IR TV Review: TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES - EPISODES 1 & 2 (“Elliot” & “Bagman”) [CW-S2]

The essence of short horror stories is about creating a progression of metaphor while still offering interesting imagery and scares. "Two Sentence Horror Stories" takes the gamut that was set by something like "Tales From The Crypt" and places it in a new world. Unlike "Creepshow" which goes a little bit farther, "TSHS" gives the stories a much more stylistic approach in certain ways which gives them an 80s feel with a new 20s resonance.

Elliot Previously titled "Husk", Episode 3 of the 2nd season revolves around bullying but within the structure of a transgender student. It takes an interesting approach to its metaphor because it uses the context of "the basement" versus "the closet". And, as a result, the context and how it progresses without giving anything anyway really gives a powerful message but also an effective genre piece. In many ways, it comes down to "sound" and "voice. While the actions are pointed, so are the words and are wonderfully and almost musically structured. The protagonist is quite interesting because of who it is and how she approaches it even down to the resolution per se. B+

Bagman Again metaphor plays a part in Episode 4 of Season 2 but it is also about reflective masks. The story takes place during a detention session, not unlike a modern day "Breakfast Club" with people both with secrets inward and outward but the framing mechanism is a little more dark. It takes, of course, into story structure and narrative modern day problems that creates the context in which it is seen. The great thing about these type of tales when they are done right is that they are not tales of morality, but those of caution that don't physically exist most times in the world but are hidden under the surface...or, in this case, a book bag. B

By Tim Wassberg