This is another under the radar gem and one of my favorite anthology horror shows. R.L. Stine a honorable mention in favorite horror authors has done it again, as much as I like the "Goosebumps" TV show personally I like this a lot more. Let alone the fact this is a horror anthology show and one for family/young audience which I honestly feel both things have been sorely missing, and no doubt need a serious resurgence.
One of the reasons I like this a lot more is the fact that the budget is a little higher than the previous show "Goosebumps" which of course means production value is up to par. Ok, maybe not all it's a cable show after all, but it's the one that work that count the most mainly make up effects.
However, what really powers this are the stories which are true to the spirit of R.L. Stine. It's still the kids, preteen, and teen horror fare of his but here it's a little darker, even a lot more suspenseful and have some genuine scares, just really takes the next step as there are some dark twists in some of the stories which are unexpected and sometimes things don't come out alright. This is true with most of the stories of folklore and Grimm's Fairy Tales, but these things show that in the realm of horror there are no guarantees, and no one is truly safe.
Also, this show consists of young actors most of them actually are capable and even have talent. They also consist of a lot of familiar faces you probably have seen and heard about before like "Makenzie Foy", "Bailee Madison", "Ariel Winter", etc. This makes watching the show all the more fun sort of like looking at a "Where's Waldo" illustration to spot most to all the familiar faces; some of those familiar faces actually had their start from this show which is true about most actors and actresses actually having their start in anthology horror. And the one's I picked I really like as I think their capable actresses, have done well after this show along with many others and hopefully continue to have more in the future.
This show has a lot of memorable tales, like in every volume of an R.L. Stine book each is colorful and always something different you never really know what kind of story to expect.
I'll just pick out a few of them as there are so many of them and like anything anthology horror tale are worth a try.
Uncle Howie: This is your classic E.C. Comics tale, I really like how they can make a children's TV figure and all the other character seem sinister and scary. But it has to do with an older brother whom is a selfish douchebag with a capital D, and on the abusive side as he's mistreating his little sister. And of course, in E.C. comics fashion what goes around comes around hard.
Girl in the Painting: This is a great one (in my book anyway), I really like how it's a combination of supernatural, fantasy, and psychological. A girl has a desire for the upper-class life and all the glamour and goodies it has to offer. But as an old saying goes nothing is what it seems.
Old House: Another great one (again in my book) as it's a combo of both the supernatural and psychological. On a girl obsessed with staying in the house their moving away from, though from what happens throughout the story, it will make moving seem like a blessing.
Lilly D: This was the first and still one of the best in my book. It's your typical doll horror but a good one as a spoiled rotten girl gets a life size doll as a gift but gets more than she bargains for as the doll is playing with her life.
It would be cool if this show came back though put it on the premium channel "Shutter" as part of a family or teen horror block, not just reruns of the show but new seasons and of course with some new young actors and actresses as long as they can actually act. But maybe a live action series based on R.L. Stine's "Fear Street" can also be made and have some of those actresses that did "The Haunting Hour" do the tales in that show as their now the right age for it. Well both these things are thoughts to consider.
You better beware for in this hour, your in for a scare.
Rating: 4 stars
One of the reasons I like this a lot more is the fact that the budget is a little higher than the previous show "Goosebumps" which of course means production value is up to par. Ok, maybe not all it's a cable show after all, but it's the one that work that count the most mainly make up effects.
However, what really powers this are the stories which are true to the spirit of R.L. Stine. It's still the kids, preteen, and teen horror fare of his but here it's a little darker, even a lot more suspenseful and have some genuine scares, just really takes the next step as there are some dark twists in some of the stories which are unexpected and sometimes things don't come out alright. This is true with most of the stories of folklore and Grimm's Fairy Tales, but these things show that in the realm of horror there are no guarantees, and no one is truly safe.
Also, this show consists of young actors most of them actually are capable and even have talent. They also consist of a lot of familiar faces you probably have seen and heard about before like "Makenzie Foy", "Bailee Madison", "Ariel Winter", etc. This makes watching the show all the more fun sort of like looking at a "Where's Waldo" illustration to spot most to all the familiar faces; some of those familiar faces actually had their start from this show which is true about most actors and actresses actually having their start in anthology horror. And the one's I picked I really like as I think their capable actresses, have done well after this show along with many others and hopefully continue to have more in the future.
This show has a lot of memorable tales, like in every volume of an R.L. Stine book each is colorful and always something different you never really know what kind of story to expect.
I'll just pick out a few of them as there are so many of them and like anything anthology horror tale are worth a try.
Uncle Howie: This is your classic E.C. Comics tale, I really like how they can make a children's TV figure and all the other character seem sinister and scary. But it has to do with an older brother whom is a selfish douchebag with a capital D, and on the abusive side as he's mistreating his little sister. And of course, in E.C. comics fashion what goes around comes around hard.
Girl in the Painting: This is a great one (in my book anyway), I really like how it's a combination of supernatural, fantasy, and psychological. A girl has a desire for the upper-class life and all the glamour and goodies it has to offer. But as an old saying goes nothing is what it seems.
Old House: Another great one (again in my book) as it's a combo of both the supernatural and psychological. On a girl obsessed with staying in the house their moving away from, though from what happens throughout the story, it will make moving seem like a blessing.
Lilly D: This was the first and still one of the best in my book. It's your typical doll horror but a good one as a spoiled rotten girl gets a life size doll as a gift but gets more than she bargains for as the doll is playing with her life.
It would be cool if this show came back though put it on the premium channel "Shutter" as part of a family or teen horror block, not just reruns of the show but new seasons and of course with some new young actors and actresses as long as they can actually act. But maybe a live action series based on R.L. Stine's "Fear Street" can also be made and have some of those actresses that did "The Haunting Hour" do the tales in that show as their now the right age for it. Well both these things are thoughts to consider.
You better beware for in this hour, your in for a scare.
Rating: 4 stars