Tuesday Terror: No End House (Ep 1)

neh2

Channel Zero: No End House (Syfy)
Episode 1: This Isn’t Real

Full of guilt and grief after the death of her father, Margot has withdrawn from the world. Her friend Jules stops by to break her out of this funk. Both get a weird video announcing the arrival of No End House.

Jules convinces Margot to go to a bar where they meet J.D. (a childhood friend) and Seth (handsome stranger). J.D. knows all about No End House and fills them in on the lore. Basically, it’s a highbrow pop-up haunted house that is the stuff of legends. There are six rooms. Each successive room gets weirder, more frightening. People who are brave enough to make it into the sixth room are never seen again.

The gang goes back to Margot’s house and end up discussing their nightmares and fears around the pool. Margot sees a commercial for No End House that finally reveals its location. The group ventures to NEH and despite seeing people leaving the house sick/vomiting, they go in…and life will never be the same.

My Thoughts:
Overall, it wasn’t a bad first episode. It left me with a lot of questions and I’m willing to stick around for the answers. I don’t think the following is spoilery, but if you haven’t seen the 1st episode this probably won’t make much sense. 🙂

How is No End House related to Candle Cove?
The series have at least two things in common right off the bat:
#1 words carved on flesh.  (Mike from Candle Cove had carved “Come Home Mike” into his arm. Lacey, the very first person we see in No End House, has “This Isn’t Real” carved into her arm.)
hallw#2 the long hallway of dread/
Will all of the stories in the Channel Zero series have a big, overarching story attached to them? Could No End House be a manifestation of Eddie and/or Mike from Candle Cove?

No End House
-I like that they turned the haunted house into and art installation. It gives the event an air of pretentiousness and explains why no one is disturbed about this structure appearing out of the blue.
-The house generously gives you an exit door for the first three or four rooms. There is more than enough warning, it essentially says to them, “I know what you are afraid of and you will meet your nightmares here.” The gloves come off when you miss your last chance to leave.
-I do wonder if people who take the exit really do get to leave, but I like to think the house plays fair.

Can We Trust The Narrative? (Or the incredible moving car)
I have a strong suspicion that we aren’t watching a linear narrative.

split

Quick Character Notes
J.D. – I think his bust did not change because, while others hide their fears inside, he wears his on his skin (tattoos). [Funny how he is the most enthusiastic about NEH but, per Jules, is the only oen of the group who hasn’t received an invitation.]
Jules – I hope her fears don’t have anything to do with succubi/sexuality.
Margot – I wonder if she has other reasons to feel guilty.
Seth – Um, he’s cute I guess. In a puppy dog way.

Sherlock Holmes Vs The Cenobites

shpk

Sherlock Holmes And The Servants of Hell by Paul Kane

It’s 1895. Sherlock Holmes’ has returned to his home in Baker Street after being presumed dead. Having defeated Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls, he is a changed man – bored with life. With no arch enemy, life holds little to no meaning for him. He disappears for days at a time— indulging in drugs, exposing himself to deadly disease and other activities not suited to a man of his esteem. Easily solved cases do nothing to stir Holmes imagination.

Watson cares for his friend the best that he can. A doctor, he felt helpless when his beloved wife suddenly fell ill and died. Fighting his own guilt, he is determined to do whatever he can to keep Holmes on this side of human existence.

Then, a couple with a curious missing person’s case comes to Holmes for help. A man has disappeared from a locked room. Police aren’t interested because there hasn’t actually been a crime. Then, there’s another missing person and another. With each new case, it becomes clear that something very strange and dangerous is afoot.

There are whispers of a secret cult and a box that open unseen doors. Eventually, Holmes and Watson realize what they are up against. To these logical men, it is a revelation that Hell exists and has been waiting for them.

—-

Paul Kane has created a fun story the weaves together Sherlock Holmes’ canon and elements of the Hellraiser universe. I recognized elements from several of the films/books: the vagrant, the pillar with “something” missing from, Lemarchand etc. This story takes place before Pinhead, but (if you pay attention) you may recognize him in a brief, pre-Cenobite cameo.

In fact, there are lots of cameo appearances that span Clive Barker’s literary universe. This can be a little distracting at times. It is a bit like watching a movie and recognizing all the celebrities playing minor characters; for a moment, you are taken out of the present story.

Even though it draws heavily from the movies, don’t be fooled. You may think you know where the story is going but it goes in another direction.

I recommend this book. 🙂

 

What’s IT To You?

pennywiseold

I probably won’t get around to seeing the new IT for a while.

I was resistant to a not-Tim-Curry Pennywise from the start. Yes, I know the miniseries has issues, but it was regular television, not cable. The writers and director were only going to get a fraction of the novel to the screen. Did it have a lot of gore? No, but – at the time – the show hit all of the creepy, scary, never-trust-a-clown buttons.

The early trailer for the new movie made me put my reservations aside. Pennywise in the slide projector was clever and the movie, in general, looked good.

Then, I saw a clip where the clown spoke….and the spell was broken. Pennywise sounded like a cartoon chipmunk (think Alvin’s uncle). IT went back to “meh”.

showerit

It also doesn’t help that I’ve been listening to the Castle Rock TV Podcast. They are doing a review/retrospective of the books and characters that will probably show up in Hulu’s Castle Rock, a new series based on the works of Stephen King. The first story they tackle is IT. Over several podcast they have explored the book and the miniseries.

 

So, in a sense, I’m full of IT. 🙂

I’ll get around to the new movie eventually; that opening weekend box office means IT will be haunting theatres for a while. The reviews and audience reaction suggest that I probably will like IT–when I give it a chance. For now, I’ve had my fair share of clowns.

pennywiseandthegang