Quibi series explores stories based on urban legends from different places in the United States, taking viewers deeper into the horrors that lurk just beneath the surface.
I'm really excited to see what else 50 States of Fright has to offer. I think Raimi and the rest of the cast and crew set the bar high with this first episode.
The quality of each story is bound to vary, but as my most anticipated piece of programming on the Quibi line-up, it's hard not to wish that the story offered up for review was a little more creative and engaging than this.
It feels almost like a Creepshow segment minus the visual eccentricities that come with EC Comics tales, and if that's the tone going forward it should make for an entertaining destination for horror fans.
It's damn fine stuff and the right amount of scary, even while delivered onto smart-phone dimensions. The bite-sized concept also allows the three chapters to end at chilling moments, when I genuinely looked forward to seeing what was to come.
It is exactly as bananas as it sounds, and even if its three-act structure would have worked just as well as a traditional 22-minute television episode, it suits the Quibi medium.
The episode made available was not scary in the slightest, but it was wildly entertaining and darkly comedic. It also gives Raimi an excuse to break out the gore - lots and lots of it. The wonky tone might throw some, but this worked for me.
There are genuine jump scares, moments of grotesque bloodletting and a sense of supernatural intervention. Importantly the presence of a tangible narrator in John Marshall Jones provides another point of view.
This is a series that takes each tale just seriously enough but still manages to have fun with it without devolving into something too campy. This is a genuinely fun format and one that will easily have you checking in for new chapters each day.
