Two Sentence Horror Stories - General Discussion

[AnimeMania]

Debuting on Thursday, August 8, with two back-to-back half-hour episodes at 9:00 PM ET/PT and 9:30 PM ET/PT on the CW. This TV series has 8 standalone half-hour episodes in total. To get an idea of what the series will be like you can watch the five, 15 minute episodes in the streaming channel, CW Seed, located here: "Two Sentence Horror Stories" that paved the way for the TV Series on the CW.

The first episode, titled “Gentleman,” centers around a serial killer with an obsession for single moms who stalks a young mother who rejected him. Nicole Kang stars as Hana with Jim Parrack portrays Ken in the episode written by C.S. McMullen and guest-directed by Natalia Iyudin.

Trailer for Episode 1: Gentleman

The second episode, titled “Squirm,” was written and directed by creator Vera Miaho and follows a low-paid office assistant who wakes up naked in her own bed after the office holiday party with no idea how she got there. Who was it and what did he put inside her?

[Chaos Theory]

I am actually looking forward to this even though there isn’t too much I am watching on CW other then Riverdale.  Horror is one of my favorite genres so I will give this a chance and hope it is good and the teenager network doesn’t ruin it.   This actually has the potential to be better then the disappointing Twilight Zone remake.  

Edited August 8, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Chaos Theory]

Ok this is definitely a keeper.  Both stories were very well done and yes this is already better then the disappointing CBS All Access Twighlight Zone.   The first episode was better then the second although I enjoyed both of them.  I think the second episode was a little too rapey for my taste which kinda turned me off although no rape actually happened.  Still the idea of a woman waking mostly naked with no memory of what happened  (it is the CW so no actual naked) in her own bed with a note saying bad things happened the night before.  Most of the story is her trying to figure it out.  The "horror" is the idea that she might never actually know.  There is a line "it’s the worst torment in the world not to know."  So I guess that is the horror story.  

The first episode is a more traditional horror story.  A serial killer with a thing for single mothers becomes obsessed with a single mother who dumps him right before he gets to meet her child.  The concept itself was really well done and I don't want to give away spoilers but it as a really good one at the end that I found really clever.  

I am in for the long haul.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Annber03]

I'm just glad I wasn't eating anything during certain scenes in the second episode. Ick. 

Quote

The first episode is a more traditional horror story.  A serial killer with a thing for single mothers becomes obsessed with a single mother who dumps him right before he gets to meet her child.  

That ending was both really disturbing and really sad. Her discussion of her ex should've tipped me off sooner.

The eye in the opening credits for the show makes me think of the opening credits to "Night Visions"-that had a close up of an eye as well. 

Interesting premise indeed. I'll stick around, too-I like anthology series, especially horror anthologies, and the whole concept of two sentence horror stories in and of itself is intrigue. I'm curious to see what other stories they'll tell with this format. 

[AnimeMania]

I am guessing these resonate more with females, since I could only relate to the men's point of view.

[jewel21]

I really enjoyed both episodes and thought they were well written and acted. I will definitely keep watching.

[luckyroll3]

Both episodes were surprisingly really good.  They kind of reminded me of the creepy pasta show that recently ended on SyFy, which I enjoyed, but sometimes felt that some of the stories didn't really need 8 episodes.  Keeping it contained to 1 was perfect.  And I was worried that the 30-minute format would be too short, but it ended up being just right.  Looking forward to the rest of the season.

[Annber03]

Oh, damn, the ending to "HIde".

Also, okay, so I'm going to have nightmares about the ghost in "Legacy", thanks, show. That one was creepy. 

[Chaos Theory]

It doesn’t bode well that no one is talking about this show which is really good.   I am curious if it is the CW network or if people didn’t hear about it or don’t like the concept.  

Legacy was a pretty good old fashioned ghost story.   Nothing particular original about it.  Two women fight off a ghost who is so. To one husband to the other.    

Hide was a suspenseful home invasion story.  I was sure the home invaders would be the husband and wife playing some purge type game with their daughters nannies.  I did like the twist that it was two girls doing the home invasion.  And even after all thT and maybe because of it....ICE shows up at her door.

