Every Haunting Hour Ever #76: Goodwill Toward Men

Season: 4

Episode: 10

Original Airdate: November 29, 2014

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Billy Brown & Dan Angel

This is it, ladies and gentlemen! We are at the final episode of The Haunting Hour! That's right. Not only is this the final episode of season four but it's also the final episode in the entire series. I don't know about you guys but it seems kind of odd to end a series with a holiday themed episode. Oh well, maybe it will be good.

The Jordans, an extremely wealthy family, are preparing for a Christmas Eve party at their country club. Lyle Jordan (Tobias Slezak), Mrs. Jordan (Ingrid Torrance), and their son Henry (Jeffrey Ballard) are spoiled, selfish, and elitist while the family's daughter Missy (Joey King) is the only person who shows any kindness to Jake Donaldson (Iain Belcher) and his parents Pete Donaldson (Aaron Pearl) and Mrs. Donaldson (Anne Marie DeLuise), their hired help who handle the yardwork. After Missy offers Jake cookies and invites him into the house, Mrs. Jordan scolds her and Lyle fires the Donaldsons. Later that night, Jake returns to the Jordans' home and gives Missy a present explaining that someone placed it in his hands at the mall and told him to "give it to his sister". The present turns out to be a beautiful angel statue which Missy keeps on her nightstand after her family ridicules it. Late that night, the statue comes to life (Carly Bentall) and marks Mr. and Mrs. Jordan's and Henry's doors with large strings of fire. 

When Missy awakens the next morning, the Jordans find themselves in an alternate reality where the Donaldsons own "their" house. After being kicked out by the police (Michael Adamthwaite) that were summoned upon being in the neighborhood, the Jordans wander the streets until they come across a group of homeless people living in an abandoned barn. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan and Henry continue to be selfish, while Missy tries to make the best of their situation by paying for food (Colin Foo as the food truck owner) and offering a sandwich to a starving woman (Sharon Van Duk). After the family falls asleep, Missy discovers the angel standing on the roof of the barn and begs her to put things back the way they were. 

A brilliant light shines and Missy finds herself back in her bedroom on Christmas morning. But reality has permanently shifted where she is now the daughter of the Donaldson family while the Jordans are their servants. This is a positive as the Jordans are much kinder and nicer than they previously were while the Donaldsons are generous with their extensive wealth where they even gave the Jordans a day off. The episode closes with the angel narrating that she spared the Jordans more torture because everyone rich or poor deserves Christmas cheer.

If you're put off by me summarizing the whole episode, I apologize. But there is a reason for this, which I'll elaborate more on later in the episode. 

Now one of the things I liked about this episode were a couple of little touches. For example, in the scenes that take place at the house, the place is flooded with reds and greens, which feels reminiscent of other Christmas films like Home Alone that also filled its settings with reds and greens. The other small touch I appreciated was how every once in a while, a narrator would pop up telling the audience various things in rhyme, which feels like a nod to films such as How The Grinch Stole Christmas. 

One of my gripes with this episode is the story. Now as is, the story is kind of weak. It's not the worst but it's not anything that great either and I feel like it could be a lot stronger. Remember when I said I'd elaborate on why I summarized the whole episode later in the review? Well, it's later! So the reason why I did that is because I feel like the plot of this episode could be much stronger and carry more emotional weight through a rewrite. Here's how that would play out. 

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For the first part of the episode where nothing too crazy happens, I would keep it mostly the same, though I would make the comments regarding how Missy doesn't fit into the family a bit more subtle. 

After the angel comes to life and makes symbols out of fire, there's a flash of bright light and the episode cuts to a scene where all of the members of the Jordan family (except Missy) wake up and find themselves lying in an alleyway wearing nothing but their pajamas. The family panics and wonders where they are and what's going on. Then the father calms everybody down and says he can whip out his phone and pull up a Google Maps-esque app to figure out where they are. 

The rest of the family likes the idea and the father goes to pull out his phone, which he keeps on his person, even when he's sleeping. However, when he fishes through his pockets, he finds that his phone is gone and asks the other family members if he can borrow one of their phones. However, their phones are also missing and the family comes to the conclusion that their phones must've been stolen. Because of this, the son suggests that they ask someone if they can borrow their phone. The father rejects his suggestion and says that he doesn't want anybody to see them in their pajamas. The son counters this and says that they can't just stay here, as someone might try to rob them again. However, the father is still reluctant to try the idea. That is, until his wife kisses him and says, "Please Lyle. Can we just give it a try?" Lyle then loosens up and agrees to give it a shot. 

They wander around the streets until they find a business man waiting for the bus. The mother begs the man to use his phone to just do one thing and one thing only, which is figure out where they are. The man agrees and the mother eventually figures out their location and tries to call the family's personal driver to come pick them up. However, the businessman tells the mother that she is going back on her promise of borrowing the phone for one thing. The mother gets super upset and goes off on the businessman. He tries to take the phone back but the mother pulls on it roughly and claims that they need the phone more than him. Lyle eventually restrains his wife and the businessman runs for his life in the opposite direction. 

The family then argues about the ordeal and wonders how they're going to get home now. The mother decides that they should wait for the bus like the businessman was doing. However, the idea is shot down by Lyle and his son, claiming that buses are nothing more than moving buckets of crime, disease, and filthy homeless people. All of a sudden, their stomachs starts to growl and the family decides that getting something to eat is more important than getting home and head on over to the nearest grocery store to pick up food. When they're done shopping, they discover that they have no money and decide to sneak out of the store in the hopes that no one will notice. 

However, a store detective follows them out and calls to them to come back with the merchandise. The family makes a break for it with their fully loaded shopping cart in tow. The chase ends when their shopping cart crashes into a tree. During the chaos, all but two cans of beans and some plastic spoons were lost. The family is distraught and angry about this as they collect what's left. But surprisingly, they have a faint sense of hope as they at least have something to eat. While they look for a place to sit down and eat, they come to a street corner and wait for the signal to change. As they're doing so, a bus comes speeding down the street and runs over a giant puddle of water that splashes them and makes them feel really cold. 

By the time they find a safe place to eat in a local park, the sun begins to set and the wind grows chiller. They pass around one of their newly opened bean cans and try to figure out why they're running into misfortune everywhere they go. By recounting their actions prior to this moment, they figure out that for every greedy or selfish deed they do, they are punished for it. After figuring out this pattern, the father comes to the conclusion that performing a generous and selfless deed might grant them with good luck. However, the mother asks how they would go about doing that and the father says that he doesn't know how. He then wishes Missy were there to help them, as she would've given them about five ideas by now. 

