Every Haunting Hour Ever #22: Scary Mary (Part 2)

Season: 1 
Episode: 22
Original Airdate: May 14, 2011
Director: Peter Deluise

     Last time on The Haunting Hour! Some kids play a game based on Bloody Mary, bad things happen involving mirrors, and that's about it. 

     While in Scary Mary's world, Hanna refuses to be like everyone else, who have given their faces to Mary, leaving themselves faceless. Mary uses the faces to disguise herself as one of them, hoping that a boy will come to rescue the girl and take Mary out of her world, but nobody ever comes. Hanna's friend Eric (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) comes to save her and finds Mary with her face, but realizes that it's not her. Mary's farmhouse sets on fire, representing what had killed her. Eric finds the real Hanna and gets back to the real world by going in a river of Mary's tears. At the end, Mary calls for Eric from the mirror.

     I gotta say, I like how unsettling Scary Mary's minions are. I don't know if this comes from their behavior (Where they basically force someone to lose their identity as told by their master), the way they look, or a combination of both but they're characters that aren't meant to be taken lightly. As a person who has a moderate fear of eye contact, this unsettling feeling becomes enhanced. I think these characters also show how scary losing your identity can really be. 

     I also like how well the scares were executed. There seems to be a lot of thought and build up to them. When I say this, I don't mean that they gradually increase the speed and volume of a music piece and have someone yell "Boo!" Unexpectedly. Instead, the scares rely on the atmosphere and the emotions of the characters. 

     If I did have one issue with this part of the episode, I'd say that it was pretty odd to see Scary Mary talk and show her face. While the performance itself wasn't bad, it seemed rather jarring and distracting. I would've preferred it if, like in the first part of this episode, they kept her face and voice a mystery. Then again, this may be due to the fact that I liked the buildup a lot more than the payoff. 

     Overall, Scary Mary (Part 2) is not only a decent follow up to the first part of this episode, but it's also a decent wrap up for season 1. I can definitely see why this episode is well known and liked among Haunting Hour fans. 

     Overall Grade: B+ 

     With that said ladies and gentlemen, it looks like this is the end for season 1. This was a rather great season as it has quite a few of my favorite episodes and did a great job of shaping an identity for The Haunting Hour. With 22 episodes down and 54 more to go, hopefully we can even more of what makes this show so great!

Every Haunting Hour Ever #21: Scary Mary (Part 1)

Season: 1
Episode: 21
Original Airdate: May 7, 2011
Director: Peter Deluise 

     Ladies and gentlemen! We have made it to the first season finale of The Haunting Hour. For those who are curious, yes. Just like the first episode of the series, Really You, this finale is a two parter. From what I understand, this is one of the more popular episodes of the series. Why is that so? Is it because it's based off of the Bloody Mary legend? Does it have characters that are just so iconic to The Haunting Hour? Well let's dive right in! 

     Hanna (Eva Allen) is convinced by her friends into chanting the Scary Mary poem into her mirror before telling her the legend. There once was a girl named Mary who was obsessed with her looks and loved people making themselves beautiful. She lived in a farmhouse and was a very lonely girl. One day, the farmhouse caught on fire and she burned to death. To this day, she waits for someone to chant her name so she can "take their face" and become beautiful again. Days later, Hanna is convinced that "Scary Mary" has contacted her by leaving a compact hairbrush marked with the letter "M." That night, Hanna applies makeup products while brushing her hair with the "M" brush, not knowing there are masked girls inside her mirror waiting to take her. Seconds later, the girls break through the mirror and pull her in, trapping her in the world of Scary Mary.

     For one thing, I like how the somber mood actually enhances the atmosphere. This episode is like a combination of The Perfect Brother and Ghostly Stare. The somber moods seems to add some weight to this episode's atmosphere and the two elements mesh rather well. 

     Another thing that this episode does well is its villain, Scary Mary.  Throughout most of the episode, the characters and visuals build up the legend of Scary Mary a lot within the time that they're given. The audience gets to know quite a bit about Mary without having the episode be nothing but exposition. When the episode shows Mary on screen, there are a few details shown such as a pink veil and a couple of her fingers. For the most part though, her appearance is kept a mystery. 

     Overall, Scary Mary (Part 1) does a great job of getting the audience into the legend of Scary Mary. While Scary Mary is based on the Bloody Mary legend, it still manages to be its own thing. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #20: The Perfect Brother

Season: 1
Episode: 20 
Original Airdate: April 30, 2011
Director: Micheal Scott

    Ladies and gentlemen, I can't believe it! I'm just one episode away from the first season finale of The Haunting Hour! Man, time just flies by doesn't it? Well anyway, let's get this show on the road, shall we? 

     Josh (Landon Liborion) always knew that Matt (Gregg Sulkin) was the perfect son in the family. But when Matt's star begins to fade, Josh thinks that what his parents propose may be taking things to the extreme. 

     If you're wondering why the plot summary is short this time around, it's because the plot twists are just that great. You see, this an episode that keeps the audience guessing from beginning to end. At first, the audience thinks it's going to be about the consequences of not giving children equal attention. Then it makes the audience think it's going to be about not fixing serious problems as soon as possible and so on. Because of this, I was deeply invested in the episode. Not only that, but this can also be a good way of creating suspense.

     Another thing I liked about the episode how well it does at making the audience get emotionally invested in the relationship between Josh and Matt. While they are jealous of each other,  they do genuinely care about one another, especially when one of them is in danger. Because of this, it makes it all the more difficult to watch. I'm not kidding, when I neared the end of the episode, I almost cried. Granted it's not Schindler's List or Grave of The Fireflies level depressing, but it's still quite a sad episode to sit through. 

     Overall, The Perfect Brother may be one of the best episodes of the entire season. Hell, it may be one of the best episodes in the series but then again we still have 56 more episodes to go. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #19: Lights Out

Season: 1
Episode: 19
Original Airdate: April 23, 2011
Director: Neil Fearnly

     You know, some people believe in ghosts while others don't. There have been plenty of ghost hunting shows that claim to prove that ghosts and/or the supernatural exists. Despite the evidence that these shows capture, there are still people who are skeptical about the existence of the supernatural. Why is this you may ask? Well some skeptics claim that it's nothing more than behind the scenes tricks like photoshopping shadows or other objects into the frame, using pseudoscience, etc.

     Teddy (Gabriel Basso) does not believe in ghosts, and postulates that the various ghost hunting shows are all fake. He wants to prove that he can fake a ghost hunting experience and make his footage look just as realistic as those he's seen on television, so he, his sister Haley, and his friend Sean go to a supposedly-haunted asylum with a video camera in order to hoax their own ghostly encounter.

     One of the things that I think makes this episode good is how well they pay homage to ghost hunting shows. I think this comes from the fact that the episode slowly engulfs the viewer into the environment with its heavy and eerie atmosphere that makes them feel vulnerable. The terms and rules used in typical ghost hunting shows, such as EVP, The fact that batteries die when ghosts are around, etc, are rather well placed and makes it seem as though the writers did a fair amount of research on the topic of ghost hunting. Heck, there are even moments where they use a night vision camera and actually show what the characters are seeing from that perspective! 

     The other thing that makes this episode good is how well the scares are pulled off. I think in combination with the heavy atmosphere, the scares prey on the viewer's feeling of vulnerability that the episode sets up. Because of this, scares that would normally be panned such as jump scares, become effective in frightening the viewer. I also have to give credit where credit is due. They even take something that would normally be considered laughable, such as a gurney that stalks the main characters, and actually made it kind of terrifying. 

     Honestly, the only issue I have with the episode is the ending. Like in Game Over and Catching Cold, we get one of those "History will repeat itself" kind of endings. For me, I find these endings to be a bit predictable and in the case of this episode, it might have been more unnerving if it had ended with Teddy shouting the words "Lights Out" over and over, have a still exterior shot of the asylum, and then just cut to the credits. 

     Overall, Lights Out is a very entertaining and terrifying episode of the series. After watching something like Pool Shark, I'm very impressed by how well the series was able to bounce back from that blunder in terms of quality. 

     Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #18: Pool Shark

Season: 1
Episode: 18
Original Airdate: April 16, 2011
Director: Jason Furukawa 

    Dear readers of this review, due to the atrocious quality of this episode, I have managed to destroy my computer and television and put a few holes in my wall. Surprisingly, my game consoles and tablet were spared my wrath. Anyway, I hope you enjoy seeing me tackle yet another episode of The Haunting Hour. Sincerely, Little Azu. 

     Kai (Booboo Stewart) must overcome his fear of the water in order to convince people there is a shark in the pool. It is suspected that the shark is actually a Nanaue (a creature that is a shark in the water and a human on land). It turns out that the shark Kai was seeing was actually his father and that alongside his dad, he is also a Nanaue. Kai uses this as an advantage by scaring the guy that bullies him and taking his crush for a ride in the pool on his back in the form of the shark.

     I'm gonna be honest with you. This is probably the only Haunting Hour episode that legitimately pissed me off. Why you may ask? Well... Grab some popcorn because this is going to be a long review. 

     Well, why don't I start with the fact that they take a clichéd plot and do absolutely nothing new or different with it. I'm not kidding when I say this. From the moment it starts, I know where it's going to go, what events are going to unfold, and what changes the characters are going to go through. In other words, if you seen a story like this, you've seen this episode. What really brings my piss to a boil is that this show has taken tired and clichéd plots like this and brought something new and refreshing to it such as in The Red Dress, Game Over, and even Wrong Number. So if this show could do that with those episodes, why not this one? Better yet, if you COULDN'T do anything new or different with it, why make the episode at all?! I mean did somebody actually look at this episode and say "Yeah it's up to snuff, air it!". If so, I have several questions for them. 

     Oh but... It gets better. You see, this episode has the worst bully character in the entire series! He basically has no personality outside of acting arrogant. Damn! I thought Trevor and Chang from The Dead Body were the worst bully characters in the series. But at least with them, you could argue that they're like Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons in the sense that they're aware of their bullying and having a lot of fun with it. Hell, even Steffani from Wrong Number had more character than the bully in this episode! Yes folks! A character that was supposed to be a 1 dimensional alpha bitch is a more developed character than a bully character that was supposed to have some personality! Wow! Way to drop the ball there guys!

     OK... If there's anything... And I mean... ANYTHING that I liked about this episode, I would say that the Nanaue legend was kind of interesting. It reminds of the Bolivian Miak from Earnest Scared Stupid in the sense that I really do question whether or not this is an actual Hawaiian legend. This is also made more interesting because this show has had its share of episodes that were based on real life legends such as A Creature Was Stirring and many upcoming episodes. However, is this enough to save the episode? Hell no! It doesn't even come close!! 