[Annber03]

Just now, Chaos Theory said:

It doesn’t bode well that no one is talking about this show which is really good.   I am curious if it is the CW network or if people didn’t hear about it or don’t like the concept.  

I haven't seen any promotion for it, so I'm guessing that's a huge part of it. Which is indeed a shame, if that's the case. 

[AnimeMania]

Again, as a man I couldn't relate to the characters.

I wondered how the mother and daughter-in-law explained the dead ghost whisperer.

The two girls really didn't seem that scary, especially if you are willing to meet their violence with the same level of violence. I am surprised the owners of the house just used the word "break-ins" if the girls routinely murdered everyone in the house,

[OoogleEyes]

*Is* there such a thing as diet pills with live tapeworm eggs?

Things hiding under the bed is terrifying to me. (Like *Luther*)

I'm enjoying this show! It's a fun (relatively speaking) diversion. I like that they give you the "Two Sentence Horror Story" at the end. 

[luckyroll3]

16 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

And even after all thT and maybe because of it....ICE shows up at her door.

That was the most terrifying part of the episode. 

[jewel21]

This show does creepy really well. I'm impressed because I love horror but I'm usually not scared watching horror movies. But this show can be really unnerving. The first episode, that dead ghost going up those stairs and then grinning at the top creeped me the hell out. That was well done and I shuddered. 

The home invasion one reminded me of "The Strangers," which was a great home invasion movie that scared me so much when I went to watch it in theaters. This episode did the same. Those two girls and their creepy masks freaked me out. And I felt so bad for the elderly man. It was horrifying listening to him being killed over the monitor. But man, that ending, I did not see that coming!

I'm really enjoying this series. 

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

The first episode, that dead ghost going up those stairs and then grinning at the top creeped me the hell out. That was well done and I shuddered. 

The scene with the ghost at the bed actually had me curling back into the couch a bit. 

[Ubiquitous]

I watched Legacy and Hide on demand last night. Much like the creepy pasta anthology on the Sci Fi Channel, one two sentence creepy pasta does not fill a 30 minutes very well. The stories were OK, but they weren't necessarily what the two sentences of the short story were framing.

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 9:59 PM, Chaos Theory said:

And even after all thT and maybe because of it....ICE shows up at her door.

TBH, I rolled my eyes a bit about that anvilicious bit of social commentary.

[jhlipton]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:56 AM, OoogleEyes said:

*Is* there such a thing as diet pills with live tapeworm eggs?

One apparently can order tapeworms off the internet but them being in diet pills is apparently an urban legend.

On 8/17/2019 at 7:41 AM, Ubiquitous said:

The stories were OK, but they weren't necessarily what the two sentences of the short story were framing.

My impression was that the "short stories" were a framing device, or jumping off point, for the televised story, and so didn't bother me.

[Annber03]

20 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

One apparently can order tapeworms off the internet

That's...disturbing...

[luckyroll3]

4 hours ago, jhlipton said:

One apparently can order tapeworms off the internet but them being in diet pills is apparently an urban legend.

What can't we buy on the internet! I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the "dark" web.  Not because I want to find anything in particular, just because.....I'm very curious about what they have. 

[jhlipton]

3 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

What can't we buy on the internet! I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the "dark" web.  Not because I want to find anything in particular, just because.....I'm very curious about what they have. 

Trust me... you REALLY don't. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I have yet to watch this series, and I need to as horror is right up my alley.

My sincere apologies to all, but I just can't resist it...
 

On 7/27/2019 at 1:33 AM, AnimeMania said:

The second episode, titled “Squirm,” was written and directed by creator Vera Miaho and follows a low-paid office assistant who wakes up naked in her own bed after the office holiday party with no idea how she got there. Who was it and what did he put inside her?

[Annber03]

I hope you enjoy it if/when you check it out, @iRarelyWatchTV36 :).

Weird, weird episode tonight. That kid is already braver than I would be, 'cause no way in hell would I wander around that creepy building alone. 

