Editorials
5 Wintry Tales of Terror from Horror TV Anthologies [Series of Frights]
Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.
A sudden burst of cold makes people feel physically vulnerable, but it can also shake their assuredness in knowing everything will be okay. That downturn in temperature challenges the order of everything accepted as normal. The everyday systems society lives by can be thrown into chaos by the first sign or snow or by a night so wet and frigid, stepping into that bitter terrain can feel like entering the vast unknown.
Sinister stories set around the winter holidays are widespread given the loneliness and despair that swell around that time of year. Yet, much like the icy winds, rain and snowfall that remain long after the Christmas trees and lights come down, horror lingers.
Chilling tales like these might just leave someone frostbitten.
One Step Beyond (1959-1961)
The Haunting
Although ABC’s Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond debuted months before The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS, it was eclipsed by Rod Serling’s series in terms of popularity and, eventually, legacy. John Newland served as both the host and every episode’s director; each tale he presented was supposedly based on a real-life account.
“The Haunting” begins in the Swiss Alps where an engaged man, Colin (Ronald Howard), leaves his friend and best man Peter (Keith McConnell) to die in the snow because of unfounded suspicions. Upon returning to England for his wedding, Colin is then haunted by not only questions about Peter’s “accidental” death but also an unearthly presence that brings coldness wherever it goes.
Paranoia about his fiancée being unfaithful with Peter gets the best of Colin. No one suspects the groom of foul play, of course, but in addition to a supernatural punishment, he still has to hear all about Peter’s accomplishments and desirable attributes. Another character indirectly insults Colin by saying Peter’s death was strange because such a thing shouldn’t happen to a “big, strong man” and war veteran like him. Even though the best man is out of the picture, no one can stop talking about him.
A jealous friend and partner getting their just desserts is routine by today’s standards. Seeing past the episode’s inevitable predictability, those enamored with Old Hollywood’s nebulous depictions of ghosts will find pleasure in the episode’s sound design and general eeriness. Once the low-howling winds start to appear and signal the arrival of cold vengeance, “The Haunting” lives up to its apt title.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Nothing in the Dark
One fateful and snowy day, Wanda Dunn (Gladys Cooper) sees strangers lurking outside her basement apartment. Following a pair of gunshots and a plea for help heard from her doorstep, the frightened occupant then reluctantly brings in a wounded man (Robert Redford) little knowing how he might repay her act of kindness.
This episode was filmed for Season Two but was postponed along with “The Grave” to give “the series a running jump for Season Three,” according to Martin Grams Jr.’s The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Although Redford apparently was unhappy with his performance, “Nothing in the Dark” has gone on to become one of the series’ most profound episodes with an enduring theme to remember it by. Despite the episode airing nearly six decades ago, the main character’s debilitating sense of panic is particularly vital when trying to understand old-fashioned mindsets. Dunn, a person of another generation now incapable of accepting progress, would rather live in terror of the unknown than evolve and be more aware of what’s going on around her.
“Nothing in the Dark” is a one-location episode where the characters never leave Dunn’s dilapidated apartment; which feels more like a prison than a home because the woman is so trapped by her absolute fear of dying and a determination to live. Yet as she confides in Redford’s character Harold about her paranoia, she slowly accepts that it wasn’t the looming threat of “Mr. Death” that truly scared her. Rather, it was the prospect of change that inspired her self-imposed isolation from the rest of society.
George Clayton Johnson’s script isn’t a polemic against people who fight change. Rather, it makes a case, both frank and progressive, to help ease those like Wanda Dunn into thinking differently about the things they feared all along.
Night Gallery (1970-1973)
Silent Snow, Secret Snow
While the weather is chiefly warm in this adaptation of Conrad Aiken’s 1934 short story of the same name, the central character fantasizes about the wintriest of winters. The late Orson Welles narrates this downhearted segment about a boy whose flights of fancy consume him. In every waking moment, the young protagonist Paul Hasleman (Radames Pera) is daydreaming of a world unlike his own; for he stares into a snowglobe and covets that temporary tempest within. The heat and unsightliness of reality have become too unbearable, and ultimately, only the cold can comfort Paul.