     Now I know what you're thinking. Azu, how would YOU fix the episode? Well, along with what I said about the episode, I'd also change the ending. When Kai and the bully character are bickering with each other before the swimming race begins, the girl who they are fighting over will snap and say: "OK guys! You know what? If you are going to act like a bunch of five year olds fighting over who the best ninja turtle is because of me, then I don't want to be with ANY of you! (Turns and sees a random girl) Hey you! Get over here! (Girl walks over) Do you want go do something tonight? Like watch a movie or get a pizza? (Girl nods her head) Great! (The two girls leave as the two guys start sobbing and complaining). Not only does it make for a funny ending but it also does something new or different with the plot, thus justifies the use of a tired plot. 

     Overall, Pool Shark has got to be the WORST Haunting Hour episode I've seen. Considering that I'm not even 20 episodes into the Ever Haunting Hour Ever marathon to find the bottom of the barrel, that's saying a lot! Hopefully things will improve in the next episode. 

     Overall Grade: F-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #17: Catching Cold

Season: 1
Episode: 17
Original Airdate: April 9, 2011
Director: Peter DeLuise

     Do you remember when the first Diary of A Wimpy Kid book came out? I do. Since then, the book has turned into a series with a boatload of sequels. The book itself was a rather humorous look at the perils of middle school life without all the swearing and suicide that would happen in a real life middle school. The book got a movie adaptation, which wasn't all that bad and captured the spirit of the book rather well. Now I know what you're thinking. Why am I saying this? Because in today's episode, the kid who played Rowley in the Wimpy Kid movie is the main character. 

     After getting a taste of the amazingly delicious Kreemy Kold ice cream, Marty (Robert Capron) becomes obsessed with catching the mysterious "Kreemy Kold" ice cream truck that seems to haunt his neighborhood, but always manages to elude him. The local mailman tells Marty the story of a boy named Jimmy Jeffries who was just as obsessed as he was and caught the truck, but vanished and never returned.

     The first thing that I like about this episode is that although the allegory for addiction is painfully obvious, it doesn't seem too preachy. This could've easily turned into a cheesy and dumb episode but what makes it work is that they actually show and talk about the addiction, rather than claiming addiction is bad without going into why. For one thing, it's actually quite terrifying to see Marty, who is a lazy but nice kid, slowly becoming obsessed with having his fill of Kreemy Kold ice cream, which is the ice cream equivalent to Kobe beef. The episode also goes in a more psychological approach when it comes to Marty becoming an ice cream addict and the obsession gets to a point where it ends up consuming his life and gets him kidnapped by the Kreemy Kold truck. 

     The other thing that I like about the episode is the build up. The episode starts off as an innocent "Kid wants ice cream from a truck" scenario and becomes an uneasy situation when the mailman talks about a kid called Jimmy Jeffers who became obsessed with Kreemy Kold like Marty. As Jimmy is talked about and Marty becomes more obsessed with Kreemy Kold, the episode becomes more intense and frighting. It all leads up to the appearance of Jimmy Jeffers, who is now all grown up and has been stuck in the truck for nearly 30 years. I gotta give the episode kudos for making Jimmy seem as scary as possible. From his messy appearance to his broken sanity and repetition of the phrase "It's all you can eat!", he's truly a character to fear. 

     If I had one issue with the episode, I think it would be the ending. Like in Game Over, the ending is kind of predictable but it doesn't detract from the scariness of the episode. 

     Overall, Catching Cold is a terrifying episode that actually conveys the dangers of addiction a lot better than your average anti drug or alcohol PSA. To be honest, it may be one of the best episodes of season 1 if not the entire series. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #16: Wrong Number

Season: 1
Episode: 16
Original Airdate: April 2, 2011
Director: Neill Fearnley 

     Have you ever wanted to see Debbie Ryan, you know the chick from Suite Life on Deck and Jessie, as an alpha bitch? What? You didn't! Well The Haunting Hour did it anyway.

     The two meanest girls at school, Steffani (Debbie Ryan) and Taylor (Sarah Dugdale) prank call an old woman (Karin Konoval) who lives next door to them...and isn't going to let a little thing like death keep her from teaching these mean girls how to treat others.

     One of the things that I love about this episode is Debbie Ryan as Steffani. If you know anything about Debbie Ryan, chances are you'd probably know that she's often typecast as the wholesome girl from a small town. However, in this episode, she plays one of the bitchiest characters in the entire series. For her first time playing this role, it's actually not that bad. In fact, her performance is so enjoyable that she just steals the show. Though, if I did have one issue with it, I'd say that at times, she can be a bit too over the top. Even with that said, it doesn't necessarily ruin the overall quality of the performance. 

     Another thing I love about the episode is the twist. You see, it turns out that Adriana, Steffani and Taylor's punching bag, Constantine, Adriana's uncle, and Mrs. Biazevich, Adriana's grandmother, were all working together to take down Steffani. While it may not be the most surprising twist, it still does a good job of cleverly tying in with the events of the episode. 

     Overall, Wrong Number is a fun yet terrifying episode and I can see why it has become a fan favorite. Though some might see the plot as a bit generic, there's still enough content to keep it from becoming super clichéd. 

     Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #15: My Sister The Witch

Season: 1
Episode: 15
Original Airdate: March 26, 2011
Director: Micheal Scott

     Awhile ago, I tried to become a Wiccan. However, it was difficult for me to understand what a Wiccan exactly was because there were various branches of this religion that had their own beliefs. It was hard for me to become a Wiccan because most of the branches were not self coronated. This basically meant that you had to get a priestess or someone else to invite you into the branch. That doesn't seem so hard except for the fact that there aren't too many Wiccans living in my area. I might try to invent my own branch of Wicca but I'll see how that plays out. 

