So the saying goes, you have nothing to fear but fear itself, and maybe NBC should think on that, long and hard. The new horror anthology series Fear Itself debuts June 5 on NBC and with the lineup of name directors, writers and actors, you’d think this series would sell itself.
Sadly, anthology shows have always been a hard sell on the big five networks. People enjoy the comfort of recurring characters and settings they recognize. Throw them something new every week and it yanks them out of that zone and into the. . dare I say. . Twilight Zone?
Let’s just hope that NBC gives Fear Itself more of a chance to find an audience than ABC did with Masters of Science Fiction.
Here’s what’s on tap:
“The Sacrifice” has a screenplay written by Mick Garris (”Riding the Bullet,” “Amazing Stories”), from a story by Del Howison (”Dark Delicacies”). Breck Eisner (”Creature from the Black Lagoon”) will direct. When four criminals find themselves stranded in an old, snow-covered fort, they slowly discover both the fort and the seductive trio of sirens who reside there are filled with deadly secrets. Jeffrey Pierce (”The Nine”), Jesse Plemons (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”), Stephen Martines (”Port Charles”), Rachel Miner (”Californication”) and Mircea Monroe (”Drive”) star.
“In Sickness and in Health” will be directed by John Landis (”An American Werewolf in London”) and written by Victor Salva (”Jeepers Creepers”). On her wedding day, a beautiful bride (Maggie Lawson, “Psych”) receives a mysterious note that reads: “The person you are marrying is a serial killer.” James Roday (”Psych”) stars as the groom. Christie Laing (”The 4400″), Sonja Bennett (”Eureka”) and Marshall Bell (”Hamlet 2,” “Tales from the Crypt”) also star.
“Family Man” will be directed by Ronny Yu (”Freddy vs. Jason,” “Bride of Chucky”) and is written by Dan Knauf (”Carnivale,” “Supernatural”). This action-charged, psychological thriller focuses on a likeable family man (Colin Ferguson, “Eureka”) who switches bodies with a serial killer (Clifton Collins Jr., “Star Trek”) after a near-death experience. Now, he must fight from behind bars to keep the murderer from adding his wife (Josie Davis, “Ghost Whisperer”), son (Gig Morton, “Psych”), and daughter (Nicole Leduc, “Kyle XY”) to the long list of victims.
“Something With Bite,” directed by Ernest Dickerson (NBC’s “Heroes”), is a reinvention of the classic werewolf story from writer Max Landis (”Masters of Horror”), the son of John Landis (”An American Werewolf in London”). When a veterinarian (Wendell Pierce, “The Wire”) gets bitten by a large, strange animal brought into his clinic, he begins to see the world and his stale life differently. Paula Jai Parker (”Side Order of Life,” “The Proud Family”) also stars.
“New Year’s Day” will be directed by Darren Bousman (”Saw II, III and IV”), and is written by Steve Niles (”30 Days of Night”) from a story by Paul Kane. A young woman (Briana Evigan, “Step Up 2: The Streets”) wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by horrifying zombies.
“Skin & Bones” will be directed by Larry Fessenden (”The Last Winter,” “Wendigo”), and is written by Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan (”Masters of Horror”). When a cattle herder returns home to his family after being lost in the woods for days, he just doesn’t seem the same. Soon, a terrible mortal struggle ensues against the terrifying monster possessing him.
“The Spirit Box” will be directed by Rupert Wainwright (”The Fog,” “Stigmata”), and is written by Joe Gangemi (”Wind Chill,” the novel “Inamorata”). When two suburban high school girls try to contact a dead classmate via a board game, they receive an unexpected message from beyond the grave — The dead girl, thought to be a teen suicide, was actually killed by a teacher with whom she’d been having an affair and now wants their help in avenging her murder.
“Chance” will be directed by John Dahl (”You Kill Me,” “The Last Seduction”), and is written by Lem Dobbs (”The Score”). In the vein of such classic doppelganger stories as “Jekyll & Hyde” and Poe’s “William Wilson,” the episode explores a dreadful, classic battle that ensues when a man is confronted by his evil self.
“Echoes” is written by Sean Hood (”The Crow: Wicked Prayer,” “Halloween: Resurrection”), with a director to be announced. Sam, an affable, good-natured young man, moves into an apartment where he believes he once lived — 88 years ago in a past life. But as memories appear to him like ghosts, he realizes that in this previous life he was a sadistic murderer, and he must keep that past life from bleeding into his present one.
“The Circle” is written by Cemetery Dance Magazine publisher and editor Richard Chizmar (”From a Buick 8″) & actor Johnathon Schaech (”Masters of Horror,” “That Thing You Do!”), based on the short story of the same title written by Lewis Shiner, with a director to be announced. A group of people meet every Halloween to tell horror stories and suddenly discover they’re living one.
“Eater,” also written by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech, is directed by Stuart Gordon (”Re-Animator,” “Masters of Horror”). A rookie cop (Moss) must spend her first night in the precinct watching over a serial killer, coined “The Eater” (Stephen R. Hart, “Shoot ‘Em Up”). When her fellow cops start acting bizarre, she quickly learns that no one is who they seem. Russell Hornsby (”Lincoln Heights”), Pablo Schreiber (”The Wire”) and Stephen Lee (”Boston Legal”) also star.
“Spooked,” is directed by Brad Anderson (”The Machinist”) and written by Matt Venne (”White Noise 2: The Light”). While on a stake out in a haunted house, a private eye (Roberts) is made to confront the demons of his past. Jack Noseworthy (”Judging Amy”), Cynthia Watros (”Lost”) and Larry Gilliard Jr. (”The Wire”) also star.
“Community” is directed by Mary Harron (”American Psycho,” “Big Love”) and written by Kelly Kennemer (”The Music Within”). When a young married couple, played by Routh and Appleby, find the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood, their lives seem…well…perfect. But as the dark underbelly of their neighborhood creeps to the surface, they soon realize that their neighbors will go to any extreme — even murder — to make sure that they comply with their twisted sense of conformity. John Billingsley (”Star Trek: Enterprise”) and wife Bonita Friedericy (NBC’s “Chuck”) also star.
John Landis, Ronny Yu, Darren Bousman. . . come on. . how can this go wrong?
FEAR ITSELF — “Eater” Episode 101 — Pictured: (l-r) Stephen R. Hart as Mellor, Elisabeth Moss as Bannerman — NBC Photo: Chris Large
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