[Chaos Theory]

Rich people and their crazy ways of staying rich and in power.

i thought Scion was less scary but did have a good deal of creep factor and that “The Faculty” vibe to it at the end.  

[jewel21]

I felt bad for the poor boyfriend who clearly loved the sick kid. I'm continuing to enjoy this show, I'm just sad we only had one episode this week. 

[tennisgurl]

This show is quite creepy, it pulls off a lot of scares and disturbing atmosphere in a really short time frame, and its a generally interesting premise. 

Scion was less scary than the other episodes, but it had a really strong creepy vibe, and while I guessed what was happening pretty early on when the sick kid found those books (the parents were pretty creepy assholes even before we knew they sold their son to the devil) I was still hoping for a happier ending. The poor sick kid and his boyfriend, he really seemed to love him.

[jhlipton]

On 8/23/2019 at 9:00 PM, jewel21 said:

 I'm just sad we only had one episode this week. 

t least you got one episode.  Some stupid medieval show played in its timeslot this week and I had to watch On Demand.  Commercials -- yuck!

It was pretty obvious what happened one the sick kid found the Necronomicon book of  "research", but it was still fun (and creepy) to watch.

[jewel21]

New episode tonight!

A beauty vlogger records a complex makeup tutorial as the camera catches someone slipping into her room when she's not looking.

[Annber03]

We've got a football game on our CW channel tonight, so it won't air in my area, unfortunately :(. According to my cable guide, they'll air it on Saturday night here. 

[jewel21]

I didn't really like this one. The blogger was super annoying from the beginning. There were some nice creepy moments but this is probably my least favourite episode so far. 

[AnimeMania]

Maybe if the blogger was doing something a little more creative with the bodies, like if there were little knick-knacks all around the house made from dead people. I thought the holes in the mask were poorly done. A mask is not very creative or useful. You want to use every part of the human.

[jewel21]

And why was the mask so thick and shapeless? 

[tennisgurl]

I kind of wondered about the twist when they did a kind of creepy font on the murder vloggers screen, but I thought they  might be going for more atmosphere, but I admit I liked where the episode went. The parody of beauty vloggeers was pretty on point, especially the comments and the "check out the link in my bio!" bits. This was probably one of the least scary episodes (though it had some creepy moments, mainly with the sneaking around and the main actress was quite effective at creepy stares) but I had fun watching it, and I am a sucker for those "you think one person is the victim and the other is the bad guy but its actually reverse!" plot twists. 

What really impresses me about the show is how quickly it can change in tone and style between episodes, but still feel like the same show.

[Chaos Theory]

The first week I didn't watch the show live and of course its the best one yet.  

Watching a murder tutorial was so inventive and I enjoyed every minute of it.  It might not have been scary in the traditional sense because the lead was in fact the villain of the story but I did find in creepy in all the best ways.

[luckyroll3]

On 8/31/2019 at 12:09 PM, tennisgurl said:

I kind of wondered about the twist when they did a kind of creepy font on the murder vloggers screen, but I thought they  might be going for more atmosphere, but I admit I liked where the episode went. 

I also noticed the creepy font, as well as that the tutorial was being recorded to the "dark web" in the early scenes of the episode.  However, I thought the intruder(s) were setting up to torture the blogger live.  I loved the multiple twists.  And the blogger was cracking me up with all the tutorial-speak; all the shit I roll my eyes at when I see tutorials online.  This was a good blend of humor and creepy.

[Annber03]

Okay, just got to watch the latest one, and oh, damn, that was good. I LOVED the tension throughout-the first half, when we thought the girl was in danger, was so well done (no lie, I gasped when the lights went out and actually shouted, "Get out of the house!"). 

And then to have it turn so sharply as it did, and the dawning horror of what was really going on towards the end....perfect. Some really good twists and turns throughout. 

Yeah. I liked this one a lot. 

[AnimeMania]

I was kind of taken out of the blogger story because of all the special effects they added to the video feed. It was obvious that she couldn't be broadcasting live because of the post processing effects included. I am not sure if they wanted us to pretend the video feed was live and they just added all the special effects to make the video seem closer to the beauty tips video blogs you see on the internet. And of course they let us know this is going out on the "dark web", because whatever she was doing was "too wild" for the regular internet.