     When boy scout Pete (Uriah Shelton) welcomes his teenage sister Alice (Jodelle Ferland) home from boarding school, his best friend Reggie believes she is a witch. It is revealed that Alice met a beginner's witch named Enid at her boarding school who told her she was cursed. Alice suspects that it is a Saired Curse, a curse that is said to first start with misfortune, then steals wealth, health, sanity, and finally life. 

     What I find interesting is that unlike the previous episodes, it harkens back to the days of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of The Dark? This basically means that the episode isn't super scary but it's not that comedic either. 

     One of the things that makes this statement ring true is the relationship between the brother and sister. Unlike a lot of brothers and sisters in other shows, they don't really fight a lot. The only time where I can recall that happening is when Pete argues with Alice about her being a witch but even then, it's resolved pretty quickly. Because of this, it's compelling to watch these two work off each other when overcoming obstacles that they face throughout the episode such as defeating the person who cursed their family. 

     Another thing that makes this episode good are the twists. While they are a bit obvious, there's a lot of buildup to them and the clues that hint at them tie in rather well. When the twists are revealed, they aren't disappointing and makes the buildup work in their favor. 

     Overall, My Sister The Witch is a great homage to Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of The Dark? Without coming off as too cheesy or pretentious. It was an episode that I'm glad I saw as I found it to be rather entertaining. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #14: Afraid of Clowns

Season: 1
Episode: 14
Original Airdate: March 19, 2011
Director: Peter Deluise

     You know, I don't really understand why someone would be afraid of clowns. The only explanation I can muster up is that it somehow ties in to the fear of corpses. Well, maybe this episode can explain the fear of clowns better. 

     Clowns are no laughing matter to Chris (Jake Cherry) who has a strange feeling that the local carnival clowns are stalking him. It is shown that they are in fact stalking him. It is revealed that his parents have been clowns forever and now, so is he.

     Now what I personally like about this episode is how well they take advantage of the medium they're in. What people tend to forget is that TV, like film, is a visual medium and you still need to tell some parts of the story visually. This episode does this beautifully as they actually SHOW the reasons why Chris is afraid of clowns (i.e They stalk him, violate his personal space, etc.) Like I said, I didn't really understand why someone would be afraid of clowns, but this episode did give me a better understanding of why someone would think clowns were something to fear. 

     Another thing I like about this episode is how well the actors chosen to play the clowns are. Like Fear from Fear Never Knocks, they're really over the top and seem like they're having fun. At the same time, they are really intimidating, especially when they keep asking Chris to participate in one of their acts because he refuses to do so. 

     Overall, Afraid of Clowns is a compelling character study episode that's pulled off rather well. For this type of episode to be structured like this and not come off as insultingly simple is worth at least a pat on the back for the people working on this episode. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #13: Black Mask

Season: 1

Episode: 13
Original Airdate: March 12, 2011
Director: Neill Fearnley

     

     Yeah I know it's been awhile since my last review and for that I apologize. Anyway, just like with Goosebumps, The Haunting Hour also has an episode that revolves around a mask and is it any good? Well, let's check out the story.

     

     A mask tells of a very bad past, so Julie (Madison Pettis) and Bill (Ricardo Hoyos), set off to change the past of the kids who they believe died. In the end, the kids seen through the mask were actually Julie and Bill themselves. The man they believed would kill them was just the handyman (Nicholas W. von Zill) who was trying to fix the furnace. The mask enables their friend Robbie to save the handyman when an explosion in the furnace causes the beam they thought would crush them to fall on him. Robbie shoves both himself and the handyman out of the way. They realize that the mask shows the future instead of the past.

     

     I think one of the most interesting parts about the episode is the plot structure. Rather than dump as many details on the audience as possible in the beginning, it's kept quite vague with the only known details being the character's names and the setting. However, as the episode progresses, more details slowly start to piece together and by the end, it all comes full circle. I gotta be honest, I don't think I've seen a Haunting Hour episode attempt something like this before and for a first try, it's not bad. OK there's some spoonfeeding here and there but it doesn't detract too much from the overall structure.

     

     If I'm being honest here, I also think the actors did a decent job playing their roles. They do a good job of portraying a wide range of emotions that make you feel bad when something horrible happens to them and makes you feel happy when they come out on top.

     

     Overall, Black Mask may not stand out as much as other episodes in the series, but it's still an interesting episode to check out. I'm sorry I didn't really have as much to say as I did in the last review but this is about as much as I could muster up.

     

     Overall Grade: B

Every Haunting Hour Ever #12: Best Friend Forever

Season: 1
Episode: 12 
Original Airdate: March 5, 2011
Director: Jason Furukawa

     Remember when Sea Monkeys were a thing? Remember how they rarely worked or came to life? I don't. But for those who do, I apologize. To be honest, I think they would've been better if they were robot sea monkeys anyway. 

     Jack (Nolan Gould) accidentally raises a zombie (Chris Cochrane) from the dead, but instead of getting help, he keeps it as a pet. In the end, the zombie kidnaps Jack and Jack becomes the pet of the zombie.

     One of the elements that holds this episode together is the likability of the characters. Much like Lilo and Stitch or Elliot and E.T, Jack and Cheeky the zombie play off of each other rather well as far as human-pet relationships go. Part of what makes this ring true is the fact that Jack is an only child who seems rather lonely. Because he's so lonely, he constantly keeps asking his mom for a pet to which she declines as his previous pets have died. When he finally does get a pet, he's happy but at the same time he's frustrated when trying to keep Cheeky under control. Cheeky, while being restless and destructive, doesn't really know any better. With that said, the two still really care for each other as shown in various scenes such as when Cheeky finds and returns Jack's glasses and when Jack and Cheeky work together to put Jack's scientific rival, Mitch, in his place. 

