Brilliant and touching

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Great concept, poor execution. A few bad decisions watered down what could have been a pretty great episode. Which is why I give props to the writer, William Greenberg (also wrote Halloween: H20 to give you an idea of his skill and style), and am convinced that the director is the one who fumbled this one. William Malone, whom has directed nothing I have ever seen and now I don't plan on it. Also I really hate when they decide to use CGI for important things, it really cheapens the whole thing.

Warning do not read unless you've seen episode.This tale surprised me, this turned out to actually be one of my favorite tales for the show in my book.It's a really twisted and dark urban brothers Grimm like tale which is cool because I love Grimms Fairy Tales most of them were really dark even scary which made this short true in it's tradition.I like the use of the seedy basement locale, from how dark, dusty, decrepit it is it really has just this unsettling and claustrophobic sensibility. The suspense is very good, the highlight no doubt is the hide and seek sequence with Tara and the monster, I couldn't help but grip the chair a little as I was constantly hoping Tara would find ways to evade and maintain stealth from the monster's sight. The monster doesn't disappoint, I really like the design it's really creepy looking from the blank white glowing eyes, gray skin, and hollow facial expression it reminded me of The Scream painting which may have been the partial inspiration for the design.The two villains were solid, I like that there was some depth to them so their not totally two dimensional. And we see there sympathetic but only to an extent, it's not an excuse for what they've done. To me I feel they weren't saving their lost son's but dooming his soul. However the worst part was that they've doomed their own souls, as we see their both not the same people they use to be in the past, those guys are gone.However to me what really drive the episode are Tara and Johnny it's somewhat of a "Beauty and the Beast" dynamic (I said sort of). Johnny is a tragic character, despite being a mute throughout most of the tale you know exactly what he's saying through his expressions in emotion. This poor guy is anguished over the monster he's become and what he's been forced to do against his will.I really like the character Tara whom is a sympathetic and also tragic character. Like most protagonists in Fairy Tales she's an underdog as she's obviously a outsider, we see from the beginning she doesn't really fit with the in crowd were most in the class look like they came out of a damn Macy's catalog. You get hints that she has been a target of bullies as well as a little hint of her home life in one scene where she calls her mom, the mom is complaining about her missing pills and not the least bit bothered that her child is missing; so we see her mom is a drug addict and doesn't care about Tara.But what I really like about Tara is she's clearly a person that has a lot to offer the world, that has big dreams or at least a dream. From her sketch of a dragon and an amazon warrior riding that looks like it would be worthy to be up there with the fantasy art of Frank Rasetta. We then here in a conversation with Johnny that sketch is part of a fantasy book series she's trying to create, the story she proposes is ironic since she somewhat in the same predicament.And strangely despite such a dire situation you really see in a way she gets more beautiful because her internal beauty comes out as she is exercising inner strength. From trying to survive, find a way out, but best of all exercising compassion and understanding for Johnny, being his rock. Even Johnny likewise does the same for her, as he is also doing what he can to save her life he seems to demonstrate more strength in character.I really like how both interact which is sweet but you see through it both have formed a deep bond, yeah I know it's a short amount of time but in life and death situations characters shouldn't waste a minute. Both of them are outsiders in a way and have been hurt by forces from the outside, yet we see when both are together they are strong. Which makes it all the more tragic, I constantly hopping what happens won't but there's nothing I can do about it or they can which is what hurts the most.However I wouldn't fret too much, because like in most of the Grimm's Fairy Tales there's sometimes a twist.Rating: 3 and a half stars

I really liked this one. Sometimes it does seem a bit overacted (and I can't remember seeing one of the female leads in anything, since Tank Girl), but always interesting to watch. If only, for the very nice camera work (and editing). While the story is OTT, this doesn't mean it will let you off the hook easily.The spooky atmosphere adds a lot to this and if you can't accept the actors (or the director as is apparent, by some reviews), then you won't really get behind the episode. Plus you shouldn't forget, that this isn't a movie, but just an episode of a Horror series. A good one (not the best) at that.Flaws (it has quite a few, especially in the story itself, it does not seem always coherent) aside, this one is one to watch, definitely!

My favorite of the show still has to be John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" as it has a very interesting plot that I kind of wish could have been explored more. This one was rather good too, though it too could have really benefited from an extra ten or fifteen minutes of runtime to explain the story more. A girl is kidnapped and brought to a house where she is eventually left in a basement type area where she meets a boy who is not all that he appears to be. The two others in the house are obviously harboring secrets of the deadly kind and the main girl in the stories time is running out. You get your mystery type situation and a rather good ending too. Just needs more filler, perhaps more information on the parents and stuff like that. However, that can be said about all the movies in this series, they all seem to need a bit more. As for gore there is a bit, no nudity in it though. The performances are pretty good, but it was rather shocking to see how bad Lori Petty looks now. So for a couple of scares and a somewhat incomplete story this one is like almost every "Master's of Horror" episode.