The family then goes quiet as they continue to eat their beans. As they do so, a disheveled middle age woman comes up to them and asks them if they have any food to spare, as she's very hungry. The mother notices that she has a grocery bag full of food and asks her why she can't take something out of there. She says that she could never do that, as it's food for her family. The father apologizes and says that they don't have much food to spare. The woman politely says, "Oh that's okay. I'll just ask someone else," and walks away. A few moments later, the son feels terrible for the woman and wishes there was some way to help her. Then, something dawns on him and he frantically searches for the other can of beans. He eventually finds them and runs after the woman, yelling for her to wait up. He soon meets up with her and hands her the can of beans, to which the woman is very grateful for. She then hands the son a piece of paper with her address on it and says that if his family needs a place to stay, she has a bedroom to spare. 

The son comes back and tells his parents about the incident with the woman and how she offered them a place to stay. At first, his parents think he's lying but are eventually convinced when the son shows them the paper he was given. Later that night, they arrive at the woman's home and are greeted by her at the door. She tells them that they can stay there on one condition. They must help around the house, as everybody else, like her daughters Lilly and Alex, has a set of chores they need to do like cleaning different rooms of the house and putting away the clean dishes. While the son eagerly agrees, his parents accept the condition nervously, as they weren't informed about it ahead of time. The woman kindly tells the son to set the table, tells the mother to help her with the cooking, and tells Lyle to help chop some wood for the fireplace. 

They eventually eat dinner and are surprised by how delicious everything tastes and thank the woman for her hospitality. The woman then shows they family to the empty bedroom and the woman gives some of her late husband's old clothes to them. After that, they retire for the night. The next day, Lilly, Alex, and the Jordans are at the table eating a small breakfast while the woman is taking care of other things. While they're eating, the woman asks if one of them if they can get the newspaper for her and the mother agrees to go. When she is bringing the paper back to the house, the mother discovers something interesting. She sees an ad in the Help Wanted section for a group of gardeners at their former address and also notices that the pay is rather generous. 

She tells her family about this and they're all very happy about the news. The mother spots a phone number in the ad and asks the woman if she has a phone they can borrow. The woman says they can make one call and the mother says that she won't make any other calls. The family eventually finds out that the people who put up the ad feel like they're a good fit for the job and want them to come to the advertised address. The mother happily agrees and hangs up. The family thanks the woman for her hospitality again and head on out. 

They get to the address via bus, which they find out is surprisingly clean. Once inside, the family finds Missy in the kitchen baking cookies. The family excitedly greets Missy and tells her how much they miss her. However, Missy doesn't recognize them, much to their dismay. She also tells them that her name is Kristy Donaldson. Lyle apologizes to Kristy and tells her that she looks a lot like their daughter Missy. Thinking that Missy is deceased, Kristy tells Lyle that Missy is up there looking after them and that she is always with him in their hearts and memories, which brings a tear to his eye.

After their encounter with Kristy, Lady Donaldson enters the room and greets the Jordans, asking them if they're the family who got the job and introducing herself as Rachel in the process. She also introduces her daughter Kristy and offers to introduce the rest of her family. After that, some calm Christmas music plays and the narrator gives a speech to the audience about the value of kindness and generosity towards other people. The credits then start to roll.

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Now is this a perfect rewrite? Obviously no. But at the same time, I feel like it fixes a few of the issues I had with the original story. For example, one of the issues I had with the original story was that most of the main characters, especially the rest of the Jordan family, don't really change until the very last minute, which cheapens the emotional impact the happy ending is supposed to have. I get that this show only has a half an hour for each episode but even then, I think you could've still worked in a bit more character development. 

Another problem I had with the original story is that Missy shouldn't have been dragged along with the rest of the Jordans. In the original, Missy showed nothing but kindness and respect yet she is forced to join the rest of her family, who are selfish as hell, in their punishment. To me, I feel like her involvement isn't warranted and besides the fact that she's part of the family, there doesn't seem to be a reason why she's dragged into all of this. Now you could argue that when the angel marked the doors with flames, that was a sign that the person behind the door would be forced into some sort of punishment. However, from what I've seen, the only doors that were marked were the doors to her brother's and parent's room so her involvement still makes no sense. 

Overall, Goodwill Toward Men is an episode that does a good job giving off a Christmasy vibe but its story leaves a lot to be desired. 

Overall Grade: C-

Overall Season Grade: 

Studs: 6/10

In-Betweeners: 2/10

Duds: 2/10

I apologize if this review was a little long but I did have a lot to say about this episode. Anyway, much like season three, the forth season of this show has more Studs than In-Betweeners or Duds. Despite this, season four feels like more of a mixed bag. While I do think the quality of some of the episodes plays a big part, I also think the season's ridiculously short length plays a role in it too.

So on that note, I'm finally done with the Every Haunting Hour Ever marathon and honestly, it feels rather bittersweet. I've been doing reviews of The Haunting Hour since August of 2015 and along the way, I thought I would only make it up to a certain point and stop altogether. But time and time again, I've proven myself wrong and eventually made it all the way to the end, which is something that makes me feel really proud. However, I also feel kind of sad that this marathon is over because I really like this show and talking about what elements in an episode work and don't work. 

While The Haunting Hour may have its fair share of Dud and In-Betweener episodes, I definitely think you'll find a lot more gems in this series. Speaking of gems, when an episode shines, it shines brightly and doesn't apologize for it. The Haunting Hour is also a show that almost never talked down to its target audience and for that, I respect it. 

Oh and in case you're wondering, no. I'm not going to be doing anymore reviewing marathons in the near future, as I have other projects that I need to focus on right now. Though if I did want to do another reviewing marathon, I would do one focusing on the television series called The Facts of Life. I would call the series one of two names. The first would be "All The Facts of Life Marathon" and the second one would be "The Facts of Life Reviewed". While the series is much longer than The Haunting Hour (clocking in at about nine seasons), it's still an interesting series to talk about. However, I would probably make a separate website for this marathon.

With that said, this has been Azu reviewing an episode of The Haunting Hour for the final time.

Every Haunting Hour Ever #75: Spores

Season: 4 

Episode: 9

Original Airdate: November 22, 2014

Director: Ken Friss

Writer(s): Natalie LaPointe & Greg Yolen

Opening with Melvin Dixel locked in the family car while his parents pound on the doors howling at him. Earlier Melvin's overly-competitive father, who wants to beat his office rival's record of hiking, had taken his family hiking through the woods of a national park. Before getting there they are warned by a Park Ranger. He's "perfect slasher material" according to Melvin's sister, Jacquelyn.

While hiking, Melvin's family gets picked off. First Janet, then Jack, then Jacquelyn and finally Jack Jr. by a strange cloud of spores that turns its victims one by one into mindless mutants who become covered in fungal growths.

