FEAR ITSELF Review: Episode 2 - "Spooked"
|
|
 |
"Fear Itself" continues to roll along with it's second episode "Spooked". The episode stars Eric Roberts as a detective with a dark past, who is hired by a woman to spy on her husband who she suspects is philandering around behind her back. This coming right after he's just murdered a kidnapping suspect despite the suspect pleading for his life. When he shows up for the job, and moves into surveillance...he begins to see and hear fights, confrontations, and salacious conversations coming from inside the house which is the focal point of his stakeout. But are these scenarios taking place within the house for real, or are they just a figment of his imagination...spurred on by a guilty conscience?
|
That's the question Robert's character spends the entire episode trying to answer, while someone or something is constantly trying to break him down mentally. Unlike "The Sacrifice"...which severely lacked depth, "Spooked" is a much deeper episode script wise, character wise, and story wise. The episode is also written alot smarter, and has far better performances...which shouldn't come as a surprise with a veteran thesp. such as Roberts heading up the cast. The episode uses a mix of old and new tricks, to bring the haunted house apsect of the episode to the forefront, straying deeply into the supernatural...but at the same time, keeping the human aspect of things alive as well by making Roberts character go throguh a series of emotions during the episode, and connecting the somewhat ghostly events which take place within the house, to a pretty clever twist which comes in later on.
|
|
 |
Brad Anderson directed the episode, and shoots it masterfully, creating nice camera angles which capture the action very well yet at the same time, give the episode a twisted, hellish look and feel also. The haunted house itself is also a pretty above average meance for a tv show. Usually, most television series who sport a haunted house episode go more for the old abandoned house in the burbs. But this episode features a swank looking mansion, which is alot more sinister looking on the inside than it is on the outside, as well as some trippy visuals such as satanic drawings commiting suicide. |
While this episode doesn't sport as much blood and gore as "The Sacrifice" did however, but it does have some blood and a few pretty gruesome scenes...one of which is pictured above. It's a pretty trippy scene to witness unfold. Genre fans should appreciate the episodes climax, which has more twists and turns than you can shake a really big stick at. You might be able to see a few of them coming, but the large twist of the episode is veiled very well until the end by writer Matt Venne. Which shouldn't come as a surprise considering Venne is a very talented scribe who was responsible for scripting 2007's "White Noise 2", the followup to "White Noise". Overall "Spooked" is one of the stronger episode of the first two shown. It contains all of the necessary elements to avoid coming off as a lopsided or critically flawed entry, and instead with a good lead performer, and very strong story...manages to come in as a well-rounded installment.
Social Bookmarking
| | | |
