FEAR ITSELF Review: Episode 5 - "Eater"
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"Fear Itself"'s 5th entry Stuart Gordon's "Eater" is certainly one of it's best ones yet. The series continues it's upswing which began with "Spooked", and has gone on the up and up for the past three weeks. "Eater" concerns a female rookie cop, who just so happens to be unlucky enough to be on duty on the night where a new prisoner is transferred to her precinct. The Prisoner is a creepy albino-looking cajun serial killer nicknamed "The Eater". He's garnered that name because he has a penchant for keeping his victims alive and feeding on their flesh. The cannibalistic killer seems to be tightly under lock and key once he's brought in, but soon...the female officer begins to have weird visions and encounters, and it soon becomes evident that The Eater is alot more than just your average serial murderer.
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"Eater" is a good episode for a number of reasons, one of which being the setting. The episode is set on a snowy night, inside one of those old-style police stations with the dingy walls, floors, flickering lights, and a very creepy urban look to it overall. This helps set a dark and moody tone for the story which furthers the scare factor and elevates it considerably. You always have the sense that something bad is going to happen to the female rookie cop, and her comrades...only you're not exactly sure when it's gonna come. But you know it will. You know that this isn't gonna be one of those episodes where it's all revealed to be "just a dream" in the end. Utter mayhem and carnage is destined to beseige these people.
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The police officers themselves are portrayed as typical cops, only with the exception of the female rookie being a horror film fan. A cog thrown into the mix which I thought was a really interesting and creative idea. Her like and fondness for blood and gore fantasy, coming into direct contact with the bloody and gory reality of the evil and flesh-hungry prisoner who sits within his cell, under her watch. This was a very intriguing paralell to watch play out through the 1 hour episode. The Eater himself is a really creepy guy, in look, attitude, voice, and personality. It's made evident from the get go that he's got some supernatural connection and or abilities...only they aren't revealed too early in the game, and rather are slowly expanded upon as the episode goes along. |
As the story plays out, we see and learn just how powerful the eater is, and the depths of his terrifying supernatural talents as he slowly takes control of the situation through trickery and phantasmic means. The gore and gruesomeness factor are extremely high in this episode as well. In fact, it was pretty surprising that NBC allowed this much gore to be shown seeing as how it's national tv but I guess in prime time, you can slip a little bit more past the censors. The best part of Gordon's "Eater" though come in the finale as the eater closes in on his final victim, the female rookie officer...and she has to think quickly if she wants to survive what's left of the night and defeat him. "Eater" is a very imaginative episode which plays on the fears of claustriphobia, the unknown, and illusion. It should scare the easily scared, and entertain and thrill the not so easily scared.
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