The Cryptkeeper almost says "Terrorvision", which is the title of one of my favourite ever crazy '80's horror flicks! So, it's very cool how the tale begins as if it's a classic ghost story with the impressively Gothic old house and excellent eerie music score, just one of those perfect setups that surely promises awesome macabre magic, but then in typical Crypt fashion they completely turn the situation on its head, as you realise you're looking at the opening presentation of some kind of tacky reality TV show, and we meet the delightfully detestable and obnoxious, suave quintessential toothsome host guy Horton Rivers! A.K.A. the late Morton Downey Jr, who plays practically the exact character he does in Predator 2! The way this episode starts just immediately pulls you into the world of the tale and does not let go till the host man swings! I think the extra short running time helps this episode a lot, the plot proceeds like lightning and doesn't drag or grow boring for a second. And something that's so weird and interesting about this one is how it's both a precursor to the 'found footage' movie, as well as all those horrible fake-ass reality TV programs like "Ghost Hunter" that are around today! Anyway, nobody likes Horton, who is a nasty arrogant s**t to everyone around him including the makeup lady, and they all not-so discreetly despise him behind his back, especially the Dorothy Parke character, and in the big crux moment of the story it's up to her on whether or not they should pull the plug on the deadly broadcast or leave Horton there to die for the sake of the precious ratings! It's an awesome little moment as she joyously opts for the latter and gets even after earlier being treated like dirt by the creep and told that she'd never be a great reporter without that all-important "killer instinct." And you're totally supposed to be on her side and share in her dark glee in that moment - that's kind of a big part of the fun and spirit of what this series was all about! Die jerk!!! ::: The story of the murderess of the haunted house that Horton relates to the viewing public as he leads the way through the bloody history of the locale sounds very similar to the real life case of Dorothea Puente. I like the way the scenes crank up the tension as whenever Horton moves on to investigate a new location in the house, it shows a quick flashback of the murder that occurred there. It gives things a strong foreboding sense of danger and dread. It's the visual images of the bloodthirsty elderly ghosts that really bring on the hectic frights. And the mayhem starts small with a few apparitions, and soon violently escalates till there's an honest-to-god chainsaw-wielding ghost chasing Horton around the horror house! My favourite part is when Horton discovers that the person who's been filming him for the last several minutes was not the cameraman - now that's like going from zero to holy crap in two seconds! The ending is surprisingly visceral and brutal with Horton getting his insides carved out, crashing through the second storey window, and just to make the finale that much more disturbing, snags his neck on a wire and ends up just swinging there with his guts hanging out. Party's over. The final scene is so chilling that it's almost at odds with the rest of the episode, which, while definitely being dark and grim, is overall a fun deadly thrill ride. And the irony of the final words: ".,.Live!" Not no more, he ain't! They outdid themselves once again in yet another mini-classic from season 2. See ya!
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