Welcome to Dead House: Part 2

The book this is adapted from is one of the darker and scariest book from the whole series and I'm glad they didn't really tone it down that much for the show.

A few thrills and some good night of the living dead vibes.

Amanda and Josh are very upset at having to move away to a small town called Dark Falls. Unknown to them the town was subject to a horrible chemical factory accident that killed all the chemists years ago. The Dark Falls chemists soon murdered the other townspeople and the entire town became a place of the living dead. Amanda and Josh, along with their parents and dog, are the next victims unless they can figure out the truth. This is a great show, filmed in Canada with amazing scenery and an eerie plot. The cast choice was a good one and I really wish the soundtrack was available because it's eerie and beautiful. There are a few plot flaws though. First off, yes it's a small town. But when an accident kills an entire town, no matter the size an investigation would take place outside of town. The living dead are all dressed as if they just stepped out of the 1930's but the accident apparently occurred in the early 1990's. They really went out of their way to make the town stand out, complete with the name Dark Falls and a highly dangerous factory, as if they tried too hard and it becomes unrealistic at best. Also, the story is great, but for a show aimed at teens aged 12 to 14 the plot is a little too freaky. There is one part in the second half of the episode where an adult man, a former construction worker, begins to try and make his way into the room of the twelve year old character Amanda. There appears to be some love between her and the dead boy Ray, but then he tries to eat her, so it's not exactly a successful first date. The townspeople are dressed a little funny at times. The HAZMAT suits on the two dead guys in the background make sense, but then you've got a fat zombie mayor dressed in his best suit, a zombie sheriff, zombie chemist women in lab coats... how come not one of them is dressed in average casual clothing? That being said the show itself is successful at being creepy and the characters' personalities are very good. I would love it if they'd release the episode's soundtrack. Or if this story were made into a full-length film. Also, what happened to cause the chemical factory accident? They could have explained the past a little better. Was it an explosion, a leak, buildup of pollution, employee negligence? What killed the workers? This TV episode could really be developed into something amazing.

On a separate note, I really loved the shirt the zombie Karen was wearing, the gray one with the G-crown logo thing, I'd totally buy a shirt like that.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the show and ironically, it's based on one of my favorite stories in the book series. In a way the whole story could almost be a "Silent Hill" tale as the story reminds me a little of that game. You can say this story sort of pertains to fear, every kid has about moved though you can even count adults, as the thought of moving to another location can be stressful, nerve racking and discomforting. It's always the notion of living in unfamiliar foreign territory and that you might hate it because you know something about the place isn't right, this story shows the possibility of that feeling being correct.

The only bad thing about the episode is, I don't like how the protagonist get rid of one advantage of theirs. I know that in horror and suspense thrillers stakes must be raised, but I can't swallow that the protagonists would let themselves get so easily manipulated by people they hardly know; other than that, everything else is fine.

I really like how the story from beginning to end just gives you that feeling of utter doom and dread, just like the kids you already don't like the place as it's practically got signs of danger written all over it, the town is called Dark Falls after all a clear bad sign.

The town itself is just unsettling and creepy, everything about it just feels off and wrong. Just dirty, grimy, most of the building structures look like they haven't been living in for years, as we see the homes look that they haven't been cleaned nor fixed up to keep up with the times. Even the people are off, from the kids as you notice, their clothing looks like yesteryears fashion, not that that's a big deal but it's one of those small details that can really tell you a lot. But also, what bothers me the most is just the sheer isolation and quiet, which we know is the sound of danger.

The suspense throughout the episode is solid as we see the more time they spend in that house and town, the more the danger grows. From this you're hoping the kids will figure it all out on time and get themselves along with their parents to evacuate immediately before they become permanent residents.

Rating: 3 and a half stars.