[jhlipton]

On 9/1/2019 at 5:18 PM, luckyroll3 said:

I also noticed the creepy font, as well as that the tutorial was being recorded to the "dark web" in the early scenes of the episode.  However, I thought the intruder(s) were setting up to torture the blogger live.

I noticed the "dark web" icon at the bottom of the interview, but not the font. 

On 9/2/2019 at 3:57 AM, AnimeMania said:

It was obvious that she couldn't be broadcasting live because of the post processing effects included. 

That kind of threw me off, as well.  But now we know that the vlogger had the cameras set up to capture the victim's movements, which were also added in "in post".  Very clever.

It didn't hurt that Aleyse Shannon is FYNE!!!!  I also liked her in Charmed,

[jewel21]

New episode tonight!

When an elderly Haitian grandma is forced to move in with her estranged son, she begins to suspect something is very wrong with his perfect family.

[Annber03]

Well. That ending was deeply chilling.

[tennisgurl]

That was deeply unsettling, especially that ending. I liked the episode, it did a good job of having a lot going on in the plot, and a lot of subtext, like the grandmas tragic past, the generation gap, the son trying to assimilate to mainstream American culture while his mom holds onto her faith and beliefs from Haiti, as well as the main story and the creepy kid. So the kid was possessed by an evil dead witch doctor or...something? 

The writers do a really good job of coming up with unique stories to fill out the two sentences that make up the original story.

[Annber03]

Yeah, I thought the reference to the earthquake was an interesting angle, and really added to the haunting nature of everything going on.

I also liked how they played with the perspective of the events that happened in the opening of the episode. And I tend to like stories that have one person trying to warn everybody and being the voice of reason in a sea of crazy. 

[jewel21]

Well that was disturbing in the best way possible. I love how at first I thought the grandmere was crazy so it was a nice switch having the grandson be evil. Then again, I tend to find children creepy in general, haha. I felt so bad for her and that ending. Gah. 

This show is so well done. I hope we get another season. 

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

I hope we get another season. 

Same. I've come to look forward to Thursdays because of this show :). 

[luckyroll3]

Another great episode.  I enjoyed it so much, from the superstitious grandmere to the hipster "we don't discipline our kid" parents.  The one thing I would have changed was saving the reveal that the kid was possessed until near the end and having it seem like he was just a rotten kid with no boundaries.  That would have left the audience questioning whether grandma was just seeing things and overreacting or was right.  But even without that, I still liked it. 

I'm also very impressed and thankful for the diversity of characters and cultures they've shown throughout all the episodes.  Yay for representation!

15 hours ago, jewel21 said:

This show is so well done. I hope we get another season. 

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Same. I've come to look forward to Thursdays because of this show :). 

I third this!

[Annber03]

27 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I'm also very impressed and thankful for the diversity of characters and cultures they've shown throughout all the episodes.  Yay for representation!

Yes! I've really enjoyed that aspect, too. 

[jewel21]

I believe tonight is the season finale.

A monster adults can't see hunts the vulnerable children of a housing project.

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

A monster adults can't see hunts the vulnerable children of a housing project.

I had to read that sentence a few times before I could even figure out what it meant. Am I going senile?

[jewel21]

Haha, I got it but I can see why it could be confusing.

[Annber03]

So this was sort of a modern day Hansel & Gretel, it seems? 

I liked the interaction between the kids throughout, and the way they all helped each other. And well done, show, with the creepy facial expressions of the demon, and that deeply unsettling shot of the woman standing at the top of the basement stairs. 

Also, the bit where the girl flashed back to when she got her stuffed toy, and her mom kissing it, got me all choked up. 

10 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I believe tonight is the season finale.

I saw a thing on my guide for an hour-long episode next week consisting of three stories. I don't know if that's an official part of this season or what, but hey, always up for more of this show where possible. 

[LittleIggy]

I liked Little Monsters. The demon was creepy, and the child actors were great. Tutorial was weird but entertaining. That mask was 😬.