The
verbose Stephen King remains the top horror dog of our era, but brevity made a comeback
via the backdoor of the internet. Think of these creepy couplets as the cat
videos of horror. As the phenomenon took hold, it inspired Vera Maio’s
anthology horror series, which makes the jump from internet distribution to
legit network broadcast when the second season of Two Sentence Horror Stories premieres this Thursday on the CW.
So-called
“Two Sentence Horror Stories” generally follow the same formula: the first
phrase sets the macabre mood and the second delivers the ironic punch. Miao
stays true to the format, starting each installment story with the first
sentence and then closing with the kicker. Season one was stronger and more
consistent than most anthologies, so it is rather nice to see it get the major
league call-up.
However,
the first two stories (or first four sentences) supplied to the media are
already more of a hit-or-miss proposition than the entire first season. The
opener, “Gentleman” directed by Natalia Iyudin, is disappointingly
conventional. Great efforts are made to exploit themes of motherhood for the
sake of provocation, but the big twist is conspicuously obvious from early on.
Nevertheless, Nicole Kang is so compelling as Hana, she almost sells it anyway.
In
contrast, “Squirm” written and directed by Miao is seriously unsettling. It
also addresses issues of workplace harassment (technically, something far worse
happens in this case) in a bold, unflinching way that could make it a trending
topic, much like the “Replay” episode of Jordan Peele’s rebooted Twilight Zone. It begins during an office
holiday party in full swing, but when Kiesha wakes up the next morning, the
horror hits her with full force.
Tara
Pacheco makes Keisha’s descent into paranoia and body horror completely
believable and deeply distressing to watch. However, the rest of the supporting
ensemble is equally important keeping us off-balance and distrusting nearly all
her colleagues. Plus, Paul Yee (who lensed The Fits) vividly reflects Keisha’s agitated perspective with his darkly
disorienting cinematography.
