Two Sentence Horror Stories

"Inspired by the viral fan fiction, 'Two Sentence Horror Stories' is an award-winning, original scripted horror anthology series. Each standalone story taps into the expansive world of the horror genre, pressing universal primal fears filtered through the anxieties of the most connected and racially diverse generation." - Stage 13 "Two Sentence Horror Stories"

Two Sentence Horror Stories is a Horror Anthology inspired by the internet fiction of the same name. It was produced by Stage 13 and Warner Bros and distributed on CW and Netflix. There is only one season with 10 episodes. The show was created by Vera Miao. Directed by Vera Miao, Natalie Iyudin ("Gentleman" and "Scion"), Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia ("Hide"), Tayarisha Poe ("Tutorial" and "Little Monsters"), Nikyatu ("Only Child"), and JD Dillard. The show is written by Vera Miao, C.S. McMullen ("Gentleman" and "Tutorial"), Pornsak Pichetshote ("Legacy"), Leon Hendrix III ("Hide" and "Only child"), and Sehaj Sethi ("Hide" and "Scion"). A full list of cast and crew is available on their website.

I love horror anthologies. Some are great such as the fantastic Holidays(2016). Some are mostly shit like The ABCS of Death(2012), (that being said you owe it to yourself to see D is for Dogfight). Regardless of quality, anthologies can be a fun and enjoyable experience the shorter segments providing the horror that you came for without requiring the slow burn that can happen with full length movies. Each Episode is inspired by a short story posted on r/Twosentencehorrorstories, a modern conglomeration of both creepypasta and flash fiction. The episodes expand on a horrific narrative that is only subtle implied in the original work.

One thing I loved about the series was the amount of diversity that had been written into the show. Besides the obvious demography of race, the show makes the point to include the perspective of many different cultures, religions, and classes. Often it seems that modern mainstream horror follows the lives of the affluent heteronormative nuclear white family whether its Paranormal Activity(2007) or The Conjuring(2013). The characters add depth to the worlds they inhabit and provide context to the overarching stories. Gracies character in "Hide" is an excellent example of autism representation especially in a society where such characters are often stigmatized. The spectrum of Class is also shown from the WASP's in "Scion" to the projects in "Little Monsters". The cast diversity adds to the story and allows us to see perspectives we might not be use to in the Horror market.

Each Episode in the anthology is self contained telling a succinct storyline in about 20 minutes. Some storylines deal with with the horrors that humans inflict on each other. Such as sexual assault in "Squirm" or the use of domestic abuse in "Legacy". "Hide" is a great example of this. In the episode the sadism and ambivalence of the home invaders, who have some very strong The Strangers(2008) vibes, is replaced with the sad reality of the American immigration system. The monsters are not always who we think they are. Each episode is well written with effective dialogue, world building, and characterization in the very short time frame they are given.

The sound design was fantastic and incredible well polished. "Tutorial" features several characters, a beauty blogger and a supposed burglar, walking through different rooms in her house. The way that the sound carries realistically helped add to the verisimilitude of the situation. The scoring was also excellent providing both the creepy ambience common in horror thrillers along with some of the best used "creepy screechy violins" that I have heard in a while. The scoring works for the story unlike many horror shows which overuse discordant orchestration as the audio equivalent of Jump scares.   

The actual direction of the episodes is fantastic with crisp visuals and well composed shots. The filming is utilized to the fullest using the language of cinematography to relay information to the audience as much as the characters do. Two great examples are "Tutorial" and "Hide" both which deal partly with the ideas of home invasion. Some movies in the Genre can be confusing (i.e The Purge(2013)) with turning labyrinthine walls and poor angles, others are fantastic (I.E Hush(2016)) telegraphing the locations and making it clear the relative location of the characters. TSHS falls into the latter.  Some episodes such as "Squirm" and "Scion" use the camera as an unreliable narrator showing the improbably of the situation by mirroring the characters mental instability.  These POV segments provide a visceral experience. The trypophobia scene in "Squirm" unnerved me more than most of the gore in the Saw franchise. Overall the filming was fantastic showcasing the skills of the directors.

Two Second Horror Stories is an amazing Series and is probably one of the best horror anthologies that I have seen in a long time. It provides some great horror moments without relying on the crutches of gore and violence that plague many of the juggernauts of horror media of late. It is polished, disturbing and innovative bringing horror to a modern audience and a modern era. If your a fan of horror, anthologies, or just need a good show to get your spoop on definitely add it to your queue.