     Another element that holds this episode together is the comedy. For one of the first comedy episodes of the series, the humor is actually not that bad. For one thing, some of the jokes are kind of clever. For example, when the girl in Jack's science class asks to go to the bathroom for the second time in the episode, the teacher acts all surprised that she needs to use it. She replies with a snappy comeback about how a person who teaches science should know a thing or two about a person's bodily functions. For a comedy episode in a horror show, you'd kind of expect it to be cheesy but surprisingly it never really dips into that territory. 

     The only issue I had with this episode was that I found the ending to be a bit predictable but honestly it still works as a good payoff. 

     Overall, Best Friend Forever, while not being the most atmospheric, plot driven, or scariest episode of the series, still has a very likable charm to it that I think comes from the overall simplicity of everything. If you like stories about comedic human-pet relationships, this is a good one to check out. 

     Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #11: Fear Never Knocks

Season: 1
Episode: 11
Original Airdate: February 26, 2011
Director: Peter Deluise 

     Ladies and gentlemen! Strap yourselves in because today you're in for a big ass kicking treat with this episode! Why? Well let's look at the story. 

     Fears become real when the grandchildren of a decorated psychiatrist named George (Matthew Walker) play around with an ancient recorder in their grandfather's office. It turns out the recorder (called the Box of Fears) was brought to their grandfather by Fear itself (Christopher Heyerdahl) thirty-five years earlier. Now, with Grandpa George retiring, Fear returns, wanting back the box so that he can unleash upon the world all the dark fears stored inside.

     The first reason why this episode is so great is because of the atmosphere. Just like in Ghostly Stare, there is a heavy emphasis on atmosphere. Given that this is an episode about fear, it helps enhance the scares even more than in previous episodes. For example, There are a lot of quiet moments or moments where faint music is playing and when the scares do show up, it catches the audience off guard and the episode becomes extremely tense. 

     Another reason why this episode is so great is the message. Basically, the moral of this episode is that while fear can be seen as undesirable, it can sometimes be a good thing. I gotta be honest, I don't recall too many kids shows with an episode that has a similar message. Why this is I'm not too sure because it's an interesting and  valuable lesson for kids and even some adults to learn. 

     But by far the best part of this episode HAS to go to the villain. Oh my god is this guy phenomenal! He's basically like Freddy Kruger mixed with Jim Carrey in the sense that there's a lot of energy and emotion put into this character. I mean every second this guy is on screen, he seems like he's having a lot of fun and gets lost in the role! Because of this, he's one of those characters that the audience can't take their eyes off of. In other words, he basically steals the show! 

     Though, even with all these awesome elements being presented I still had one issue with the episode. Like I said, the moral of the episode is that fear can be a good thing sometimes. However, towards the end of the episode, the granddaughter gets rid of fear by turning into FDR and says that she fears only fear itself. By getting rid of fear, she not only eliminates the bad fears, but the good fears that keep people safe as well. If they wanted to convey the message a bit better, I think they should've shown the world plunging into absolute chaos with people running into the streets and getting run over, people hurting each other, and many other things. Though I guess you could only fit so much content into a 30 minute episode. Also, I checked. There is no sequel episode so this is all we get. 

     Overall, Fear Never Knocks is one of my favorite episodes of the series. In this episode, it seems like the people working on it really put in their best efforts and after watching a lackluster episode like Alien Candy, I can see why. While it's not perfect, it has plenty of likeable elements to warrant at least several viewings. 

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #10: Alien Candy

Season: 1
Episode: 10 
Original Airdate: February 19, 2011
Director: Neill Fearnley

     Judging by the title of today's episode, the premise is going to involve you guessed it Betty White! Wait... This episode has NO Betty White!? Well then, I guess I just wasted everyone's time. 

     Walt (Grayson Russell) and his best friend Tim are sixth graders who are obsessed with aliens. When two strange eighth graders named Bonnie (Jessica McLeod) and Greg (Matthew Knight) ask Walt to join their secret alien club, he eagerly accepts. However, it turns out that Bonnie and Greg are real aliens that only wanted Walt to join so they could eat him.

     One of the things that makes this episode good are the characters. While they aren't too complex, they still manage to be likable and make the audience want to see them come out okay by the end of the episode. 

     Unfortunately, that's where the good stuff ends. 

     The biggest issue I have with this episode is that there are just one too many plot holes for me to fully get into the story. For example, when the aliens drug Walt, they start to eat him only for them to realize that they're allergic to people with red hair. Wait a minute! So you're telling me that NONE of the aliens noticed the colour of Walt's hair? Even though they have met up with him a couple of times in broad daylight and neither one of them had visual impairments! Another example would be when Bonnie tells Walt not to speak up about the club or she'll fry him. Then the aliens approach Tim to join the club so they can have some quote on quote "Indian food". Earlier in the episode however, the aliens said he wasn't good enough for their club. So which is it? Do the aliens like Tim or not? C'mon writers! This isn't a Choose Your Own Adventure book! Pick one or the other! 

     Overall, Alien Candy is definitely not my cup of tea. Granted it's not the worst episode of the series but it's not really an episode I can recommend if you get distracted by plot holes. Had the script been given a couple more rewrites, this may have been a stronger episode. However, as is, it feels quite underwhelming. 