One of the things I liked about this episode was the father character. At times, his ego can get in the way and because of this, he acts like a jerk. Despite this, he still manages to care about his family. For example, when his wife goes missing at one point in the episode, he rounds up the rest of his family and takes time out of their hike to find her. During the search, Melvin says that every vacation they go on seems to be his vacation and that they're never allowed to do their own thing while on said vacations. The father responds to him by saying that it wouldn't feel like a family unit if everyone did their own thing and says that he doesn't want Melvin and the rest of his kids to grow up too fast. What I find especially interesting about this character is that he seems like a better written version of the father character from Bad Egg (who I called Dr. Douchebag), as he seems to have a better balance of flaws and strengths. As a result, this makes the character feel more three dimensional. 

Another thing I liked about this episode was the type of threat the episode went with. In this episode, the threat isn't a monster or cursed object but a fungus that infects most of the characters by the end and turns them into grotesque looking plants and makes them act like mindless mutants. For this show, this is an interesting and somewhat unique threat. I also like how it explains some of the character's actions such as the father's desire to hike to Lookout Point and the supposed psychic connection between Jacquelyn and Jack Jr. 

Overall, Spores is an entertaining and somewhat creative episode. While the story is fairly simple, it did a good job keeping me engaged. 

Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #74: Lotsa Luck

Season: 4 

Episode: 8

Original Airdate: November 15, 2014

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Nicole Dubac

"Can you make Leprechauns scary?" This is a question that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time. First there was Leprechaun. Then Leprechaun 2. Then Leprechaun 3. Then Leprechaun 4: In Space. Then Leprechaun in the Hood and finally Leprechaun vs. Chucky. Okay I made that last one up but I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually real. Anyway, despite man's efforts, these films didn't make Leprechauns scary. But years later, The Haunting Hour would take a shot at the "Make Leprechauns Scary" challenge. Did they succeed? Let's take a look! 

Greg is an Irish-American kid, whose luck has always been bad. So he uses his mother's own family spell-book to trap a Leprechaun and shake him down for good fortunes. Only for him to learn that this leprechaun has an ulterior motive.

One of the things I liked about this episode was the leprechaun named Shamus. First of all, the lore behind the leprechaun was pretty interesting, especially when it came to learning how Shamus' wishing system worked. According to Shamus, when someone makes a wish, there needs to be something to replace it, which is exemplified in the case where Greg wishes for luck at the cost of having his father's luck go sour when he gets fired. What makes this part interesting is that the system is clearly explained and you actually get to see it being put to use throughout the episode. Not only that but as the episode goes on, he becomes more and more threatening until he becomes quite frightening at the end. 

The other thing I liked about this episode was the the mother. In the episode, she is of Irish descent and comes from a family who has a history with Shamus. While it would've been very easy for her to have "Irish" has her only character trait, the episode actually avoids that by also making her a mother who genuinely loves her son. I think the scene that really shows how much she cares is the scene where she teams up with her son to ward off Shamus towards the end of the episode. Not only is it a cool scene but a parent becoming very involved in the plot is something that isn't seen very often on this show. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Lotsa Luck. Whether it's St. Patrick's Day or any other day, it's still a very good episode to check out.

Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #73: Argh V

Season: 4

Episode: 7

Original Airdate: November 8, 2014

Director: Allan Harmon

Writer(s): Jack Monaco

When this episode was new, I thought the title was "Argh Five" because the letter "V" also stands for the number five in Roman Numerals. It wasn't until much later when I understood the wordplay they were going for.

Sam's parents are not as responsible as she'd like and their latest impulse buy takes them on a road tip to an unfamiliar area.

One of the things I liked about the episode was Sam. In the episode, Sam seems to be a very no-nonsense type of person who's extremely committed to her schoolwork and I gotta be honest, I think that's the first time this show has had a main character like this, though I could be wrong. 

The other thing I liked about the episode was how the story was told. In this episode, whenever Sam is in or around the R.V, she starts seeing things like glaring headlights, hearing sounds like horns honking and children chanting, and even believes that the R.V moved by itself at one point. Throughout the episode, it isn't made very clear if these things are really happening or if Sam is just nuts until the very end. 

The only problem I had with this episode is that once I got to a certain point in the third act, I could predict how the ending was going to play out. However, the ending didn't really ruin the episode for me. Why? Well, I'm not going to spoil it but there's a part in the ending that I thought was very well done. 

Overall, Argh V was quite solid and I can safely say that it's certainly a vast improvement over the last episode, Near Mint Condition. 

Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #72: Near Mint Condition

Season: 4

Episode: 6

Original Airdate: November 1, 2014

Director: Ken Friss

Writer(s): Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott

So back in 1996, Mattel released a variant of Cabbage Patch Kid dolls called Snacktime Kid. Their gimmick involved being able to eat plastic food. When a child placed the plastic food near the doll's lips, it would start "eating" the food. It was able to do this thanks to a built in battery powered motor that was really powerful. The food would then go to a hollow spot in the doll's stomach that opened, allowing the child to reuse the food. However, the doll had a tiny problem. It would eat anything you put near its mouth, which meant that it could eat human hair and even fingers if someone wasn't careful with it. Eventually, complaints started pouring in about this defect and as a result, Mattel had to recall about two hundred thousand remaining Snacktime Kids from toy stores. If this isn't the inspiration for today's episode, then I'll be very surprised! 

Ted, an online auction addict and vintage toy-collecting geek, blows his new-car money on Mangler, a rare cybernetic teddy bear from a 1980s cartoon that was recalled for allegedly killing and maiming its owners. When Mangler goes after his brother and his friend, Ted must come to terms with his problem and destroy the bear.

One of the things I liked about the episode was the Mangler commercial. In the beginning of the episode, Ted shows a commercial for Mangler to his brother and his friend. Without giving too much away, from the song that plays to the way it's shot, the commercial is so cheesy, it's hard not to enjoy it. 

The other thing I liked about this episode was Mangler, especially his design. To me, Mangler looks like it could've been made in the 1980's and he seems to share some similarities with another toy from that era called My Pet Monster. For example, like My Pet Monster, Mangler has soft yet cheap looking fur and his armor looks like it's made out of plastic. 

Unfortunately, one of the biggest gripes I have with the episode is the story. When it comes to the whole "Creepy Psychotic Doll" story, this episode has all the clichés that come with it. Now this wouldn't be too much of a problem if they did something with them but unfortunately, this episode plays them straight. Because of this, it's quite easy to predict where the story is going to go and what's going to happen to the characters. As a result, it's next to impossible to feel any tension or suspense when watching the episode. Oh and to add insult to injury, this show has done this sort of plot twice already. Once with Really You and once with The Return of Lilly D. 

Overall, Near Mint Condition wasn't all that great. While I did enjoy it a bit more than Return of The Pumpkinheads, it's not an episode I intend to watch again. 

