Editorials
‘So Weird’: Revisiting Disney Channel’s Gateway Horror Series Now on Streaming
The Disney Channel series So Weird (1999–2001) was “gateway horror“ for its many young viewers—a diluted taste of the horror genre before moving on to the full-strength stuff. Yet, looking back, bizarre phenomena and things that go bump in the night weren’t what set So Weird apart from its contemporaries and successors. The difference-maker was really that flair for navigating narrative tones within the bounds of a family show. Even when the subject matter was bordering on dark or heavy, the handling never stopped being sincere. In return, the audience felt more invested in the characters and their stories.
For So Weird, executive producer Henry Winkler was inspired by his lifelong interest in the supernatural. Creator and writer Tom J. Astle, as well as showrunners Ali Marie Matheson and Jon Cooksey, then manifested that fascination, coming up with a mixture of The Partridge Family and The X-Files. Resolvable cases of strangeness, plus a number of built-in music numbers, are definitely all part of the package here; however, those same aspects inform the underlying story. That story, of course, is one of a girl whose coping mechanisms for loss were poring over her haunted past and deciphering the unexplained.
That very first episode of So Weird (“Family Reunion”) illustrates why Fiona “Fi” Phillips (Cara DeLizia), an internet-savvy teenage sleuth riding on her musician mother’s tour bus, is so keen on the supposedly unreal. Fi’s father died in a car accident when she was only three years old, leaving her with little memory of him. Even so, there’s comfort in knowing death doesn’t have to be the end of their relationship. If Fi can do the extraordinary, such as making contact with the “other side” and reconnecting lost souls, then maybe seeing her father again—and finding closure—isn’t totally out of the question.
Pictured: Cara DeLizia as Fi Phillips in So Weird.
Disney Channel was prone to airing So Weird’s episodes out of order, but given their self-supporting quality, this practice didn’t make an impact until events didn’t line up chronologically. Perhaps only older or scrutinizing viewers would even notice. That said, a decent chunk of So Weird was inconsequential; jumping in and out of an average episode could be done without a fuss. Plus, the Molly Phillips Tour was constantly on the move, and any gig or stopover ended once Fi solved her latest mystery. These one-off cases entailed an encounter with Bigfoot, a boy and his Tulpa, and a Siren forced into the music biz. Why these uncanny things happened whenever Fi was around, by the way, points to the notion that such freaky matters aren’t actually uncommon—they’re just harder to see by those who aren’t “open” like Fi. Another theory, one backed up by certain developments in the later episodes, is the ring Fi inherited from her father; it allows her “access” to the paranormal.
It wouldn’t be an investigative, supernatural drama without at least one skeptic in the mix. So Weird’s most obvious inspiration, The X-Files, relied on Dana Scully to cast doubt and find the logic in the illogical, whereas this show positioned Fi’s older brother Jack (Patrick Levis) as the resident nonbeliever. Keep in mind, Jack wasn’t the only one who didn’t buy Fi’s out-there ideas; everyone around Fi was dismissive at worst, doubtful at best. This included the Bells, another family along for the ride. Fi’s mother, Molly (Mackenzie Phillips), had her reasons to deny the constant flow of eerie happenings surrounding her and her kids, too, yet she didn’t double down and act smugly like her son. In all fairness, though, Jack’s incredulity isn’t done out of spite. As So Weird demonstrated with good knowledge, everyone deals with grief in their own way. Clinging to the ordinary is all that makes sense to Jack, who, as a reminder, does have memories of his late father. And Fi, who unknowingly inherited her dad’s interest in the otherworldly, often dug into the past, a place Jack preferred not to visit.
Image: Cara DeLizia as Fi, Mackenzie Phillips as Molly, Patrick Levis as Jack, and Erik von Detten as Clu in So Weird.
The “mystery of the week” episodes didn’t always advance the overarching plot or have a profound effect on the characters, yet ones like “Rebecca” were game-changers in their own way. This particular entry, like a few others, focused on Molly rather than Fi, and it contained complex and mature storytelling within a show primarily aimed at the tween crowd. There’s not a dry eye in the house, though, once Molly pours her heart out about the episode’s namesake, her first experience with loss. The equally affecting “Banshee” delved into Molly’s heritage and upbringing, and it offered a contrast to Fi and her father; while Fi longs for what’s physically gone and has to scrounge for memories, Molly’s “da“ is still alive and in contact, but also emotionally unavailable.
