SPOOKED
(Episode
102)
Directed by: Brad Anderson / Written by:
Matt Venne
Starring: Eric Roberts, Jack Noseworthy,
Larry Gilliard Jr.
SYNOPSIS:
While on a stakeout in a haunted house, a private eye is revisited by
restless spirits of those he wronged in the past and now those spirits are
set on deadly revenge.
AMMON GILBERT (Rating: 2
out of 4):
There’s something about a scene featuring Eric Roberts beating
the crap out of a deserving punk that makes me believe that all is right
with the world. Take the opening scene for SPOOKED, a scene that sets up
the rest of the episode, as Roberts plays a detective who has no problem
using brutal force when it comes to deserving criminals. Seeing Roberts be
such a bad ass was awesome, and for that reason alone, I can appreciate this
episode.
However, Roberts gruff character aside, I can’t say
that I dug this episode as much as I probably should have. SPOOKED featured
some seriously creepy ghost-voices over radio frequencies, a top-notch
haunted house, scary graffiti images (CANDYMAN
style), and one pissed off ghost out for revenge. So what the flock was my
problem with it?
My ‘logic button’ got hit pretty hard with the location
of the house, in the nicest, suburbiast area ever, and yet there’s one house
in shambles, full of graffiti, and what appears to be a homeless den (among
other nasty things). Across the street from a million dollar home? Yeah f*cking
right. I know, stupid thing to pick on, but it struck me as odd and I
couldn’t shake it. Other things, including the back story of the house and
the story of the house’s sole survivor, struck me as an easy, empty way out
of something that could have been way cooler.
At the end of the day, it was Roberts character that
really sucked me in to the episode. I liked that, while he was the film’s
protagonist, he was also kind of ‘the bad guy,’ so by the end of the
episode, I was feeling sympathy towards the ‘crazy bitch,’ and ended up
rooting for Roberts’ demise—I love surprises like that.
————————–
JARED PACHECO (Rating: 2 out of 4):
SPOOKED did exactly
that, spooked! The obvious selling points are Eric Roberts and Brad
Anderson, but not for me. I went into this one not expecting much of
anything from either of them, but I was pleasantly surprised… sort of. At
first Robert’s performance seemed a little … cold to me. As the episode
went one, and his character developed… character… it definitely got
better. Andseron’s directing wasn’t half bad either, especially when it came
time to spook it up!
The
story itself wasn’t bad… I tend to not even try and predict plot points in
flicks and/or shows, but this one I couldn’t help it, and I ended up being
spot on! So some might find this one to be pretty predictable, with mediocre
performances throughout… but even so, the spook factor should definitely
make up for it. Mind you, I’m a guy who doesn’t scare easy. But anything to
do with freaky, random ghosts has me using my peripheral vision to make sure
I’m the only one in the room, especially when said ghosts turn out to be
little kids! But no worries, no rugrat ghosts in this one… just the grown
up kind.
The
‘ghost character’ persay was very weak in my opinion actually… but it’s
the ghosts that the house conjured up that really sold it for me. Roberts’
past just kept creeping it’s way in through weird visions or sounds, some
pretty paranoid shit. The house was, without a doubt, the best part of the
episode. Here’s the lowdown, this grungy shack of a house makes anyone who
enters confront the thing they can’t live with in their life. That’s some
pretty heavy stuff. It’s the addition of the whole ‘talking to a spirit in
the haunted house’ thing that I didn’t really dig. Plus what was with the
completely random infrared?
All
in all, SPOOKED was an hour long horror story that hit a home run with the
random spooks factor whenever it was swinging, as for everything else, it
tried it’s best. The ending was a tad predictable and could have the viewer
smirking or snickering in disgust, depending who’s side you take in the
finale. It’s a toss up. Personally, I was rooting for the house.
————————–
MIKE CATALANO (Rating:
4 out of 4):
Now THIS is horror programming at its finest! I was a little worried after
last week’s premier episode, THE SACRIFICE, that Fear Itself was already in
jeopardy of not living up to its title. SPOOKED laid all my worries to
rest. From the very first scene all the way to the last second, I was
hooked… and spooked. I’ll explain why:
First off, the casting of Eric Roberts was a freakin’
home run here. Nobody does down and out better than him. His performance
as a washed up PI with a big old skeleton hanging in his closet was a big
reason why this episode was kick ass. Larry Gilliard Jr. (who was THE
WATERBOY’s place-kicker) as Roberts’ partner was a real hoot as well.
Cynthia Watros was nice too as a cute, but mysterious client.
The best thing about SPOOKED for me, was that it
delivered a well-thought-out plot. It had a basic haunted house premise
with some truly creative layers. I won’t give away anything, but will affix
the obligatory so-and-so meets so-and-so description: HOUSE meets
STAKEOUT. The atmosphere was constantly eerie and kept me guessing until
the end. I loved the ghost-like graffiti painted on the walls too.
SPOOKED was a truly original, frightening, fun, bloody,
and dare I say it, moving experience—a haunted house tale done right. This
should come as no surprise seeing as how it was helmed by Brad Anderson who
worked with a phantom-infused building before in SESSION 9.
————————–
ERIC WALKUSKI (Rating 1.5 out of
4):
While I was surprised by the swift, good-looking THE SACRIFICE – FEAR
ITSELF’s premiere episode – the show’s follow-up, SPOOKED, evoked my worst
fears about this series’ potential: that we’re just in for a watered-down
copy of MASTERS OF HORROR, with the same old non-scares and bland
presentation.
SPOOKED is a most repetitive, uninteresting kind of horror; it’s “style”
is that of the “oh my god something’s there! – oh, no it’s not” variety,
which it utilizes numerous times. Brad Anderson, who directed the episode,
used a similar style in his breakout film, THE MACHINIST, but SPOOKED hasn’t
the benefit of that flick’s intriguing central character or ominous slow
burn (granted, SPOOKED is only given 40 minutes to get the job done, but it
still seems like it’s never really trying.
It doesn’t help that the story is almost a blur, and the motives of the
female lead are obviously not kosher from the get-go. Its also got one of
those haunted houses where any randomly weird visual can pop up, because the
rules aren’t completely clear (can we just ban generic haunted house stories
for a little while?). When all IS finally revealed, I rolled my eyes and
simply wanted to see what the next episode looked like.
Eric Roberts, as the shady, brutalizing detective turned Private
Investigator, gives a decent performance, but I neither rooted for nor
against him. The character actually could’ve used some of the wacky,
“out-there” qualities we associate with Roberts’ work… (And give me a
break on the character’s tragic back-story. It didn’t ring true for a single
second.) Cynthia Watros, as his mysterious “client” certainly turns in an
eerie performance, but it is SO eerie that it betrays the “surprise” that
she’s up to no good… Larry Gilliard, as Roberts’ partner, overstays his
welcome about one minute in. A real shame since the actor did such terrific
work on THE WIRE (which Anderson, incidentally, directed a few episodes of).
Obviously, SPOOKED didn’t do it for me. Anderson is a talented director
(see SESSION 9 and those WIRE episodes for proof), but he didn’t spook me
once in his go at FEAR ITSELF. I still have faith in the series, but if we
get a few more glum entries like this one, it might be a long TV. season…