Overall Grade: D+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #71: Return of The Pumpkinheads

Season: 4

Episode: 5

Original Airdate: October 25, 2014

Director: Jon Rosenbaum

Writer(s): Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott

Wow! I'm halfway through this season already? Well that sure went by fast! Anyway, this is the third time that this show has made a sequel to an existing episode. In season two, we had The Return of Lilly D and in season three, we had Dead Bodies. As far as sequels go, I thought they were pretty good. What do I think of this one? Well, let's find out.

Karen and her own family move to a farm that used to belong to Farmer Palmer, an insane farmer who kidnapped, decapitated, and mutated several kids (who trespassed on his property) into a murderous pumpkin-headed zombies, and learn that Farmer Palmer may be dead, but his pumpkins are alive and ready to claim more victims.

One of the things I like about the episode was the Pumpkinheads. In the original, the Pumpkinheads looked silly but the music and atmosphere kept them from being laughable. The same can be said here only they seem a bit more unnerving and at times threatening as you get to see more of what they're capable of. For example, there's a scene where you see them lurking around and stalking the family, two scenes where the Pumpkinheads attack one of the parents, and a scene where the aftermath of the parents transforming into Pumpkinheads is shown.

However, the thing I take issue with is the ending. Throughout most of it, the lighting is nearly pitch black and as as result, I could barely see what was going on. I don't mind dark lighting, especially when it's used to create a scary atmosphere, but the way it's used in this part of the episode is just rather irritating. I mean, how am I supposed to enjoy this part if I can't see most of it? 

Overall, Return of The Pumpkinheads is an episode that I didn't particularly care for. Based on how this show handled its other sequel episodes like The Return of Lilly D and Dead Bodies, I kind of expected a bit better than this. It's not the worst episode in the series but it's still rather weak.

Overall Grade: D

Every Haunting Hour Ever #70: Miss Worthington

Season: 4

Episode: 4

Original Airdate: October 18, 2014

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Melody Fox

So earlier this week, I started my online college classes. It's a bit too early to determine how well I'll do with them but since both classes have something to do with technology, I can't imagine that they'll be extremely difficult. 

Nate is a young artist whose sister bullies him and whose mother takes her side. That all changes when his drawing of an old woman named Mrs. Worthington, who dishes out punishments to bad kids, came to life and becomes their own babysitter for the evening.

One of the things that works about this episode is Mrs. Worthington herself. In this episode, Mrs. Worthington tortures Molly in ways that I found disturbing such as serving her eyeball soup, tying her up like a mummy and literally zippering her mouth shut with a voodoo doll of her, imitating her mother's voice when she tries to call her for help, and even putting a scorpion on her head. What makes this even more disturbing is that at the beginning of her visit, we see her taking stuff out of her bag such as a bear trap and a giant pair of pliers that old timey dentists would use to extract teeth. Although she never uses these tools in the episode, it indicates that she has the tools to dish out even worse punishments if she absolutely wanted to and that the punishments she gives Molly seem rather tame for her. But Molly isn't the only person she wants to torture. At one point, Mrs Worthington tries to make a voodoo doll of Nate's mother and expresses her desire to punish her for not doing anything about her daughter's abusive behavior. However, she asks Nate to get a picture of her, which her fails to do, and eventually drops the plan. She also decides to torture Nate by pulling on the tongue of his voodoo doll and threatening to cut its tongue off after Nate called her out on her sadistic nature. 

The other thing that works about this episode is its portrayal of sibling abuse. Throughout the episode, Nate's sister does nothing but treat him like garbage. For example, she verbally abuses him multiple times, blames him for things he didn't do, destroys his stuff for her own gain, and even kicks him at one point. If that wasn't bad enough, his mother doesn't even make an attempt to stop or even address the abuse that's going on. As somebody who has been through a similar situation in the past, I can say that, for the most part, this is a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like and I really had a lot of sympathy for Nate. Not only that but depicting the situation like this makes the scenes where Molly is getting tortured all the more cathartic. 

Overall, Mrs. Worthington is one of the darkest episodes of the season thus far without being bloody or gritty. It's kind of like what would happen if Mary Poppins was told as a horror story and if that's sounds like something you'd enjoy, go ahead and check it out.

Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #69: My Old House

 

Season: 4

Episode: 3

Original Airdate: October 11, 2014 

Director: Neill Fearnly

Writer(s): Natalie Lapointe & Greg Yolen

Before this episode was released, I thought it was going to be an Alice in Wonderland themed episode based on iMDB's plot summary of it. When the episode came out however, I got something completely different. 

Alice and her family are moving to a new house, but Alice doesn't want to leave — and Alice discovers that the house doesn't want her to leave it...ever again. 

One of the things I liked about this episode was how they handled the personification of the house. With something like this, it would've been very easy just to make the house have cartoonish, over the top expressions to express its feelings. However, with the possible exception of the face in Alice's room made of wall lamps and an air vent, this episode goes in a more subtle direction with it. For example, when Alice is talking to the house, it uses the lights above the fireplace to answer her questions (one flash for yes, two flashes for no). It also opens doors to certain areas if Alice requests it. The house also talks but I feel like the house's talking bits are handled better than the demon's talking bits from Grandpa's Glasses. For one thing, it only speaks in short sentences once or twice throughout the episode and while the voice they chose isn't anything phenomenal, it was a type of voice that I could at least take seriously. 

The other thing I liked about the episode was the source of the atmosphere. Unlike in other episodes with heavy atmosphere, the main source of it in this episode comes from Alice herself. At first, Alice's love for the house isn't anything too over the top, especially given the situation. However, as the episode progresses, it becomes clear that she is so obsessed with her old house, that she comes off as somebody who has some underlying mental health issues, which is rather unnerving to watch. 

The only thing I'm unsure of is the ending. So the episode ends with  After Alice's parents come searching for her, Alice realizes that she needs to back home, but the house refuses to let her leave. The two "eye" sconces extend from red ropes and form a snake head behind Alice and it grabs her as she screams in terror. Later on, an unnamed new family moves into Alice's old house. The parents discover one of Alice's baby teeth in the fireplace where her box was burned. When the daughter looks at her new bedroom, she discovers not only the light sconce vent face, but an actual smiling human face (presumably Alice) in the wall.

On the one hand, the whole eye ropes effect looks rather fake and kind of resembles low budget CGI from a 1990's film. As if that weren't bad enough, the snake head looks rather silly as well. But on the other hand, the human face in Alice's old room is rather terrifying and the wonkiness of the special effect makes it all the more effective, as it seems to amplify the frightening nature of it.

Overall, My Old House is an episode with an odd concept but it's executed in a way where it works most of the time.

Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #68: Grandpa's Glasses

Season: 4

Episode: 2

Original Airdate: October 4, 2014

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Billy Brown and Craig S. Phillips

So from what I've read, this seems to be an episode that people really like. Do I agree with what they say? Well, let's take a of closer look. 

