that series may dig this one, though it's not as overtly horrific as that show. It's still pretty good, though, and that cast is aces across the board, with lots of cameos from actors from the Kings' previous shows.
On the returning shows front, there's always the old standby The Walking Dead, though at ten seasons, and with only one member of the original cast left standing (Norman Reedus) - and one beloved fave on her way out (Danai Gurira, aka Michonne)- maybe it's time to put this one out to pasture. The "Whispers" are a cool add, and a spooky one, but it may not be enough, as the show continues to hemorrhage viewers with each passing season. It may be time to wrap it up, guys, especially with a spin-off still in play stealing some of your thunder and Nicotero busying himself with other, potentially better things, i.e. Creepshow.
Faring decidedly better, thanks in no small part to its anthology format, is American Horror Story. As my longtime readers know, I love me some slasher movies, so this season, 1984, is right up my alley, though that title is something of a misnomer, with various bits of the show taking place in the 70's, late 80's and even the 40's! Be that as it may, the show is as fun as ever, and the infusion of new cast members doesn't hurt, with former Glee star Matthew Morrison and Pose star Angelica Ross particular stand-outs.
The show features, as ever, copious nods to old horror movies, with Friday the 13th and Halloween being the more obvious ones, being as how much of it is set in a summer camp that was the site of various massacres and one of the characters, known as "Mr. Jingles" (former "Twisty the Clown" John Carroll Lynch, adding another serial killer to his resume), escapes from a mental institution, Michael Myers-style. For good measure, they've also thrown in the return of The Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez (Zach Villa), based on the real-life serial killer of the same name.
Though some longtime fans have grumbled about the loss of series mainstays Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, the show did bring back some popular favorites recently in Lily Rabe (as Mr. Jingles' mother, a clear "Mrs. Vorhees" type) and Dylan McDermott as a highway stalker in the vein of Henry Lee Lucas or Ted Bundy, because you can never have enough serial killers on AHS, apparently, lol. It's just as ridiculous as it sounds and there are a LOT of flashbacks and only minor connections to previous seasons so far, but damned if I'm not loving it, so critics can suck it.
There's also the return of another Stephen King-related property, Castle Rock, which jettisons last season's cast in favor of an all-new one, led by the excellent Lizzy Caplan, totally bringing it as Annie Wilkes, of Misery fame, the role that led Kathy Bates to an Oscar back in the day.
Here, we follow nurse Wilkes in her younger days, as she's on the run from an unspecified murder with her daughter, Joy (Elsie Fisher, of Eighth Grade fame) from state-to-state, as Wilkes steals pills to clamp down her crazy, with limited results. A car crash- just like in Misery, but here, the shoe's on the other foot- leads her to settle for a spell in the titular town, but it isn't long before she gets herself into another murderous mess.
As with the previous season, various elements taken from King's work crop up, notably the haunted house from Salem's Lot, though we have yet to see a vampire as of yet. There are mentions of witches, though, which is cool by me. Also on board is Shawshank Redemption vet Tim Robbins, here playing a different role as "Pops" Merill, another character that should be familiar to King fans, as will be his nephew Ace, of The Body/Stand by Me fame, among others. I'm in.
Other notable shows include the witchy women of the Charmed revival and the witchy teens of Light as a Feather. both back for their respective second seasons; the Travel Channel's docudrama Witches of Salem, which is pretty solid; The CW's continuing Vampire Diaries spin-off Legacies, which also features its fair share of witches, among other creatures of the night; the return of USA's The Purge TV series spin-off; and the conclusions of the returning AMC series Preacher and The Terror, the latter of which was effectively creepy this season, with an Asian horror movie vibe, complete with an appearance from Sulu himself, George Takei.
Well, that just about covers it! Check out all this when you can- just because Halloween is done doesn't mean the horror has to stop! 🎃👻👹💀
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