It goes without saying that So Weird didn’t shy away from death. The series approached the topic with readiness and a wisdom beyond its protagonist’s years. However, if one’s exposure to Disney Channel is limited to everything that came before and after this show, then all its talk about dying and the afterlife could be startling. At the same time, So Weird wasn’t obscene about death, either—Fi was curious like anyone her age and in her position might be, but her wonder was fraught with preciousness and sympathy. Even so, the death tourism takes a toll on Fi, as shown towards the end of Season Two.
After paving the road that would eventually lead Fi back to her father, So Weird hit a snag: Cara DeLizia was leaving after two seasons. The writers had already proposed an epic plan for Season Three when Fi was written out of the series altogether. This curveball fueled the rumor mill for years, but DeLizia clarified that she was released from her contract, at her mother’s request, “to pursue other projects.“ In Ashley Spencer’s book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire, DeLizia stated the decision was “out of [her] control“ even though she didn’t want to leave and Disney wanted her to stay. Nevertheless, the show must go on.
Pictured: Fi’s “So Weird” webpage, as seen in the show.
In Season Two’s finale (“Twin”), also DeLizia’s penultimate appearance before officially exiting, Fi found her father, then lost him again in the same moment. The consequences of Fi messing with things she shouldn’t have resulted in her being attacked by a ghastly entity on top of a city high-rise. And in deus ex machina fashion, Fi is rescued by her father’s spirit. That reunion, while ephemeral, was designed to leave the door open for more daddy-daughter meetings down the road, but alas, all of that was scrapped for a very different, not to mention toned-down, Season Three.
In the final season’s opener (“Lightning Rod”), Fi handed over everything—her room, her ring, the show—to the younger, bushy-tailed, and musically-inclined Annie Thelen. Alexz Johnson’s character, a close friend of the family who was never mentioned prior to this episode, immediately moved into the Phillips’ home at the request of her concerned, world-traveling parents. And similar to that desire for Annie to experience some stability for once in her life, So Weird itself was settling down. Molly was weary from touring, and she was ready to stay home and raise her kids.
The change in tone was unmistakable after that largely serious second season. Towards the end of it, however, there were supplemental stories that came off as a test-run for the Annie portion of So Weird. These sillier, stand-alone episodes included Fi’s run-ins with a bridge troll, a secret society of academic vampires, and a veterinarian who turned people into dogs. The threat of dying was never absent from these given installments, but the general execution downplayed that fact. Meanwhile, Annie’s adventures were carved from the same rock, albeit more lighthearted. With Fi now living with her aunt, so she herself can have a normal life, there was no longer an overshadowing plot to guide the show.
Pictured: Alexz Johnson as Annie, Mackenzie Phillips as Molly, Patrick Levis as Jack, Erik von Detten as Clu, Belinda Metz as Irene, Dave Ward as Ned, and Eric Lively as Carey in So Weird.
The casting of Mackenzie Phillips as Molly was a bit controversial, due to the actor’s highly publicized personal life, but in hindsight, there was no one more suited to play a survivor. Unfortunately, Molly became a shadow of her former self as the show was retooled, and Phillips’ character wasn’t as showcased or fleshed out as her junior co-star; she shifted from a roaming, maternal rocker to a stay-at-home mom. And the music slot that was previously filled by Phillips was transferred to Johnson. The blueprint for future Disney Channel productions, such as Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana, was laid out as Annie took to the stage and belted out original teen-pop tunes, not adult-contemporary tracks.
Annie, who stumbled into her strange cases rather than sought them out, had her own mystical history to untangle. It was nowhere as involving, intense, or traumatic as that of Fi, but Johnson’s character was no less unusual. And wearing Fi’s ring made that journey to self-awareness possible; Annie discovered she had a guardian spirit in the form of a panther. The phantasmal big cat has kept a watchful eye on the Thelen girl, ever since she nearly died from a snakebite in Peru, and a member of a local indigenous tribe saved her. Having that higher power in her pocket, even unknowingly, ensured Annie was “protected” like Fi, and it served as a get-out-of-jail-free card for her predicaments.
Disney Channel was still rebranding when So Weird was first conceived and aired, and the network’s initial openness to experimental storytelling back then explains why this series reached such great heights. The introspection ultimately eased up to allow for something more compatible with expectations about D.C. fare, yet when So Weird was truly living up to its title, it was fresh, engaging, and most importantly, never one to talk down to its audience.
The entirety of So Weird is now streaming on Disney+.
Pictured: An ad for Disney Channel’s So Weird.
The great Ernest Dickerson turns seventy-five years old this month, so we’re looking back at his most memorable contribution to the horror genre – 1995’s Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight!