While visiting his deceased, estranged grandfather's house, Bo discovers his grandfather's glasses, which give him the power to see a demon that may be haunting the house — and uncover why his mother hates talking about her father.

One of the strongest elements of this episode is the characters. For one thing, they seem to react to things in a somewhat realistic manner. For example, when the mother is listening to Bo's claims, she is skeptical but she tries to believe what she's saying. She also figures out that Bo might be telling the truth rather quickly. Second, I felt like the characters got just enough development for me to care about them but not too much to where it bogged down the episode. For example, Bo's grandfather abandoned his family to travel the world, as he felt that it was more important than them. However, when he realized that this decision came with major consequences in both the physical world and the afterlife, he decided to take responsibility and right his wrongs with the help of his grandson. I also like how we get to see how the situation affects all of the characters, rather than just the main character. 

Unfortunately, there is one major problem with this episode that just irks me. I'm of course talking about the demon's voice. So in the episode, a demon (which turns out to be the mother's anger personified) is trapping the spirit of Bo's grandfather and preventing him from moving on. The best way I can describe the voice is that it's a generic, guttural sounding voice, which is the most clichéd type of voice you can give a demon. In fact, it's so clichéd, that the voice comes off as unintentionally funny. Now when the demon first appears, it doesn't talk while it's stalking Bo and trying to scare him. During this time, the scenes where it's trying to be scary and/or disturbing are more effective. However, when the demon starts to talk, it's almost impossible to take it seriously. Maybe it's just me but I personally prefer monsters who don't talk because it seems like most of the time, I feel like talking monsters are difficult to take seriously. If you're wondering why I'm dwelling on this so much, it's because this show has taken plots that have been done to death and put their own spin on it. So I know this show can do better with handling clichéd elements like this.

Overall, Grandpa's Glasses is an episode that isn't too bad, as it can pull off the emotional moments with the help of its strong characters. But when it tries to be scary, it just falls flat on its face most of the time and that's a shame because there have been other episodes that have pulled off both the emotional and scary/disturbing moments before. 

Overall Grade: C+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #67: I'm Not Martin

Season: 4
Episode: 1
Original Airdate: October 4, 2014
Director: Neill Fearnley
Writer(s): Mitch Watson

Hello there ladies and gentlemen! This is Azu here and welcome to season four of The Haunting Hour! So as I mentioned in my last review, this season is a lot shorter compared to season three. In fact, this season seems to be the black sheep of the series, as it only has about ten episodes. Why you may ask? Well, my best guess is that when The Hub (the channel that The Haunting Hour was on) became Discovery Family, they decided to let the episodes that were finished air before presumably dropping the show from the network, as it didn't seem to fit their new image.

Now unlike the other season openers, which were all two parters, this one is a standalone episode. Is it any good? Well, let's find out!

Sean is laid up in the hospital with tonsillitis on Halloween, and ends up back in 1952 where the doctors and nurses mistake him for a boy named Martin Charles who needs his rotting foot removed.

One of the things I liked was the atmosphere. Much like in Ghostly Stare, this episode has a strong emphasis on atmosphere. I think this comes from the way the episode is shot, paced, and scored. Not only that, but the doctors and nurses in the 1950's hospital act like everything is normal instead of acting like over the top, joker-esque characters, which I think really contributes to the unsettling atmosphere. Because of this, I feel that this makes the more disturbing and intense scenes all the more effective.

The other thing I liked about the episode was the tension. Compared to some of the other episodes in this series, the danger seems rather mundane. However, the episode still treats it as if it were legitimately life threatening and because of this, the tension is really strong, which helped me stay invested throughout most of the episode.

If I had one complaint with this episode, it would be the ending. So the episode decides to go with the whole, "It was all a dream but not really" type of ending. For me, this feels like a cheap and lazy way to end a story most of the time and here, it's no exception. Now the season two episode Sick, which I praised the hell out of, has a similar ending. Looking back however, I don't feel it's as cheap because at the very least, they do try to put their own spin on it. But in I'm Not Martin, they don't really do anything that creative with it and while it didn't completely ruin the episode, I felt like it was a rather weak note to end on.

Overall, I'm Not Martin isn't actually that bad for a standalone season opener and for what it is, it's actually quite entertaining. If you can stomach the cheap ending, I think you might enjoy this episode.

Overall Grade: B

Every Haunting Hour Ever #66: Uncle Howee

Season: 3

Episode: 26

Original Airdate: December 21, 2013 

Director: Ken Friss

Writer(s): Rick Drew

Ladies and gentlemen! We are at the final episode of season three! Woo hoo! So without further ado, let's dive right in! 

Jared is stuck babysitting his younger sister, Cynthia, who's been watching The Uncle Howee Show, a kids' show hosted by a loud, energetic man, featuring a puppet rabbit named Loomis, nonstop -- and learns a hard lesson in caring for his sibling when Uncle Howee and Loomis begin talking to Cynthia and plotting their escape from the television.

One of the things I liked about the episode was the balance of details. There's enough information to allow the audience to understand what's going on but there's also enough mystery to allow the audience to come to their own conclusion about how Cynthia was able to call upon Uncle Howee. For me, I have thought of two possibilities. The first is that Cynthia has an ability similar to Danny from The Shining where they can call upon another person with the same ability for help. The second is that this is all a fantasy in Cynthia's head that allows her to cope with her bully of a brother.

Another thing I liked about this episode was how they handled an unlikable character. Unlike in an episode like Bad Egg, this is a character who is intentionally unlikable and they really go out of their way to show how much of a jerk Jared is. As somebody who has experienced something similar what Cynthia went through, I also think this is a pretty realistic portrayal of sibling abuse. Because of this, the scenes where Jared is getting his comeuppance by being tormented by Uncle Howee are very effective. 

But by far the best part of this episode has to be Tom Kenny as Uncle Howee. Oh my god, you couldn't have asked for better casting! He's kind of like Yzma and Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove in the sense that every second he's on screen, he's having a ball. I think this is most prominent in the scenes where he's tormenting Jared in a goofy and over the top way, such as when he imitates a cop answering the phone when Jared tries to call the police. Hell, even his bunny pal Lumis (who is voiced by Tom Kenny if my information is correct) is great because his Ed Wynn impression is solid, as it comes really close to sounding like the actual guy. Despite this, he can still pull off the parts where he has to be unsettling in different ways. 

I think my only major complaint with this episode is Jared's acting. This isn't the worst acting I've seen but it definitely needs some work. I think the problem here is with the delivery of the lines. I understand that he's supposed to be this impatient deadpan jerkward kind of character but it falls flat because most of the time, he seems a little too deadpan and there are even parts where the inflections are rather odd. In all honesty, I think the episode more than makes up for this but I still felt like it was something I needed to point out. 