Here, the main character regularly gets lost in the winter wonderland inside his mind. It all innocently begins with Paul stargazing into a snowglobe before his reverie becomes intrusive in real life. His parents look for medical advice, but of course, their boy isn’t physically unwell. On the contrary, what he suffers from is something entirely intangible. Aiken compellingly puts into words what depression can feel like when experienced by a child.
From emotional camouflage to symbolic rebirth, a heavy blanket of snow has multiple meanings in storytelling. Paul’s occupation with it is likely a response to an uneasiness that he can’t quite explain to those around him. As the writing might suggest — “Snow growing heavier each day, muffling the world, hiding the ugly” — snow is a panacea for Paul. Thinking of a storybook white winter, he can, for the time being, escape the apathy he has toward life.
Aiken’s most famous work provides the basis for one of Night Gallery’s most glaring successes. Welles’ delivery of the author’s prose, a poetic veneer that accentuates everything shown on screen, is a perfect touch. It’s thinly horror when compared to other offerings in the series, but Paul’s metaphorized and unresolved misery is as alarming as it is haunting.
Fear Itself (2008)
Skin & Bones
Director Larry Fessenden has never shied away from the lore of the Wendigo, and he brings his stock of knowledge about the mythical creature to Mick Garris’ Fear Itself. Set on an isolated ranch near the snowy mountains, a family anxiously awaits the return of their lost patriarch. Just as the uncle is about to start a search, his missing brother returns. However, he’s not himself and there are questions about his survival that cannot be easily answered.
Unlike his movies Wendigo and The Last Winter, Fessenden didn’t have a hand in writing “Skin & Bones;” Masters of Horror carryovers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan are responsible on that end. Even so, the director’s intrigue with Wendigos is patent throughout the episode. He battles his way through middling dialogue and censorship, finally revealing one of the most depraved entries in the entire series.
Genre character actor Doug Jones plays Grady, a ranch owner who disappeared after going hunting with his friends. He makes his way home, alone, after ten days in the wild, but he was severely affected by the elements. His wife, two sons, and brother are all concerned with the state of his health — both physical and mental. After learning of how Grady survived the inclement weather, his family is fearful of the monster he’s quite literally become.
The story relies on a variation of the Wendigo myth about humans becoming said creature after committing cannibalism. Fear Itself had already visited the taboo topic in “Eater,” but the series takes the act even further here. Rather than showing Jones’ gaunt and demonic-looking character maim and consume someone on screen, he forces another person to prepare his next meal and then eat it with him. The scene in question is never especially gory; revulsion mostly comes from the power of suggestion. Still, Fessenden sprinkles in unambiguous moments like raw, bloody flesh falling into a pot of boiling water to further emphasize what’s actually unfolding in the episode’s tense denouement. “Skin & Bones” was a wicked highlight in this short-lived series.
Inside No. 9 (2014-)
The Stakeout
After his previous partner is murdered on the job, Constable Thompson (Steve Pemberton) relentlessly searches for the unidentified culprit. Meanwhile, his new partner Varney (Reece Shearsmith) joins him as they stake out a cemetery in hopes of catching the killer.
The cold open, showing Shearsmith’s character all bloody-mouthed and sitting in the backseat of a squad car, strongly suggests “The Stakeout” is a riff on brutally unhappy police procedurals. The episode even mocks itself by calling out police drama tropes like “the maverick loner who wants to solve one last case before he retires.” The thing with Inside No. 9 is, audiences are never quite sure what’s going to happen as the creators, Pemberton and Shearsmith, enjoy blending genres and toying with viewers’ perceptions until the last second. Season Five’s closer is no exception.
The central setting is a police vehicle identified as Oscar Nine, and to a large extent, the main characters stay put inside of that car. By not showing the dreary and wet outside world, “The Stakeout” can focus on the interiority of its key players without the distraction of other locations and events. A convenient game of Fortunately, Unfortunately helps to peel away at layers and get a better grasp of these two very different policemen.
As engaging as this character study is, the final act is blindsiding. The essential breadcrumbs are there, and they’re even restated matter-of-factly at the end. The success of Inside No. 9 hinges on rug-pulls, but “The Stakeout” stands alone. Now, whether or not that reveal works can be an issue; everyone’s mileage will vary when it comes to abrupt plot developments. While conclusions like this don’t have the same power the second time around, they make for an impressionable first-time watch.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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