      Overall Grade: C-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #9: Game Over

Season: 1
Episode: 9
Original Airdate: February 12, 2011
Director: Terry Ingram 

     Really guys? That's the best title you could come up with for a video game related episode? Well let's just hope the rest of the episode isn't as generic.

     Kelly "Kell-razer" (Calum Worthy) and his friend Gooch (AJ Lutsky) receive a mysteriously new game called Zee Town that they got from a stranger named the Game Master (voiced by David Sobolov). However, it turns out this game sucks its players into a live-action game world in which said players can actually die. As they team up with their newfound allies Sean and Mika, they must all fight their way out as that is the only way to survive.

     One of the things that makes this episode enjoyable is that they take the whole "People get sucked into a video game" concept and have a lot of fun with it. For example, when Kelly, Gooch, and their Asian friends are fighting the zombies, they use a wide variety of weapons in all sorts of ways to defeat them. Because of this, the fight scenes with the zombies and the quartet become very intense and entertaining to watch. Like in a really good beat 'em up game, It also feels satisfying whenever one if the quartet members hits a zombie. 

     Another thing that makes this episode enjoyable is that it actually SHOWS the good things that video games have to offer. These things include working together as a team to defeat the zombies and the Game Master, strategic planning, and socialization. In all honesty, I find this kind of refreshing because when it comes to a video game related episode in a kid's horror anthology show, such as The Tale of The Pinball Wizard from Are You Afraid of The Dark?, it usually shows the bad side of video games. 

     Though with all of that said, I did find one issue with the episode. For me, I found the ending where Kelly becomes trapped in the game as the new Game Master to be a little too predictable. Don't get me wrong! It's not a terrible ending but it seemed like this episode wanted to do a fresh take on the whole "Person gets sucked into a video game" concept. When you have an ending like this in an episode that's trying to do a fresh take on something, it feels really out of place and a bit lazy. 

     Overall, Game Over is a mostly refreshing take on a familiar concept done right. It's one of those "Don't judge a book by its cover" episodes. Sure the title isn't the most original, but the rest of the episode definitely does a lot to separate itself from other video game related horror stories. If you like The Haunting Hour and/or video games, this is definitely the ideal episode for you to watch! 

     Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #8: The Walls

Season: 1 
Episode: 8 
Original Airdate: February 5, 2011
Director: Michael Scott 

     You know, I gotta be honest with you guys. I never really found the Goosebumps TV Series to be that scary. Maybe it's because I've seen scarier content before I watched Goosebumps or maybe I was just a brave kid but either way, this show never managed to terrify me. This episode on the other hand... Um... Let's just look at the story first.

     Jeffery (Bobby Coleman) realizes that not everyone moves out before someone else moves in. There is something in the walls of the new house into which he and his parents move. 

     One of the things that makes this episode so damn good is that it's one of the few episodes that terrified me to the point where I had nightmares over it. Don't get me wrong, most of the episodes in this series have great scares but I can usually handle them okay. This one however is different because when I'm alone regardless of the time of day, I feel like there's someone in my house that shouldn't be there and this episode does a great job capturing this fear. I think this comes from the way the monster in the walls is built up through the hints that are given about it, the music, and the tense atmosphere all working together at the same time. 

     Another thing that makes this episode so damn good is the twist ending. You see, it turns out that Jeffery's parents knew all along that there was a creature in the walls. They say that the ugly old creature called a klemit causes good fortune and has a strong sweet tooth (and the old man who previously lived in the house died while dating a 29-year-old woman). I'm not going to lie, this is probably one of the best twist endings I've seen in a long while. I think it works because while there are hints along the way (i.e the parents buying expensive stuff, a neighbour telling Jeff about how the previous resident had to "Feed the walls", etc) are kept vague and somewhat subtle. 

     Overall, this was a rather enjoyable and terrifying episode that is sadly one of the more obscure episodes of the series, like Nightmare Inn for example. Why this is I'm not exactly sure but nevertheless it definitely deserves at least several viewings. 

     Overall Grade: A+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #7: Ghostly Stare

Season: 1
Episode: 7
Original Airdate: January 29, 2011
Director: Neill Fearnley

     If you've ever to a graveyard regardless of the time of day, you'd probably get two types of feelings from a place like this. The first feeling might be an eerie one, as if someone were following you around and wanted to cause harm. The other might be a sad feeling like your heart has become a lead weight as it sinks at the thought that hundreds or thousands of perished souls are buried there. So with that said, let's take a gander at this episode's story! 

     Lauren (Emma Grabinsky) and Mark (Jason Spevack) learn that when cemeteries are disturbed, not everything stays buried. A ghost replaces Mark when he falls into a grave. Lauren sets off to get her brother back. In a twist ending, Lauren is replaced by a ghost named Alice Clairborne and the real Lauren becomes dead.

     The first thing that I like about this episode is the atmosphere. Yeah I know I said that episodes of The Haunting Hour have a lot of atmosphere but this episode takes that one step further. There's a lot of quiet moments with no dialogue and moments where music just plays. I think there's this emphasis on atmosphere in this episode because when you get down to it, the plot is rather basic so it's not like they had a lot to go off of in the first place. Which leads me to my next point. 

     Another thing that I like about this episode is that this episode pulls off simple scares rather well. I think this has to do with the fact that scares like this don't really require that much set up to get right. It's basically scares that you would hear in a typical campfire story. They're not very complex but they're still effective within the context of the story. 

     There is one issue I had with this episode and that was with Lauren's brother. Don't get me wrong, he's not a terrible actor but he seems way too old for the role. The character he plays is written as if he was 7 or 8 years old while the actor himself looks to be around 12 or 13. While it might not seem like that big of an issue to some, I honestly found this kind of distracting. 