Overall, Uncle Howee is an imperfect yet fantastic episode and it was certainly one hell of a way to wrap up the season! If I were to make a Top 13 Best Haunting Hour Episodes list, this would definitely be somewhere in the top five!

Overall Grade: A

Well ladies and gentlemen, I've done it! I've not only reviewed every episode of season three but I've also reviewed about 75% of the entire series and I think that certainly calls for a celebration. I won't give away too much about the next season but let's just say that it's a lot shorter in comparison.

Overall Season Grade: 

Studs: 22/26

In-Betweeners: 4/26

Duds: 1/26 (This is for the original ending of Spaceman, which got an overall grade of D-.) 

While this season had more In-Betweeners and Duds compared to the last season, I still think season three was rather solid, mostly because the episodes that were good were extremely good and it really felt like they kicked it up a notch in terms of quality. So until next time folks, this has been Azu signing off!

Every Haunting Hour Ever #65: Toy Train

Season: 3

Episode: 25

Original Airdate: December 14, 2013 

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Craig S. Phillips and Harold Hayes Jr.

Well guys I'm almost there. Just one more episode left after this one and I'll be done with season three! 

While cleaning out the attic with his father, Logan finds a scale model toy train set that brings to life an old train and a switchman who died because of a mistake Logan's father made years ago.

One of the things I liked about the episode was Logan's father. While he is distant throughout the episode, he actually has an understandable reason as to why he's like this. You see, when he was a kid, a switchman came and saved his life but died in the process. Because of this, he feels guilty about the incident and claims responsibility for killing the switchman. Towards the end of the episode, the switchman's ghost confronts him. He wants Logan's father to forgive himself, as the switchman died saving him, and in his guilt, he buried the switchman figure. Logan's father replaces the figure, and the switch man saves Logan by switching the train track. Personally, I think he's a far more likable character than Dr. Douchebag (Jason's father) from Bad Egg. I think the main reason for this is because he seems to have quite a bit of depth to his character and I felt like this made it easier for me to sympathize with him. 

Another thing I liked about the episode was Henry. Now you could argue that he makes the twist a bit more predictable and that he didn't really need to be there. However, I didn't really mind this character all that much because he does have a few cute moments and his interactions with Logan were actually enjoyable. Not only that but the actor they got to play him did a great job. It's a bit hard for me to explain but basically, the actor makes this character feel authentic in the sense that he seems to act like a real little kid as opposed to a one liner spewing machine like Michelle from Full House. 

Overall, despite its flaws, Toy Train is a much better episode than Bad Egg. It may not be as big of a tearjerker as The Perfect Brother but I still think it's worth checking out.

Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #64: Bad Egg

Season: 3

Episode: 24

Original Airdate: December 7, 2013 

Director: Neill Fearnley

Writer(s): Erik Patterson, Jessica Scott 

So recently, Adam West had passed away. This was the guy who put Batman on the map with the 1960's Batman TV series. He was also famous for his role as the mayor in Family Guy and his role as Catman from The Fairly Odd Parents. One of the characters I distinctly remember him playing was The Galloping Gazelle in the Goosebumps TV episode titled "Attack of The Mutant". Also, I only have two more episodes of this season left to review. 

An irresponsible boy named Jason is only one screw-up away from being shipped off to military school as per his strict father and must prove himself responsible when assigned to care for an egg as part of a school project. Trouble is, the eggs donated to the school are rejects from a biochemistry lab harboring an ostrich-like monster that is not fit to live among humans, and now Jason must keep his father from knowing about his latest mistake while keeping the monster away from two government agents posing as pest control workers who want the monster back.

One of the things I liked about the episode was Jason. While he does start off as a bit of a goofball by making jokes about the egg assignment, he starts to take it more seriously and even forms a strong bond with the creature that was inside of the egg, which kind of tugged at my heart strings a bit. 

The other thing I liked about the episode was the creature named Timmy. Throughout the episode, you only see brief glimpses of it until the very end of the episode and when you actually get a good look at the monster, its design has a great balance between cute and ugly. Not only that but its has a bit of a personality that shares some traits with Jason's personality such as having a hatred for Jason's father, as evidenced by the scene where he drops a paint can on his head. 

Unfortunately, one of the major problems I have with this episode is Jason's father, who I will be referring to as Dr. Douchebag from this point forward. So if you couldn't tell already, my problem with this character is that he's way too unlikable. I understand that he's a strict father but Dr. Douchebag seems to flat out hate his son and treats him as if he were a mistake. Hell, even when Jason tries to take the assignment seriously, he doesn't seem to praise his son for it and instead says something along the lines of, "Wow, looks like you haven't screwed things up for once," in a cold yet aggressive manner. To add insult to injury, when Jason tries to admit that he screwed up by telling him that he broke the egg, Dr. Douchebag just ignores that and tells his son that he's going to military school. 

Based on this description, Dr. Douchebag seems to be an abusive parent, which might've worked and made a bit more sense like in My Robot, if he were intended to be a villain. But as far as I can tell, he's not because the actual villains of the episode are two government agents posing as pest control workers trying to get the monster back. What's funny about this is that the villains are portrayed more sympathetically than Dr. Douchebag because all they want to do is catch a potentially dangerous creature and keep it out of human society in order to prevent someone from getting hurt. Sure, they can be creepy when going about it at times, but from what I saw, they weren't being abusive towards any one and their struggle is played out like a more subdued version of a Roadrunner cartoon. Screenwriting 101: If a character who isn't intended to be a villain is more villainous than the actual villains, you dun fucked up.

Overall, Bad Egg is an episode that I feel really bad for because it has likable main characters such as Jason and Timmy, yet has an extremely unlikable character like Dr. Douchebag that really drags down the quality of the episode for me. If Dr. Douchebag was made more likeable or taken out of the episode altogether, I think this would've been an extremely solid episode. But as is, it's not horrible but it's not as great as it could've been. 

Overall Grade: C

Every Haunting Hour Ever #63: My Robot

Season: 3

Episode: 23

Original Airdate: November 30, 2013 

Director: James Head 

Writer(s): Melody Fox

So from what I understand, I'm halfway through the home stretch of season three, as I only have three more episodes of this season to review. And heeeeere's another one! 

Phillip is a science nerd with a secret: he has a robot that he ordered online and programmed himself, and it originally did anything Phillip asked, but the robot gradually overpowers Phillip's programming and is now doing what is "best" for Phillip, forcing him to do things like exercise and eat tasteless nutrient food. Phillip couldn't return the robot to the factory and the robot has actually scared his parents away, so he begs for his friend Tim's help in destroying it. They trick the two school bullies into helping, and while they do shut down the robot. 

