Minor Spoilers - 'Crouch End' is one of Stephen King's scariest short stories. A labyrinth of tall cobblestone buildings loom over an American couple as they attempt to make an important appointment... in the scary end of London (of course). The town of Crouch End terrifies the hearts of men, even those cab drivers who always seem game. They speak of 'thin spots' in the town, points where our earthly dimension meets another that is unknown and utterly terrifying. What chance do an American couple have? Well, about forty minutes or so.
The Stephen King short story on which the episode is based draws from H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos, stories of unfathomable beasts of pure evil. It is highly atmospheric, full of little details about the odd town, developing the 'out of town' anxiety of tourists into an uncontrollable psychological assault. It is a great, quick read and one that is genuinely spooky.
The episode, however, is a frustratingly poor version of an impressive story. It is a difficult short to adapt, with imagination fueling our personal vision of twilight terror. Replace the power of 'the word' with awful CGI, overbearing editing, and horror-movie cliché and the story doesn't function. The layered narrative in which King's short is told (the American woman recounts her experience to a Police Officer, who has his own strange happening) provides the platform for a simple and memorable twist. The 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes' version excises the narrative of the Police Officer, and the original ending, and the ambiance that made the story work in the first place. The episode was shot in Melbourne, see the wide suburban streets and glaring daylight - unfortunately this has no visual parity to that of London-town (I hear it's cold there). The secondary performers try to do their best 'Brit' voice, but the old Okker tones always slip through. Who needs details anyway?
'Crouch End' isn't very good. Kids with claw hands? A cat with CGI damaged face? Monkey people? It just doesn't work like it should. I highly recommend reading the short story the episode was based on, it is far superior to the episode, and would take you about the same time to read.
16 out of 18 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink