Review - Fear Itself

Television Series, NBC, 10 PM Thursdays

Rating (after five episodes): 3.5 out of 5 Stars

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

It’s been some time since an anthology series of note in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre has found its way to network television. ABC’s Masters of Science Fiction was a dud last summer (ratings and quality), and prior to that I believe we have to go all the way back to the 80’s Twilight Zone revival for the last example of the format on the networks.

NBC’s Fear Itself brings the format back to broadcast television in what is essentially a continuation of The Masters of Horror series which had a successful run on Showtime for two seasons. The latter series featured stand alone mini-movies (60 minutes) from well know writers and directors from the horror genre such as John Landis, John Carpenter, and Joe Dante. Fear Itself follows the same premise with fewer big names (John Landis did make a return) and less graphic content.

At first thought, you would probably think that the network version would offer a watered-down, ersatz translation of the original, however, after four episodes this is definitely not the case. The series has thus far presented creepy, suspenseful, well-crafted stories in the horror/supernatural vein. Restricted in the amount of graphic material they can get into a network timeslot (though they definitely push the envelope), the writer’s have focused more on psychological side of horror. This has so far made for a very engaging series.

SPOILERS IN NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS

The subject of the episodes has varied so far, though all but one have contained a supernatural bent. The first episode, “Sacrifice”, from horror writer Del Howison focuses on four criminals (apparently gunrunners) who find themselves trapped in a fort with mysterious women and an ancient vampire. “Spooked”, starring screen veteran Eric Roberts, deals with an ex-cop with anger issues who enters an apparently haunted house that forces him deal with the ghosts of his past. “Family Man”, directed by Horror veteran Ronny Yu, written by Daniel Knauf (Carnivale), and starring Colin Ferguson (Eureka), deals with a loving father who switches bodies with a violent killer. “In Sickness and in Health”, arguably the weakest installment so far, comes from Horror veteran John Landis and deals with a woman who receives a note warning her about her husband-to-be hours before her wedding.

My only complaint after the first four installments is that each of the episodes has left me feeling like they had some leaps in logic and/or annoying loose ends. In “Sacrifice”, the way they ended up killing the vampire seemed pretty straight forward, so how had no one else come up with this idea for several centuries? In “Spooked”, Harry getting shot by his partner at the end seemed like too convenient of an ending. In “Family Man”, I wanted to know what sort of a malicious force would put Dennis in such a twisted predicament. And the last minute twist delivered by “In Sickness and in Health” just didn’t work for me. Still, these are mostly just nitpicks (except for the last episode), and they do not detract too much from the enjoyment of the series.

I have seen some beraters in online forums claiming that the episodes lack much of a scare factor. To some extent, this is true. There is little or no “jump out and scare you” feeling in the episodes that have aired so far. And I have rarely felt a sense of impending dread while watching the series (a little of that crept into “Sacrifice” and “Spooked”). But each episode has successfully established an air of unease and suspense. The producers seem to be aiming for a much more psychological sense of terror in a way that harkens back to such classics as the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, and with this they have succeeded so far. Actually, for me one of the biggest distractions has been the fact that the series airs during the Summer Months instead of on a cold Fall or Winter night which would more readily lend to the atmosphere of the show.

As with any anthology, the episodes are hit and miss. Even The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits had their share of clunkers. Still, after the first four episodes, I would say that Fear Itself has delivered three hits and one miss, which is a pretty good record. Hopefully it will keep up this hit rate over its full thirteen episode run.

Ratings-wise, the series has seen moderate performance so far. It has usually ended in second or third place in its time slot, but the good news is that it has mostly held onto or at times improved on the numbers from its lead-in. Summer is a slow ratings season anyway, so hopefully NBC is not expecting blockbuster numbers. It would be nice if they kept this one on the schedule as a yearly Summer staple (or maybe try and slot it into the Winter hiatus).

-JJJ

Watch Fear Itself and other Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Series Online for Free