“What the hell is a Quibi?”
That’s the question that’s been most commonly asked about Quibi since the new streaming service was announced, and many are still asking that same question weeks into the service’s launch. Essentially, the name “Quibi” is short for “quick bites,” and the content provided by Quibi is indeed quick and bite-sized. The service doesn’t quite provide movies and it doesn’t quite provide television shows, instead delivering something of a hybrid of movie-style content, TV show-style content and YouTube video-style content. Each “episode” of Quibi’s original content seems to be no longer than nine minutes and as short as just a couple minutes, and their so-called “movies in chapters” are broken up into several of these.
Are you following…?
Perhaps it’s because it’s a bit hard to explain what the hell Quibi even is that Quibi doesn’t quite seem to be catching on – though, at the time of writing this article, somewhere in the ballpark of 3 million people have at least signed up for a 90-day free trial – or perhaps it’s because Quibi is (at this time, at least) a streaming service that can only be accessed on your cell phone. It’s looking like that approach will be altered going forward, but for now Quibi is a smart phone-only streaming service that provides bite-sized content that people aren’t exactly going gaga over. Not that my own social media feeds are any true reflection of widespread general opinion, but let’s just say most on my feeds seem quite certain that Quibi is going to fail. And many, well, they seem downright hungry for that outcome.
In addition to their “movies in chapters,” Quibi also provides movie-quality, television-like programming, and it’s in that arena that their “50 States of Fright” exists. “50 States,” from Gunpowder & Sky’s horror brand ALTER, is an anthology horror series produced by Sam Raimi, with each episode broken up into upwards of three different parts. Running no more than 25-minutes total, each episode is based on an urban legend connected to a certain state, designed to “take viewers deeper into the horrors that lurk just beneath the surface.” And the first one, the Michigan-based “The Golden Arm,“ was directed by Sam Raimi himself.
With a free trial and the promise of a brand new Sam Raimi-directed horror story, downloading Quibi onto my phone was a no-brainer. “The Golden Arm,” after all, is Raimi’s return to horror after the five-year directorial drought that followed in the wake of “Ash vs. Evil Dead” and its pilot episode back in 2015. And though “The Golden Arm,” starring Rachel Brosnahan and Travis Fimmel, doesn’t exactly see Sam Raimi going “Full Raimi,” it does see him going “Raimi Enough” to make it an entertaining must-watch for all Raimi fans.
After a gruesome accident that robs her of an arm – sound familiar? – Brosnahan’s Heather is outfitted with a faux golden arm – sound familiar? – made by her husband Dave, but the hand-made arm ultimately causes adverse side effects culminating in death. As anyone who’s ever heard the tale knows, Heather eventually comes back from the grave seeking the golden arm that is taken from her after her passing. Punctuated with moments of over-the-top gore involving hand trauma, an axe and an undead lover, “The Golden Arm” is very much a classic urban legend by way of The Evil Dead, and it’s a fun start to Quibi’s “50 States of Fright.”
To say the least, Raimi fully understands the similarities between the folktale and the horror franchise that put him on the map. And he leans fully into that for his episode of “50 States.”
The second episode, however, is even better. Directed by Yoko Okumura, the Kansas-based “Ball of Twine” centers on a mother (Ming-Na Wen) and daughter who stop to see the world’s largest ball of twine. When her daughter goes missing, consumed by the titular ball of twine, mom will stop at nothing to bring her back. “Ball of Twine,” inspired by a real-life tourist attraction in Kansas, takes a page out of the House of Wax playbook with the reveal that the townspeople – including Karen Allen as the sheriff – aren’t what they appear to be.
I realize that many people reading this article probably haven’t actually watched “50 States of Fright” yet, so I won’t spoil too much about this one. But “Ball of Twine” goes to some pretty creepy and downright crazy places once the true nature of the town is revealed. It’s the sort of horror short that could easily be expanded upon and turned into a killer feature film, as it’s fully formed and quite original. At the time of this writing, it’s the best example so far of what a gift “50 States” can end up being to horror fans. Truer to the show’s premise than the premiere, the script from Mae Catt and Yoko Okumura essentially creates its own state-specific horror story, and I promise you’ll never look at large balls of twine the same way again.
More horror from Okumura, please.
The third episode is the shortest so far, Ryan Spindell‘s Oregon-set “Scared Stiff.“ Running just 13-minutes across two parts, it stars James Ransone (IT: Chapter Two) as a world class taxidermist who accepts a job restoring the gruesome remains of a mysterious creature. Turns out, the creature is Bigfoot. Well, to be more specific, it’s actually a Baby Bigfoot.
“Scared Stiff” introduces a practical man-in-suit monster that’s one of the coolest representations of Bigfoot I’ve ever seen on screen, and it’s short, sweet and armed with a fun twist that gives it a “Tales from the Crypt” feel. It’s James Ransone vs. Bigfoot, and I’m just not sure what’s not to love about that. We haven’t seen a whole lot of quality Bigfoot Horror over the years, and “Scared Stiff” scratched that particular itch for me. It’s playful in a way that suggests that Sam Raimi touch, and it’s got the gnariest kill the series has seen to date.
But the gnarliest monster so far appears in the Minnesota-based “Grey Cloud Island,“ a three-parter directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler (Delivery: The Beast Within, Intruders). Starring Asa Butterfield, “Grey Cloud Island” tells the story of four fraternity pledges who have to make their way through allegedly haunted woods in order to prove their worth, and they ultimately find themselves targeted by a mysterious cult that’s keeping a young woman locked up deep within the spooky woods. It’s easily the most cinematic and ambitious tale told within the “50 States” format thus far, polished and with a deep mythology all its own.
We don’t really know precisely what’s going on throughout much of “Grey Cloud Island,” but there’s enough intrigue and bloodshed to hold our attention. Why are these masked, Viking-like warriors so intent on killing this seemingly harmless woman? As it turns out, the frat boys have found themselves smack dab in the middle of a centuries-spanning saga that they never could have possibly prepared for. “Grey Cloud Island” plays things a bit too coy for its own good for the sake of preserving a twist in the final moments that had unfortunately already been spoiled by the marketing materials, but it’s a really cool story once all has been revealed. Even if it leaves you wanting more, ending just as it’s getting real interesting.
At the time of this writing, the Florida-based “Destino” has thus far premiered only its first part, but it’s worth noting that the found footage-style tale, telling the story of cops who respond to a strange call about a missing goat, was directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead, Pooka Lives!) and written by Blair Witch Project duo Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale. A future episode was directed by Cam duo Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei, further proof that Quibi nabbed some top horror talents – both established and up-and-coming – for their first horror series. It’s an arena Quibi could have a whole lot of success in, as there’s a certain intimacy to watching horror content on your phone – ideally in bed at night with all the lights off – that translates well to being scared. It’s a bit like reading scary stories with a handheld flashlight as your only source of light, an age-old tradition that Quibi upgrades for 2020.
With Sam Raimi as your tour guide, “50 States of Fright” provides a road trip into the darkest corners of America that’s well worth taking. I haven’t seen a bad episode yet, and that already gives it a more impressive track record than most other genre anthology shows that have come along in recent years. Pick up your phone, turn off the lights and start streaming.