The Sins of the Fathers/You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore

As the previous posters have attested, this was one of the most frightening things I ever saw--on TV or in a movie theater. The acting was superb, but it was the story, the foggy night forest that the desperate boy had to run through--round trip!--and especially the taut direction that so successfully created an atmosphere of crushing dread. The fear and contempt that The Widow showed for the hysterical young man before slamming the heavy wooden door behind him made my mouth go dry.

Without giving away what actually happens at the climax, I'll just say that, once it took place, my entire family began shrieking and running from the room in all directions.

Poe must have wept with jealousy. I only wish someone would release this on DVD. (N.B.: The only episode of TV horror equal to "Sins of the Fathers," in my opinion, is "An Unlocked Window," starring Dana Wynter, from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," which aired in 1965. Have Valium on hand...lots of it.)

Another entry from Season Two. This is really one of the most frightening and uncomfortable things to watch, that has ever been presented on television. Richard Thomas deserves accolades for his performance. The finest work he has ever done. This is one of those--"You have to see it to believe it" episodes. Some of the finest horror that television has ever seen. Nothing I can say can describe this episode. It has never been matched. I dream of seeing "Season Two" again on DVD. Without the "Sixth Sense" episodes that were added for syndication. For they were crap. As I said, this episode Scared the S&%T out of me. I bet it would still.

I do not understand what the other reviewers were trying to suggest that this episode of Night Gallery is so scary and horrifying and that Poe would be jealous. It is about as scary as an episode of Captain Kangaroo. The acting of course is wonderful with Thomas and Page (she could do anything) but honestly this is not scary. It is just a lot of screaming and yelling. That in itself is not horrifying it is just loud. Barbara (last name ?) who played the widow was pretty good too. I have a feeling that the reviewers who find this episode of Night Gallery to be so frightening and appallingly scary and horrifying are really Rod Serling groupies who would approve of anything he did. Don't fret if you miss this episode.

The reviews of Sins of the Fathers fall into two categories: the "one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen" category and the "I don't see what's so scary about this" category. The difference here, I think, boils down to the difference between terror and horror. This episode (typical of Night Gallery in general) is about horror, not terror.

Terror is the start you feel when somebody jumps out from behind a bush and lunges at you. It's a simplistic emotion that almost everyone has as an instinctive response to danger. It requires no empathy. In Sins of the Fathers there are no monsters jumping out of shadows. It is not terrifying.

Horror is the revulsion you feel when you witness something deeply disturbing. I'm guessing that it requires some level of empathy to fully experience horror, and a fair segment of the population is probably immune to it. To fully appreciate the horror of Sins of the Fathers requires the ability to put yourself in the position of the main character. If you have the capacity to do that...then this episode is freaking HORRIFYING and you will never forget it.

The first episode, "The Sins of the Father," takes place in a plague infested world where people are dropping like flies. Apparently, an unpopular occupation is that of a "Sin Eater." Even with rampant starvation at hand the mourners at the funeral of an unfortunate person there is all manner of food surrounding the body. This is for the sin eater to consume and by doing so, take the sins of the deceased unto himself, sending himself to eternal damnation but saving the other guy. A group of people are holed up at a wake where none are to eat. A little person, played by Michael Dunn, is dispatched to find the aforementioned "expert." There are so many deaths that finding anyone is nearly impossible. He finally settles on a boy played by Richard Thomas. His mother talks him into doing the deed but she implores him not to ingest the food, but rather steal it for them. He is so hungry and wails about it over and over (this is one part that is hard to take because it overwhelms the senses). He makes his way to the house of the dead man and tries to pull off his mothers wishes. What happens next is something you'll not forget soon.

The second offering is about an agency that sells androids (they call them robots). They are attractive physically but there have been complaints about them. Some people abuse them because they have no defenses and Cloris Leachman and Broderick Crawford are the worst. They have completely destroyed one model and have insisted on another one. The thing is that the robots have started developing defense mechanisms and the quality of telling the truth. Leachman and Crawford are great as absolute rich scum. I have to admit I was with this one till the end but left it confused. See what you think.