| Author | Message | ||
     John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Don't forget it's on this Sunday, and will apparently be an Amicus-style portmanteau of four scary stories based around an old hospital. Oh I can't wait... | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
D'you know, I've never seen Psychoville. But I saw the trailer for this and thought it looked like fun. Is it something I should watch and might enjoy, do you think? | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.178.82.216 |
Caroline - oh yes! The original series was uneven in places but always well worth a watch - miss it at your peril! | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Right - you've sold me on it! I'll have to set the recorder for it as I'm going to be in Halifax watching old Ghost Stories for Christmas and listening to Lawrence Gordon Clark being interviewed on Sunday.  | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Alas, we have to wait until Monday for it to be on iPlayer.  | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
WOOHOO!!!! I'd completely forgotten about this! The television event of the year imho.  Great to see them doing another portmanteau style special. Oh, I can't wait!! YEEHAA!!!! Now I'm off to jump round the office... | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
I really enjoyed this, and spotting all the references, but was left with the worrying doubt that they really haved backed themselves into a corner this time. The individual stories were great, though tilting more into straight horror than horror-comedy, but the linking story and its conclusion really was confusing. I was knackered watching it last night, which may have added to my befuddlement, but I have to see this as not wholly successful - and positively paling beside 'The League Of Gentlemen' Christmas Special. Must watch again when it comes out on DVD, and I'm still really looking forward to Series 2. I think a proper script, rather than making it up as they go along, would improve things though... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.31.194.128 |
I felt the same, Stevie. The ending was just incomprehensible. A few great scares, tho. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
I had a great time with it. We'd just watched Dead of Night a couple of weeks ago, so it was really fun to see them both spoof it and play tribute to it. Those ghosty kids in the Mr Jelly segment were creepy! The ending, though... Yes, the ending of the first series was fairly incomprehensible and I wish we'd thought to watch it again before the Halloween special. SPOILER WARNING I think the framing story properly "ends" with the gunshot and the realisation that A) Drew isn't a ghost and B) neither is Nurse Ketchering. The rest is simply a teaser for Series 2, which I hope will tie up the loose ends from the uneven final episode. Can't wait! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
My V+ recording ran out before the end, when those two people were watching the footage... Like the series itself, this was a bit hit-and-miss, but I had a good time with it. | ||
| Mark_lynch (Mark_lynch) Username: Mark_lynch Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.171.129.71 |
I agree with Nick. Sorry. General election flashback. I agree with Zed. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I'd rank the first two segments as classic horror, the third good, if rushed, the fourth an entertaining hotch-potch, but the framing story, despite nice moments, as completely bewildering and frustrating. Also, this is the first time these guys have concentrated on the horror elements at the expense of the comedy imo - which left me ultimately disappointed. Hopefully Series 2 will make more sense... | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
I didn't think it was terribly good, but then they did have quite a reputation to live up to. Whereas the LoG Xmas Special felt well thought out and the product of much love and care, this felt thrown together for the sake of it. The first story could have been longer and was truncated before it could reach a satisfying conclusion, the Dawn French episode was a virtual copy of The Neat Job from Vault of Horror and even though the final image was fun it felt much too derivative, the third story was too slight and the fourth felt rather desperate. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I agree 100% with JLP. I thought the whole thing was slight and derivative - "classic horror"? Come on, Steve, do you really think that? Despite its flaws, I still enjoyed it (because even humdrum genre stuff like this is better than none at all). But I forgot it half an hour later. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 82.18.201.128 |
The horror elements were all pretty obvious, it was the humour that sold it to me. Without the jokes it would have fallen into the same category as Gatiss's Crooked House -- fun but desperately pushing the horror fan nostalgia buttons to cover up the lack of any real imagination. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I thought the first two segments showed the most care in the production and involved genuinely disturbing imagery - the children, the head. If they had sustained that quality through the rest of the show it would have been "classic horror". But things started to slide into half-hearted mediocrity with the third instalment imo, almost as if they had grown tired of the project halfway through. I wanted desparately to love this but was left frustrated at what could have been, in the end. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
I agree 100% with JLP.  But I forgot it half an hour later. Exactly - even writing the above post I had to struggle to remember what the last two stories were about. I'm not knocking the boys - they've done far too much good stuff for that and this did have its moments (the masks the asylum inmates were wearing were straight out of my childhood nightmares), but not very many. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.182.157.170 |
Given all the above, I did rather enjoy it, and burst out laughing at the "I drew a sketch of the man who killed your mother" bit. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.141.30.2 |
Mr Jelly's story segment was also a rehash/homage to the Brian Cox segment in the great 'Trick 'r Treat' movie (mean old codger terrorised by a supernatural child thing after slamming the door on some other children). All very derivative stories and the script was definitely not as dark or twisted as the first series but still an enjoyable and spooky treat. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
But doing comedy homages to portmanteau horror segments we all know and love was what the show was all about so it can't really be criticised for being derivative imo. The quality of the script and general execution, after the first two segments, just wasn't up to their usual standard. The show had a kind of inessential, shoe-horned together feel to it that, after waiting over a year, was nowhere near enough to satisfy this particular fan. Routinely enjoyable but frustrating. |