First of all: I could have written this comment to any of the 6 episodes John Carpenter's Suburban Screams; the format of this spectacular announced TV Series does not work at all for me. The pace is way too slow to make us scream nor shiver nor shudder! And the cast is terrible in all the six parts. So, it's a real shame that people make this kind of stuff and I can't understand why John Carpenter, as a master of the horror genre, labelled his name to this stuff. It's OK to compose the theme with his son Cody and his godson Daniel Davies, and acting as one of the executive producers of this show, and -yes- also directing the last episode Phone Stalker, it's way below his level. Ofcourse we appreciate his opening narrating words: "In our suburbs, evil lurks behind closed doors. True stories so terrifying because the horror is real. You'll never look at your neighbors the same way again." But after 6 episodes I concluded that none was really scary nor let me shiver, shudder, scream. What a deception. OK, the last episode i enjoyed some more suspense...
Fortunately I was comforted after watching the six episodes of the new season 4 of Creepshow.
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams (TV Mini Series)
House Next Door (2023)
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The most Carpenter episode of the mini series
nightimerunner14 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The supernatural overtones, the endearing budding teen romance, the fantastic Carpenter style 80s synthesizer music soundtrack, this episode could fit nicely amongst nostalgia heavy shows such as Stranger Things or even be beefed up into a feature length Carpenter movie.
A historically haunted house which either "sucks in souls" directly or goads the occupants into committing horrendously violent crimes, may sound cliché to modern standards but could still be horror gold if handled wisely, for example by maestros like Carpenter.
My major gripe with this episode is that the ending feels rushed as if the production team run out of time and budget, simply wrapping it up with the expositions by the interviewee, leaving so many questions unanswered.
A historically haunted house which either "sucks in souls" directly or goads the occupants into committing horrendously violent crimes, may sound cliché to modern standards but could still be horror gold if handled wisely, for example by maestros like Carpenter.
My major gripe with this episode is that the ending feels rushed as if the production team run out of time and budget, simply wrapping it up with the expositions by the interviewee, leaving so many questions unanswered.
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