     On the whole, Ghostly Stare is a basic but enjoyable ghost story that really takes advantage of its setting and has fun with its premise. If your into ghost stories like this, you'll enjoy this episode OK. 

     Overall Grade: A-

Every Haunting Hour Ever #6: The Red Dress

Season: 1
Episode: 6
Original Airdate: January 15, 2011
Director: J. B Sugar

     Nice is good mean is bad! Don't be mean 'cus mean is bad! Nice is better than mean! Wait. This isn't the Malcolm in The Middle episode where Lois punishes the boys mercilessly because she thinks they burned her red dress? OK then. I guess I'll just go right to the story.

     Jamie (Linda Tomassone) is a lowly country club worker who will do anything to look like a glamorous rich girl. When she stops by a local thrift shop called "The Raven's Chest," she accidentally steals a beautiful red dress -- and soon learns the hard way that nothing in life is free.

    One of the things that I enjoyed about the episode was the tense atmosphere. Since this episode focused on someone stealing something, it does its best to capture the feeling of "getting something for nothing". Basically, this feeling is like an adrenaline rush. Your heart starts to beat rapidly, you become very nervous, and you want to get out of there as fast as possible. Once a blind woman that stalks the main character for taking the dress is added into the mix, it becomes a very intense episode to watch. 

     Another thing I enjoyed about the episode was that it does a great job at adding meat to what is essentially a bare bones plot. For one thing, the main character has another motivation for keeping the dress outside of wanting to impress a boy. For example, throughout the episode, it's heavily implied that Jamie is a poor girl that has patches on all of her clothes and has to work her summer away. With this dress, she can feel like a rich person and be happy, even if was for a short period of time. I also think that making this type of plot into a horror story actually works to the episode's advantage. I've seen this sort of plot many times as a comedy story but very rarely have I seen it done as a horror story and because of this, it kind of gives the episode a sense of uniqueness. 

     However, the one issue that plagues this episode is that it still manages to use some cliches that come with a "Girl wants to impress boy for special event" plot. For example, there is a girl named Stella that Jamie competes against for the boy's affection who of course is given little to no personality outside of "Snobby rich girl". Though, as much as some of these cliches piss me off, Stella is barely in the episode as she appears in only one or two scenes that barely go over a couple of minutes. 

     Overall, The Red Dress is a rather decent episode to watch. To be honest, when I first saw the plot summary to this episode, I thought it was going to get my blood boiling. However, it did manage to surprise me and surpassed the expectations I had for it. Unlike another episode that I'll be reviewing soon, it actually feels like there's some real effort at putting a new spin on an old plot. 

     Overall Grade: B+

Every Haunting Hour Ever #5: Nightmare Inn

Season: 1

Episode: 5
Original Airdate: January 8, 2011
Director: Neill Fearnley

     

     Well it can't be an R.L Stine based series without some werewolves so... Here's a story about werewolves.

     

     Jillian (Madeline Carroll) is forced to face her fears in a creepy inn where the staff is keeping a secret. At night, the staff of the inn are revealed to be werewolves who wish to devour her. She is saved by another werewolf who might just be her father.

     

     One of the things that makes this episode good is the werewolf fight. Towards the end of the episode, the two people who Jillian interacted with at the inn turn out to be werewolves who both wanted to eat Jillian. They get into a fight that's pretty intense and suspenseful. Even though some of the shots of the fight are a bit dark, the audience can still see what's going on. The other things that make this fight fun to watch is that the werewolf costumes are well done for a TV budget and the fact that the sound effects make it sound like it's really hurting the people involved.

     

     Another thing that makes this episode good is how they relied a lot on tension rather than story to make the scares work. Though not perfected, it's still a great effort as the scary scenes for the most part are effective, especially the nightmare scenes. Staying at an eerie place, even if it's just for a couple of nights, can make just about anyone feel anxious. That's basically the best way to describe how the heavy reliance of tension kind of works to this episode's advantage. Though this sort of technique would be improved in later episodes, it's a great starting point for the series.

     

     The other thing that makes this episode good is the balance of scares and heartfelt moments. The moments I'm talking about are the parts where Jillian sees this werewolf who brings back her necklace that may or may not be her dad and the parts where Jillian's mother is trying to help her daughter cope with her father's death. While the episode does have its scary moments, it still takes time to establish the difficulty of the situation much like in A Creature Was Stirring. When the episode does go from a scary scene to a heartfelt scene, I think it makes the heartfelt scene all the more effective and emotional.

      

     Some might take issue with the fact that they don't really explain whether or not the werewolf who gave back Jillian's necklace was her father but honestly, I think that adds a bit of mystery to the episode and allows the audience to draw their own conclusions.

     

     Overall, Nightmare Inn isn't that bad of an episode yet it seems to be one of the forgotten Haunting Hours. With that said, should this episode get more attention? Yeah. I mean it's got some great content in it just like all the other episodes I've reviewed thus far so... Why not? If you're also curious to see how The Haunting Hour started out in making tension based episodes, this is definitely worth your time.

     

     Overall Grade: A

Every Haunting Hour Ever #4: The Dead Body

Season: 1
Episode: 4
Original Airdate: December 25, 2010 
Director: James Head

     From what I understand, this is one of those episodes that gets a lot of praise from fans, with some even declaring it a masterpiece. Though that does raise a couple of questions. One of which would be "Is this episode really that good?". Before I get into my thoughts, let's check out the story. 