One of the things I liked about this episode was Phillip, specifically the direction they take with his character. At first, he seems like the most stereotypical nerd possible (minus a Steve Urkel esque voice). However, as the episode progresses, there are implications that Phillip might've forcibly become this way due to the robot's overbearing nature. This add an interesting layer to Phillip's character as it not only shows how abusive the robot can be but it also makes the robot itself seem more intimidating. 

Another thing I liked was the robot. While its design and voice are a bit campy, it doesn't do much to take away from how horrifying it actually is. Most of what makes it horrifying is that it's so overbearing, that it seems like it's abusing Phillip. To make matters worse, Phillip had virtually no way to get rid of this thing and for a long time, he was basically left alone with it. The factory it came from wouldn't take it back and his actual parents had been scared away by it. To me, this robot is a symbol of overbearing parenting and the episode really does its best to show the consequences that this style of parenting can have on a child. 

Much like Coat Rack Cowboy, the one thing I'm split on is the ending. Without giving too much away, Phillip betrays Tim when the robot gets reset. On the one hand, the ending goes in a direction that I was not at all anticipating, which I really appreciate. On the other hand, it puts a dent in Phillip's likability and seems unfair to Tim as he stood up for Phillip against some stock bullies (who get their comeuppance via the robot) and helped him with his robot problem.

Overall, My Robot was a very enjoyable episode that took a couple of unexpected and interesting turns. Although it can be a bit campy at times, it still does a great job of dishing out the horror.

Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #62: Dead Bodies

Season: 3

Episode: 22

Original Airdate: November 23, 2013 

Director: Jason Furukawa

Writer(s): Jed Elinoff, Scott Thomas

So on Monday, I had turned nineteen years old. That means I'm one year away from being legally allowed to drink... in Japan. Also, I have four more episodes left of season three. 

In this sequel to season one's "The Dead Body," Jake Skinner (who is now human after tricking Will into dying in 1961) finds his time on Earth running out when a Grim Reaper-esque wraith grabs his arm and causes his skin to rot, so Jake plans to trick Anna into sacrificing her life so Jake can keep living -- and only Will's ghost can stop him.

One of the major improvements that this episode makes from The Dead Body episode is that the bullies, Trevor and Chang, are absent, aside from being mentioned briefly. In my review of The Dead Body, I thought that Trevor and Chang were nothing more than one dimensional bullies and were also the weakest part of that episode. Because of this, I feel like omitting these characters was a smart move and really strengthened the episode for me. 

The other thing I liked about this episode was the character development. The first major piece of character development is from Anna. In this episode, she's trying to study for her SATs, which are extremely important if she wants to get into college. However, she gets distracted by Jake who says that she'll have plenty of time to take tests. She tries to resist but she eventually gives in. I think this makes her seem more like a real person because there are times when we know we need to do something important but we get distracted by certain things, which can sometimes be difficult to ignore or resist. The other major piece of character development is from Will. Throughout the episode, Will is trying to get Anna's attention and warn her about Jake, though she doesn't seem to notice him, much to his dismay. Towards the end of the episode, Will musters up all the courage he can and uses his ghost powers to fight Jake and save Anna from becoming another victim of Jake's trickery. Because of this kind deed, he is rewarded by becoming human again while Jake is sent to hell, presumably by the wraith. 

One of the weaker parts of this episode was the effects for the wraith. In this episode, the wraith shows up twice and when they're shown on screen, it's clear that CGI was used. Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against CGI itself. But the problem here is that the CGI looks like something out of those live action Scooby Doo movies, which aren't all that great looking. This is show that has had great special effects in the past and even when the effects didn't look all that great (see The Golem Part 2), they still worked to the episode's advantage. However, the CGI in this episode does not do that and it just sticks out like a sore thumb. 

Overall, Dead Bodies is a great follow up despite one or two setbacks. 

Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #61: Long Live Rock and Roll

 

 

 

Season: 3

Episode: 21

Original Airdate: November 16, 2013

Director: Neill Fearnley

Writer(s): Brandon Auman 

Hello there ladies and gentlemen and welcome to my review of the twenty first episode of season three. For those who don't know, season three has about twenty six episodes, making it the longest season in the series. Since I'm currently reviewing the twenty first episode, I only have about five more episodes to go before I'm finished with this season. In other words, we are in the home stretch! 

Holden is a boy with a garage band, but no musical talent when it comes to playing lead guitar. So when a former, Keith Richards-esque rock star-turned-music shop owner known as Sir Maestro offers him a new guitar seemingly for free, Holden jumps at the chance, only to learn that Sir Maestro wants more than cash for payment and Holden's friends have been tempted with similar offers. 

One of the things I liked about the episode is Sir Maestro. I'm not sure if I used this comparison already but he's kind of like the villain from Something Wicked This Way Comes. He's charismatic but not to a point where he can't be creepy. Not only that but his design is also great. I think it really fits and even enhances the whole rock star motif he's aiming for. 

Another thing I liked about this episode was the climax. So in the climax, Holden challenges Sir Maestro to a "rock-off" in order to save his friends from Maestro's control. There are quite a few things about this climax that I really liked. First off, Holden gets a nice bit of character development. In the beginning of the episode, Holden's guitar skills are less than great and blames his guitar. However, when he's forced to use his original guitar in the rock off, his skills have clearly improved as he doesn't seem to make a mistake when playing. Second, the climax kind of reminded me of the rock off from the Tenacious D movie, which I think they might've been referencing or paying homage to in their own way. 

Unfortunately, there is one problem I have with the episode. So there's a scene where Sir Maestro sneaks into Holden's room and explains that he wants his soul once he gets his bandmate's souls. Now this doesn't seem too bad but the problem with this scene is that it kind of screws up the pacing and I feel like they could've conveyed this information in a much more time efficient way. 

Overall, Long Live Rock and Roll is an episode that does a good job balancing the creepiness with the fun. It's a rather solid episode that's worth checking out. 

Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #60: Coat Rack Cowboy

 

Season: 3

Episode: 20

Original Airdate: November 9, 2013

Director: James Head

Writer(s): Jack Monaco

A long time ago, I remember watching this episode for the first time. Back then, my thoughts on the episode could be summed up as, "Not bad but not very engaging." Well, now that I've made it to this episode in my Every Haunting Hour Ever marathon, I might as well give it a second chance. 

Ethan and his older brother, Brett, are sent back to the days of the Old West, where an outlaw named John "Mad Dog" McCoy (who was hanged for his crimes on the tree in Ethan's yard) challenges him to a final showdown at high noon after learning that his resting place has been cut down and turned into a coat rack.

One of the things I liked about this episode was the setting. So this episode mostly takes place in the wild west. With TV shows that were made in this decade, including The Haunting Hour, you don't really see this type of setting too often. Because of this, it's neat to see. Not only that, but the music and visuals do a good job of engulfing the viewer into this type of environment. 

