I watched this series as a teen when it was first on and absolutely loved it. For sure, it hasn't aged well. I don't know who want would watch it now except out of nostalgia or academic curiosity.
You have to realize when this was first on, the only horror movies or shows we got in the 80s were slashers or anthology shows like Tales From the Darkside. We'd been raised on the Love Boat and Dynasty as peak tv. So I think the audience at the time was more forgiving of illogical plots and two dimensional characters. And the plot here definitely doesn't make a lot of sense. But I was starving at the time to get an occult themed show every week. So I was very willing to ignore most of its faults.
I wish I could remember my impression of this particular episode when I watched it for the first time. Culture has definitely changed to the point that you can't watch it now the way you could then. The creep of the week probably actually comes off as much more sinister now. Back in the 80s, he probably seemed more of a sad sack type who just can't get women. Now it's more obvious he's an unstable serial rapist. And the women seem even more ridiculous to put up with him because back then there was more emphasis on being nice and accommodating of every creep's feelings and advances, even as he threatens and harasses you. The only people who want to go back to that time are the harassers. Anyway...
Personally I think most of the people who got hold of artifacts on this show were dark and unstable to begin with, unless they were very young. Then they would have been dealt a really bad hand, like Sarah Polly's character in the first episode. I disagree with another reviewer who seems to see them as innocents who simply had the misfortune of finding a cursed antique. So I don't see this episode as different from the rest of the series at all.
Regarding the violence, I have to think, because it was tv, the producers were worried about showing any blood or gore - hence the ridiculous bee scene. They wanted to be extreme without actually being extreme and it just didn't work.
I can believe the trivia someone added here that says this was the first episode filmed. There's very little backstory or depth to Micki, Ryan, and Jack. As for the direction, it is surprisingly decent for this type of show. There was actually suspense at times, something I didn't notice as much in the previous two episodes. I did like the point of view shots from the creep (Eddie?) where you just see quick cuts to his focus on a woman's mouth or sliding down her chest. You can see Atom Egoyan was already better than average even when dealing with schlock.
I guess if people feel this was the worst the show ever got, that's not bad, especially if it was the first episode made. The plot is barely an outline, and like everyone points out, nothing that the characters do makes sense. It's nice to see Carolyn Dunn in an early role. She would lead in multiple shows I was a fan on in the nineties.
You have to realize when this was first on, the only horror movies or shows we got in the 80s were slashers or anthology shows like Tales From the Darkside. We'd been raised on the Love Boat and Dynasty as peak tv. So I think the audience at the time was more forgiving of illogical plots and two dimensional characters. And the plot here definitely doesn't make a lot of sense. But I was starving at the time to get an occult themed show every week. So I was very willing to ignore most of its faults.
I wish I could remember my impression of this particular episode when I watched it for the first time. Culture has definitely changed to the point that you can't watch it now the way you could then. The creep of the week probably actually comes off as much more sinister now. Back in the 80s, he probably seemed more of a sad sack type who just can't get women. Now it's more obvious he's an unstable serial rapist. And the women seem even more ridiculous to put up with him because back then there was more emphasis on being nice and accommodating of every creep's feelings and advances, even as he threatens and harasses you. The only people who want to go back to that time are the harassers. Anyway...
Personally I think most of the people who got hold of artifacts on this show were dark and unstable to begin with, unless they were very young. Then they would have been dealt a really bad hand, like Sarah Polly's character in the first episode. I disagree with another reviewer who seems to see them as innocents who simply had the misfortune of finding a cursed antique. So I don't see this episode as different from the rest of the series at all.
Regarding the violence, I have to think, because it was tv, the producers were worried about showing any blood or gore - hence the ridiculous bee scene. They wanted to be extreme without actually being extreme and it just didn't work.
I can believe the trivia someone added here that says this was the first episode filmed. There's very little backstory or depth to Micki, Ryan, and Jack. As for the direction, it is surprisingly decent for this type of show. There was actually suspense at times, something I didn't notice as much in the previous two episodes. I did like the point of view shots from the creep (Eddie?) where you just see quick cuts to his focus on a woman's mouth or sliding down her chest. You can see Atom Egoyan was already better than average even when dealing with schlock.
I guess if people feel this was the worst the show ever got, that's not bad, especially if it was the first episode made. The plot is barely an outline, and like everyone points out, nothing that the characters do makes sense. It's nice to see Carolyn Dunn in an early role. She would lead in multiple shows I was a fan on in the nineties.