     Will Johnston (Brendan Meyer) strikes a deal with Jake Skinner (Matt Angel), the new kid, to take care of some bullies. Will soon learns Jake is a ghost that died in a fire because of some bullies. They go back in time to the day Jake was going to die. Will saves Jake, only to realize that he'd been tricked. When Will perishes in the fire that had killed Jake, Jake begins the rest of his life again while Will takes Jake's place and becomes the ghost.

     One thing that makes this episode good are the characters. For the most part, almost all of the characters seem a bit cliche but they still manage to be likeable in their own ways. For example, Jake can be a bit of a jerk towards Will sometimes but when the episode gives his back story, it's rather tragic and he becomes a character that the audience can sympathize with. Will, while being a bit shy and awkward, is still a nice guy who wants to get back at Travis and Chang who constantly pick on him but isn't interested in physical violence in order get what he wants. 

     Another thing that makes this episode good is the chemistry between Will and Anna. For one thing, it's actually quite believable as Anna kind of acts as a foil to Will in a sense that she actually tries to stand up to the bullies that are picking on Will when the class is on a field trip in the woods. The chemistry also seems very natural and not once throughout the entire episode did I say to myself "Man! This is so forced!" Like I do with a lot of teenage romance stories. 

     The other thing that makes this episode good is that because it has a lot of character development, the scares it sets up are quite effective. For example, towards the end of the episode, Will is transported back to 1961, the year that Jake died and he witnesses some bullies throwing firecrackers at Jake, who is locked in some sort of cage. When the bullies throw their last firecracker, the gym ends up catching on fire and Will goes to save Jake. When Will frees Jake from the cage, Will is stuck in there as a bunch of smoke and flames prevent him from seeing the exit. A big flaming cabinet eventually falls on him and it immediately cuts to a black screen. When I saw this happen, I ended up jumping back and shouting "Woah!". It's quite shocking because it plays with people's expectations of the main character getting out OK. The twist ending helps play with this expectation as well because the audience thinks he survived but when Anna goes through Will, the audience finds out that he has died. 

     Despite all of the good things I said about this episode, there is one glaring issue I had with it. That would be none other than Travis and Chang. These are by far the weakest characters in the episode because they seem rather one dimensional. Granted, Travis does get his comeuppance but there are still other issues with these characters that contribute to their one dimensionalness. For one thing, it is said that Travis and Chang pick on Will because they like to "Scare little wusses like him". Yet in the episode, Will is the only student who gets picked on by these two. If that's the case, then how come Will so special that Travis and Chang apparently have no time to pick on other kids? Because he's the main character? 

     Overall, The Dead Body is a memorable episode that has a lot to like about it. I can see why some people love this episode and consider it to be on of their favorites. Would I call this a masterpiece? Not necessarily as it does have 1 or 2 glaring issues that may turn some people off from watching it. Regardless, I still enjoyed watching this episode and felt it was worth my time. 

     Overall Grade: A- 

Every Haunting Hour Ever #3: A Creature Was Stirring

Season: 1
Episode: 3
Original Airdate: December 25, 2010
Director: Ken Friss

     Ok! I'm just going to cut right to the chase. This episode is about a little boy's parents getting divorced. Damn Haunting Hour! You didn't even wait 5 episodes in to give us an episode with a subject as serious as divorce! Well that's one of the things that makes The Haunting Hour so great. When it wants to show a heavy handed subject like divorce, it's not afraid to do so. In fact, you'll see a couple of episodes with some heavy handed content for a kids show later on. But with that said, what else is there to the story besides divorce? Well, let's take a look. 

     All Timmy (Thomas Robinson) wants for Christmas is for his soon-to-be-divorced parents to stop bickering and a Krampus-like gremlin may be the solution to the family's strife. In the end, it turned out that the Krampus was helping Santa Claus to grant Timmy's wish of getting his parents back together.

     One of the things that makes this episode work is the main character. In this episode, the protagonist is a little kid around 7 or 8 I think and it's not too often you see a little kid as the main character in an R.L Stine related show. Usually the protagonist is either a 12 year old or a teenager and little kids tend to be side characters or not used at all. In fact, I think this maybe the only Haunting Hour episode in which a little kid is the star. The other thing that makes the main character good is that he isn't too annoying or generic. Yeah he has some typical kid traits like making up stories about monsters and being excited for Christmas, but he's also quite brave and optimistic. Not only are his parents considering a divorce and fighting with each other but he also has to deal with surviving a monster attack. Even with all of this going on, he never sheds a tear or tries to run for his life. Instead, he works with his family to survive the monster while at the same time doing his best to keep them together. 

     Another thing that makes this episode work is the impact that the parents divorce proposal has on the family. As a person who has been through this type of situation before as a little kid, I can safely say that they got it down pretty well. From the parent's constant bickering to everyone seeming more reclusive to the fear of not being a family anymore. Even when there's a monster running loose and destroying the house, it doesn't stop the episode from taking a moment to address the difficulty of the situation. 

     The main issue with this episode is that I didn't really find the scenes with the monster to be that scary. Don't get me wrong, I actually like the monster's design and the special effects for its powers (i.e flying, spitting acid out if its mouth, etc) are pretty good. However, I guess I wasn't scared by the scenes with the monster because I was really invested in the family bonding, which I think is the real focus of the episode. 

     Overall, this may not be one of the scariest episodes of the series, but it certainly has a lot of emotion and likability to it without coming off as too corny or cheesy. Is it one of my personal favorites? No. But nevertheless, it's still an enjoyable episode that deserves at least a couple of viewings. 

     Overall Grade: B+