The film hit screens while the Tales from the Crypt series was winding down its run on television, and it stands apart with a story that feels a step or two removed from the franchise norm. That was the smart play, though, as the show’s stories – and those from the original EC comics – work best in short bites. The result is a film that holds up beautifully as a gory good time.
Now keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for…
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
Commentator: Ernest Dickerson (director), Michael Felsher (moderator)
1. Dickerson was in post-production on Surviving the Game when he got a call from his agent saying that producer Gil Adler wanted to meet about a Tales from the Crypt feature film. It went well, so Dickerson met with Joel Silver next and secured the job.
2. The original screenplay for the film came to the producers as a spec script wholly detached from the Tales from the Crypt brand. They added the Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir) bookends to make it fit.
3. Dickerson was more familiar with the original EC comic books having read them as a kid, but he had watched a few episodes of the HBO series, so he knew what the current vibe was for the project.
4. Adler directed the film’s wraparound segments, meaning Dickerson never actually got to work with the creepy puppet. “Gil and the Crypt Keeper had a great relationship,” he adds, “they worked together for years.”
5. While he was new to the Tales from the Crypt family, Dickerson had previously worked as a director of photography on the Tales from the Darkside anthology series. That show is underappreciated in my humble opinion, and I will go to bat for both it and the equally underloved Monsters.
6. A big appeal of the horror genre for Dickerson is the idea of dark mysteries that challenge our imagination. For this film, that came down to the mythology being created between the characters.
7. Five executive producers are listed in the opening credits, but Dickerson says the only two he had dealings with were Silver and Richard Donner. The other three were Walter Hill, Robert Zemeckis, and David Giler.
8. Dickerson had only ever seen Billy Zane in movies with a full head of hair, so he was surprised when Zane showed up on the first day with a bald head. “He had this case, and he opened up the case that he had all these hair pieces in, and he says, ‘So which one of these do you think I should use?’” Dickerson looked at him and suggested he just go bald for the character.
9. While the bulk of the opening exteriors were filmed in a desert just outside Los Angeles, the shot of the old church at 11:26 was created on a warehouse hangar soundstage where the film’s interiors were shot.
10. When he had read the script, Dickerson pictured the character of Jeryline (Jada Pinkett Smith) “as a little, tough lady.” He had recently seen Smith in Menace II Society, and while the producers had someone else in mind for the role, he fought to get her instead.
11. Just as Zane surprised Dickerson with his hair (or lack thereof), Smith arrived on the first day with her hair dyed platinum white. He “liked the idea” but asked her to please get it tweaked so it looked more yellowish blond. “It’s definitely a statement.”
12. He had seen Brenda Bakke in the 1989 sci-fi/action film from Japan, Gunhed, and thought she’d be great here as Cordelia. The rest of us might recognize her from Death Spa or Trucks.
13. Felsher comments that the film’s setup does a good job not telegraphing who’s going to live or die, and he uses the “nice guy” (Charles Fleischer) and “the kid” (Ryan O’Donohue) as examples. “You don’t play by those rules here,” he says, and Dickerson replies that he wanted to subvert those rules. That extends to Smith as well because she’s Black, “and usually in movies like this they’re the first folks to die.”
14. Dickerson says they had forty days of filming, “which, the way I’m used to working, was a very generous schedule.” It was budgeted at around $10 million.
15. This probably won’t surprise you, but Zane improvised the bit at 26:25 after he jumps out the window and says, “Fuck this cowboy shit! You fuckin’, hodunk Podunk, well, then, motherfuckers!”
16. In the original script, the demons that The Collector (Zane) raises from the dirt actually looked more like the people they used to be. “They were more human,” but the very smart decision was made in pre-production to make them look far more unique instead.
17. The demons are killed by shooting their eyes, but Dickerson felt there should be one more element to it. “Shoot out their eyes, you gotta duck because the souls come shooting out, and if it hits ya, boom, it can kill ya.” This is a fun touch.
18. He’s been asked more than once if these demons are where Peter Jackson got the idea for how the orcs would look in his Lord of the Rings movies. “They do look like orcs.”
19. He recalls having seen Ronny Yu’s The Bride with White Hair shortly before going to work on Demon Knight, and he hoped to bring some of that staged style into his own film. An example of that in practice is Brayker’s (William Sadler) brief flashbacks to Christ on the cross.
