Home/Hush

  This week we’re doing things a little differently and instead of a film, I’m diving into two terrifying episodes of television. The first is The X-Files episode “Home”, an episode that takes a break from the show’s usual Sci-Fi fare for a more realistic and gruesome horror. The second is Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Hush”, an episode that features one of the most terrifying monsters seen on television.

Home

“Home” is the second episode of the fourth season of The X-Files. It was written by Glen Morgan (Final Destination) and James Wong (American Horror Story), directed by Kim Manners (Supernatural), and originally aired October 11th, 1996. Despite receiving critical acclaim, the content of the episode proved controversial and it became the only episode of the show that Fox never re-aired. The episode was watched by 18.85 million viewers.

“Home” sees FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, The Crown) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny, Californication) travelling to the town of Home, Pennsylvania to investigate the death of an infant with several congenital disorders found buried in a field. Their investigations lead them to the Peacock family, a trio of reclusive deformed brothers who’ve formed an incestuous relationship with their mother.

Oof. That was probably one of the most difficult plot synopsis I’ve ever had to write for this blog. “Home” owes a lot to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes before it. It’s brutal and unflinching in its portrayal of the Peacock family so I’m not shocked that Fox was wary about re-airing the episode. 

The strength of the show lies heavily in the chemistry between Anderson and Duchovny. That chemistry is on fine display here and, like many of the best episodes of the show, “Home” features memorable and horrifying villains. Some of the references to The Andy Griffith Show are a little too cute for me and don’t quite match the darker tone of the episode.

Rating: 4 tiny bathrooms out of 5.

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? No animal deaths are featured in the episode

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: The reveal of Mrs. Peacock (Karin Konoval, War for the Planet of the Apes).

Hush

“Hush” is the tenth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and aired on December 14th, 1999. “Hush” received critical acclaim and was watched by 6.6 million viewers upon airing.

“Hush” sees a group of demons called the Gentlemen arriving in the town of Sunnydale and stealing the voices of the entire town. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cruel Intentions) and the rest of the Scooby Gang must get their voices back and stop the Gentlemen before they collect the seven hearts they need for an unknown ritual.

“Hush” is, quite frankly, a masterpiece of television. The entire cast is bringing their A-Game (special shout-out to Anya’s (Emma Caulfield Ford, WandaVision) popcorn during the projector scene) and the direction is excellent. The episode is hilarious in its lighter moments and absolutely terrifying in the moments that embrace the horror.

A big part of the success of this episode is the design of both the Gentlemen and their Footmen. They are some of the most horrifying monsters I’ve ever seen put to screen. The lack of dialogue for most the episode could easily have been used as just a gimmick, but the episode wisely uses it to explore themes of communication and to further the character arcs of the whole cast.

Rating: 5 jars of hearts out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Lots of hearts are removed but they are all from humans.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Any instance of someone being attacked and unable to scream. That’s a recurring nightmare that I have so it really fucks me up.

• Check out our Hush episode on Booze and Buffy for more in depth thoughts I have on this episode.

Overall these are two excellent episodes of television, both of which are pretty accessible even if one hasn’t watched the rest of the show. I’d recommend them both any day.

Next Week: Back to the cinema side of horror with Annihilation. Yes, Annihilation is a horror film and that’s a hill I’ll die on.