What really adds to the horror in this premiere is the soundtrack and audio of the overall episode. There is lots of audio jumping back and forth between the left and right during some sinister moments, andChannel Zeroadds a lot of unnerving background tracks during these times like a fly buzzing around and the whine of a television. Using a surround sound system or headphones really adds to the mood while watching the show.
WhileCandle Coveis the backbone to the story, the focus is on the mystery of a group of children dying during the late 80s, including Eddie, Mikes twin brother. This story jumps between the present, with Mike trying to get more information aboutCandle Covefrom his old friends, and flashback sequences where we learn that Eddie was going through some bizarre changes that are somehow tied to the childrens television show.
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The opening episode centers around a child psychologist and author named Mike Painter (Paul Schneider) who heads back to his childhood home to re-investigate the death of his twin brother and other children during the 80s. All of these murders seems to revolve around a childrens television program calledCandle Cove, which only aired for a few months. As the season premiere moves forward, not everything is as it seems because there are darker forces at play.
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While many fans may see horror as jump-scares and pointless startles,Channel Zerodelivers its horror through tone and visually disturbing moments, without becoming akin to something viewers would see in the Saw franchise. It plays on haunting imagery that viewers may connect to something from their past, mainly creepy kids television shows.
Like most pilot episodes, one of the problems is always going to be that the show tries to deliver way too much in a short amount of time.Channel Zerotries to introduce the viewer to Mike, all while adding to a present day story of Mike returning to his childhood home. There are quite a few present-day characters thrown into the mix as well and a whole lot more characters from Mikes past. Its quite a bit to keep up with, but this problem is nothing out of the ordinary for a season premiere or pilot.
SyfysChannel Zerobrings an original horror series to the network. The first episode infuses theCreepyPastashortstoryCandle Covewith a bit of new narrative to flesh out a plot that can fill an entire season. While it may be a tad confusing at times,Channel Zerodelivers a haunting story that awakens a sense of nostalgia in the viewer.
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This is whereChannel Zerofalters a little bit. The cuts between present-day and the past come out of nowhere, with no warning. When this happens, it later becomes apparent that what the audience is seeing are flashbacks, but since these flashbacks dont have visual or audio cues to separate themselves from whats happening in the present, its jolting and disrupts the overall flow of the story. It leads to confusion, and its unsure whether or not thats intentional, to throw the viewer off from whats really happening.
Jawbone will grind your skin between his teeth. Its cool though. Hes from a kids show!
Candle Coveis the Land of Make Believe fromMister Rogers Neighborhoodwith mildly murderous dialogue, which will sit with you for the entirety of the episode. The childrens show features puppets on a pirate ship, and it just feels wrong to watch because theres this underlying evil within its narrative.Channel Zeroplays well to the idea that there are things on television we saw as children that disturbed us or gave us nightmares. It ends up being a nice backbone to the story and helps establish the tone for the episode.
Candle Coveisnt the only thing haunting about this episode though. As you may have seen in some of the trailers for the series, theres also a monster completely made of teeth lurking around. While who or what this creature is isnt something made abundantly clear by the end of the season premiere, you get a strong idea of what it has to do with the overall story. Once again, this is a visually haunting character. It will stick with the audience after their first viewing.
Channel Zeros Season Premiere on Syfy Mixes Horror, Nostalgia, and a Tooth Monster
Channel Zeros season premiere is a very solid start. The show takes a wonderfully haunting online story and sculpts something thats one-part horror and one-part mystery thats engaging and alluring. While the show does have some minor problems with pacing and jolting the viewer from their suspension of disbelief, the debut offering does give the viewer some lingering, spooky moments that will stick with them hours and days after viewing. Did we mention theres a monster made entirely of teeth?
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