Fear Itself: The Complete First Season

Horror anthologies haven't fared all that well on network television over the years (not even Rod Serling could duplicate the success of The Twilight Zone with the later Night Gallery). This short-lived 2008 NBC series was the brainchild of Mick Garris, who was also behind the Showtime movies collected under the omnibus title Masters of Horror, and it follows a similar pattern: each of the episodes was made by a different director—such as John Landis, Ronny Yu, Darren Lynn Bousman, Larry Fessenden, and Rupert Wainwright—and features strong casts, including veterans like Eric Roberts and young actors including Brandon Routh. Although it never built much of an audience, and only eight of the 13 episodes compiled in this set were broadcast before cancellation, the quality is surprisingly high. Granted, there are a couple of outright clunkers, but some of the offerings (Mary Harron's “Community,” Breck Eisner's “The Sacrifice,” and Fessenden's “Skin and Bones”) are very effective, while most of the others are at least worth a look. The violence and gore are fairly explicit by network standards, but Fear Itself relies more on suggestion and inference than the bloodbaths found in contemporary fright flicks. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. A better-than-expected collection, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)