It’s not often that I have the opportunity to marathon games or TV series, these days, but on a recent, grim late-fall weekend, I marathoned all six episodes of Channel Zero’s Second season, No End House. Channel Zero is a smart Sy-Fy produced anthology horror series, of which the first season had a lot of promise (and truly creepy imagery), but it all fell apart a bit in the end.
I absolutely love this show. By limiting themselves to 6 episodes, they’ve created the show that I always wanted American Horror Story to be. Weird art house horror is one of my favorite subgenres, and they find ways to wrap that weirdness around such complex emotional cores. It’s cool that they find popular Creepypastas then just use the basic idea to do something completely different and wholly unique.
Even though the pacing is a bit slow, it really gives you time to just simmer in the craziness in ways most modern horror movies don’t have the patience to do. I thought this season was incredibly successful at exploring very relateable feelings in such a surreal manner.
With it only being 6 episodes, that allows them to turn it around faster as well; the next season (titled “The Butcher’s Block”) is starting up Early 2018 and I can’t wait to see what it is.
The first episode of both seasons are complete opposites in my mind. Where Season 1’s first episode turned me off to the rest of the season by not really delivering on its creepy premise, Season 2 hooked me immediately with the scenes in the house.
I have my misgivings about the last 3 episodes or so, as I don’t think it was as strong as the episodes leading into it. But, overall, I really did like it and becoming a big fan of these short season series.
Heh its been two years but the library got dvds of this show in circulation/I remembered I wanted to watch it b/c of this reccomend.
Have season 1,2 and 4 , watching 1, Candle Cove.
Theres something I cant quite put my finger on, it feels kinda like a student film? Everything is there but unpolished in a way I cant articulate right now.
For some reason season 3 gets error messages when I try to get a copy , if its worth it I can try and track it down.
(Edit: after finishing season 1)
I think it’s the dialogue that threw me off, the acting isn’t necessarily bad but the timing is often awkward, in a way I associate with student film.
Appreciate all the cool ideas and creepy imagery, and the approach of not having to explain every wierd thing that pops up.
Hey if you like the Candle Cove stuff, you should be aware the writer has been making a web series called Local58 you may dig. It’s extremely stylish and inventive, and the out of order uploads actually add together into a single narrative if you piece the details together.
Just started season 2, and wow it starts very strong.
(edit: after finishing)
Yeah, wow, I can see where all the enthusiasm for the series is coming from.
Deeply psychological horror mixed with a consistent creepy tone of weirdness and the supernatural. As the plot settled in, I realized I was watching a horror movie version of Solaris in a lot of ways, which is awesome. Took none of the short cuts or paths to the happy satisfying ending that many in the genre do, but still didn’t feel like a forced “dark” conclusion that you can get on the other side of the spectrum.