20. Character deaths were mostly based on the idea that “each person’s downfall was going to be predicated by their weakness.” The Collector discovers someone’s weakness and then uses it against them. Cordelia wants to be loved, Jeryline wants to travel, Uncle Willy (Dick Miller) is a horndog for both liquor and ladies, Danny loves horror comics, etc.
21. Dickerson says that plenty of genre classics were in the back of his head while making the film, including Assault on Precinct 13, Alien, Aliens, and more.
22. Cordelia is possessed into a demonic form, and Dickerson’s idea for how she’d look was originally a bit different. “Since Cordelia was a prostitute, I thought that her mouth should actually be a vertical slit that was in her stomach… which would open up with teeth and a tongue.” It was nixed, he says, when “the wife of one of the producers read that and said ‘no way you’re putting that in the movie.’”
23. The key makes an appearance in the followup, Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood, but it wasn’t originally meant to. Apparently, early test audiences expected it to be a more connected sequel to Demon Knight, so the filmmakers added it in to appease them. This is where I go on record saying that Bordello of Blood is a fun time. Can’t touch Demon Knight, obviously, but it’s more entertaining than its reputation suggests.
24. They had to film Uncle Willy’s bar scene “dream” twice, once with the women topless and once with them in bikinis, to have versions for both theaters and television broadcast. “Dick’s a pro.” (To be fair, Dickerson says this in regard to Miller having to endure the makeup application, but the sentiment fits both situations, so…)
25. Dickerson says he’s “always amazed at the love that people show this film,” and adds that fans bring it up to him incredibly often. This is great to hear, as we should always be telling artists how much their work means to us while they’re still alive and able to hear it.
26. Zane also suggested the gag at 1:08:21 with the sponge coming out of his mouth. The beat reminds Dickerson to praise the actor even more, adding that he was an “ally” to the director when “bad ideas” came down from the studio suits.
27. He didn’t get any pushback on killing little Danny. He did insist on one added element, though, as he wanted to immediately follow the boy exploding in the air with a shot of his bloody and torn sneaker hitting the ground below. “And the sneaker had to be a hightop.”
28. Dickerson says there’s “something kinky sexy about” Smith being covered in blood, and then the two commentators go quiet for almost two minutes out of respect for the scene. It’s a good opportunity to reflect on how Dickerson had previously mentioned Alien and Aliens as films being in the back of his head during filming, and how two scenes here reflect that – Jeryline stripping down to her underwear for the final confrontation feels like a nod to Ridley Scott’s film, while an earlier scene with Irene (CCH Pounder) and Dep. Bob (Gary Farmer) realizing they’re surrounded and choosing to blow themselves up alongside some of the demons is something of a callback to the air vent sacrifice in James Cameron’s film.
29. Asked about the film’s critical reception at the time of release, Dickerson says it received good reviews from horror-loving critics and then talks about the importance of horror in general. “Horror has always been a great way of putting out ideas, of talking about some of the things that affect us as people. Some of the best horror, like the best science fiction, talks about what it’s like to be human. Some of the best horror gets very political.”
30. The original ending would have featured The Collector showing “his true self, which is a demon made of fire.” They spent a lot of time trying to make it work, but it was “extremely difficult… back in the day of analog effects.” It was rewritten into the faceoff between him and Jeryline featuring the dancing, the crotch fire, Zane’s attempts at saying “love,” and his eventual demise from her bloody spit.
31. They both agree that a direct sequel to Demon Knight could be a lot of fun, but Dickerson says he’s unaware of any talk on the possibility.
32. Dickerson was super excited about this new Scream Factory Blu-ray in 2015, and he mentions that before its release, he had imported a Blu-ray from Germany presumably to enjoy the film in HD. He’s just like us! (Or am I the only one here who’s imported a German Blu-ray of the much maligned werewolf flick Big Bad Wolf…)
Quotes Without Context
“I was so happy to get Dick Miller for this movie.”
“There was a time when guys used to put ketchup on everything.”
“I’m a big student of Hitchcock, and the best way to make a moment of horror work is to lull the audience into a false sense of security.”
“A villain should always be the most interesting person in a movie.”
“They were a really great bunch of performers who were performing on these little leg-extension stilts wearing a diaper that had a radio-controlled tail that was being manipulated by a special effects tech right out of the frame.”
“It’s hard to direct air; it doesn’t do what you want.”
“The only censorship problem came from the producer’s wife, who didn’t want the vagina dentalis [sic] in the movie.”
“One of the executives wanted to know why the devil didn’t try to have sex with Jada.”
“It always starts with the script.”
Keep up with more horror commentary breakdowns here.
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