The other thing I enjoyed about the episode was the villain. Although there are times where his acting can get a bit hammy, he still manages to come off as intimidating. I think this comes from how he talks to Ethan and Brett in a very threatening manner and the fact that he shoots his gun to silence them when they're bickering without a second thought. 

There's one part of the episode that I'm on the fence about however. Towards the end, Ethan starts telling Mad Dog about how his decision to shoot the sheriff has had numerous consequences on various people (particularly the sheriff's children) and even the town itself. At first, Mad Dog shrugs it off. But then as Ethan gives out more details, the outlaw's guilt grows and grows and eventually gets to a point where it ends up killing him. After Mad Dog is slain, Ethan tells Brett that the details he shared with Mad Dog were false. On the one hand, it kind of feels like a cop out because it seems like the writers were afraid to have either character shoot a person. But on the other hand, the whole made up backstory thing does tie into Ethan's love of storytelling. 

Overall, Coat Rack Cowboy was a lot better than I remember, although it isn't without its flaws. Even if you aren't into wild west stories, I still think this a good episode to check out.

Overall Grade: B-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #59: Lovecraft's Woods

 

 

Season: 3

Episode: 19

Original Airdate: November 2, 2013

Director: Neill Fearnley

Writer(s): Brandon Auman

The plot of today's episode goes a little something like this. A man tells his psychiatrist of the struggles that led to his downfall, beginning at his great-uncle's bedside, where he receives a key to a locked collection of his papers. The papers reveal a lifelong obsession with an underwater deity, Cthulhu, around which a cult has formed. Nah just kidding! Here's the actual plot. 

When looking for a shortcut to get to a party, three friends, Margaret, Nickolas and Erica, take a short-cut through the Lovecraft's Woods, a strange patch of woods just as evil as its namesake.

So from what I understand, this episode has nothing to do with H.P Lovecraft. But is it still a good episode regardless? Well, let's find out. 

Now one of the things I liked about the episode is the suspense. While it does get off to a bit of a slow start, the episode becomes extremely suspenseful once the "ghoul" character is introduced and it barely lets up for the rest of the episode. I'm not going to lie, this has got to be one of the most suspenseful episodes I've seen so far. 

The other thing I liked about the episode was the twist. Now early on, part of the twist is revealed once you get a good look at the ghoul's face (i.e Erika is the ghoul.) However, the rest of the twist is kept a mystery until the very end and honestly, it not only through me for a loop but it also made sense given what happens to the characters. 

The final thing that I liked about this episode is the Erica character. Now at the beginning, she acts rude towards her friends. However, as the episode progresses, you start to learn more about her and when Erica gets accidentally scratched by something in the woods, the scratch becomes worse and worse to the point where she becomes deformed. In other words, while Erica isn't a total saint, she still manages to be likeable enough to where you feel sorry for her when she has bad things happen to her. 

Overall, Lovecraft's Woods is a solid episode. While it may not be as good as Detention, there are plenty of strong elements that really make this episode enjoyable in its own right. 

Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #58: Worry Dolls

Season: 3
Episode: 18
Original Airdate: October 26, 2013
Director: Neill Fearnley
Writer(s): Nicole Dubac

Like with Poof De Fromage, this is an episode I've been wanting to talk about for quite a while. However, my thoughts on this episode are little different from my thoughts on Poof De Fromage. What do I mean by this? Well let's start the review to find out!

As a souvenir from her traveling parents, Jordanna (Katherine McNamara) receives a box of knitted dolls known as "Worry Dolls" said to magically fix people's worries -- which prove disastrous when their nanny (Gwynyth Walsh) goes missing, Jordanna's heirloom violin breaks, and Jordanna's parents (Kirsten Robek, Cameron Bancroft) quit their jobs and become obsessed with family togetherness. Jordanna eventually learns of the "Worry Dolls" effect and ends up burning them.

One of the things I liked about the episode is the story. So in this episode, we have workaholic parents, which on its own is rather cliche. However, they put a very interesting spin on it. Unlike in a lot of these stories, the parents play the cliche straight but slowly subvert it as the episode progresses. They do this by making it clear to the audience where they're coming from without seeming unlikeable. Not only that, but once they start to become too obsessed with family bonding, Jordanna and Max yearn to get out of the situation and become more appreciative of the fact that their parents work a lot.

The other thing I liked was the ending. Towards the end of the episode, the parents become obsessed with family bonding to the point where it gets very disturbing. To stop the madness, Jordanna lights a fire in the fireplace and throws the Worry Dolls right in there, effectively turning them into dust. When the dolls are burned, everything goes back to normal. That is, until the burned Worry Dolls gather around Jordanna's pillow in the dark of the night! While the whole "it's still alive" twist doesn't seem all that special, the way its planned out makes it work. From the music they play to the design of the dolls to the lighting scheme, it becomes a frightening scene and solid way to end an episode.

Overall, Worry Dolls is a surprisingly good episode that took a cliched story and put its own little spin on it.

Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #57: Funhouse

Season: 3

Episode: 17

Original Airdate: October 19, 2013

Director: Michael Robinson

Writer(s): Erik Pattenson and Jessica Scott

So today's episode is a rather interesting one. The best way I can describe the plot is that it's a mix between Headshot and A Creature Was Stirring. But does this mean that the episode is good? Well, let's find out. 

Bitter and angry over his father abandoning his family and his mother too busy with work to care, a boy named Chad becomes addicted to visiting a traveling fun house, where he can let out his familial frustrations with sadistic glee by smashing a model replica of a family arguing at the dinner table, but the more time Chad spends at the fun house, the meaner and more addicted to the violence he becomes. 

One of the things I liked about the episode was the main character. In this episode, Chad gets quite a bit of development. In other words, we really get a sense of how he feels about the situation and how he tries to handle it. However, he isn't exactly pitch perfect. For example, after destroying a model of a family arguing in the fun house, he gradually becomes more obsessed with it to a point where he becomes extremely violent. Because of this, it was easy for me to care about him and get wrapped up in his story. 

The other thing I liked about the episode was the source of the horror. In this episode, the main source of horror is Chad's descent into madness and it's both horrifying and tragic at the same time. Not only does Chad's behavior grow uglier but he also starts to become physically deformed the more he goes into the fun house. Honestly, this was hard for me to watch because I've seen just how anger and sadness can sometimes make a situation worse that it was before from my experience living through a divorce. 

Despite this however, I have a couple of issues with this episode.

One of the problems with the episode is the pacing. At times, it can be a little too fast. Although it's nowhere near as bad as it was in Night of The Mummy, it's definitely noticeable. 

The other problem with the episode is the main character's acting. Don't get me wrong! His acting isn't anything terrible but at times, it can get a bit too hammy. Honestly, for me, it's borderline distracting. 

Overall, Funhouse is a rather solid episode and honestly, that's all I have to say about it.

Overall Grade: B+