- Run Time: Around 50 Minutes per episode
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3E1URhCR60
Episode 5: Pickman’s Model
- Directed by Keith Thomas
- Written by H. P. Lovecraft, Lee Patterson, Guillermo Del Toro
- Stars Ben Barnes, Crispín Glover, Oriana Leman
In Arkham, Massachusetts, 1909, artist Will paints Rebecca— at least until her father gets home. He’s an art student at Miskatonic University. There’s a new student in class, Richard Pickman, and he draws… angrily. There are soon rumors about Pickman’s past.
William goes to the cemetery and catches Richard out there drawing a dead cat. He draws monsters in his notebook. There’s a big art contest, and Will won last year. Richard’s submission offends the judges so badly they all walk out.
Richard invites Will to his place to see his work, and Will thinks they’re disturbing. He’s fascinated by their horror. Will is so disturbed that he has to go outside and vomit. The nightmares follow that night.
The next day, Will goes to a big garden party thrown by Rebecca’s father. He starts seeing creepy things skulking around the nearby trees and making a scene. He thinks the paintings last night have done something to his mind; Rebecca thinks he’s drunk and tells him to get lost. He goes to see Richard but finds his apartment is empty.
In 1926, Will is now married with a family. One night, he dreams he’s at a dinner party. It’s the party from Richard’s painting all those years ago. A painting was delivered that afternoon, and it’s another terrifying painting when he cuts open the wrapping. He almost kills himself with a knife just from looking at it. Will’s son James sneaks in and looks at the painting. He starts having nightmares.
Joe brings in Richard Pickman to do an exhibit for their show, and Will is shocked at seeing him again. The whole committee goes in to look at Richard’s paintings. On the walk home that evening, Will sees monsters in the cemetery.
Richard comes over to see Will’s wife and son later. Rebecca mentions that she’s done seances in the past; they were a lot of fun. What she describes doesn’t sound like fun.
That night, both Will and James have nightmares. Will gets his pistol and goes looking for Richard in the cemetery. Will agrees to look at Richard’s new paintings for the agreement that Richard will stay away from Will’s family.
At Richard’s house, Will goes into the basement, and there’s a huge trapdoor over a well in the center. The paintings down here move. Will starts pouring paint thinner on everything. “It’s only art,” Richard insists. Will says Richard’s paintings cause madness. Will gets scared and shoots Richard. “Paint what you see; what is familiar to you,” Richard says with his dying breath.
Will sets the place on fire. Then the real monsters come out of hiding. Richard was only painting what he saw.
When Will gets to the gallery in the morning, Joe has been working all night. The walls are covered in Richard’s work. “I watched that painting burn, Joe!” Will orders Richard’s paintings to be burned— again.
Will goes home that evening to find Rebecca cooking in the kitchen. Where are Rebecca’s eyes? Where is little James? Cooking in the oven!
Commentary
The paintings are cool, and the little animated bits are neat too. Maybe not too surprisingly, Crispin Glover is very weird here as Richard; that is quite an accent he’s got here. In fact, he’s nearly unintelligible, which I thought detracted from the story.
Episode 6: Dreams in the Witch House
- Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
- Written by H. P. Lovecraft, Mika Watkins, Guillermo Del Toro
- Stars Rupert Grint, Ismael Cruz Cordova, DJ Qualls
Epperley tells her brother Walter that the ghosts are coming for her, and she doesn’t want to go. He promises to protect her, but then she dies. He soon sees her as a ghost, and then something he can’t see drags Epperley’s ghost away.
Decades later, in 1933, Walter goes to a show concerning other dimensions. Madame Levine can talk to people in other dimensions. It’s a sort of stage show of a seance. Walter chases her after the show and learns that she’s a fake.
Walter wants to prove “the other side” is real; he’s seen it but cannot prove it to anyone. Friend Frank wants to move on; he’s tired of being broke working for the spiritualist society. The man in charge says the spiritualist society may close soon, and all paid work is halted.
Walter gets a job as a bartender. Frank says Walter cares more about his dead sister than the living. Walter meets up with a Native American man who knows all about the afterlife. The man gives him a drug and warns him not to make ripples in the force.
Walter wakes up, and he can see the forest of the dead. A vine pulls him through. There is a strange forest beyond, so he looks for Epperley, whom he finds surprisingly quickly. He wakes up back in the real world.
When Walter goes to see Frank, he tells him everything. Frank is not a believer. Walter goes back inside and finds a woman painting a picture of a witch house. This forest is only for those who are too afraid to move on into the afterlife. When he gets pulled back this time, he has a ripped-off piece of Epperley’s dress in his hand. Things can come back!
Walter does some research and finds out where the witch house is located. He packs his stuff and goes there. It’s a nasty, overgrown, moldy old place infested with monkey-rats. He learns of a key to returning things from the afterlife. What is the key? That night, something nasty comes to visit him in bed. It’s the witch and the little talking monkey-rat.
The next night, he takes more of the drug and returns to the magic forest. This time, the witch watches as he goes through the doorway. Epperley warns Walter that something followed him here; something that’s causing ripples.
The witch chases after Walter and Epperley. Walter explains to his sister how he can take her back; the witch wants to come back too. Epperley goes through the portal, but the witch grabs and kisses Walter.
Walter wakes up back in the real world, and Epperley is there, but she’s still a ghost. The monkey-rat is there too, and he’s not happy. Mariana, the woman who lives in the witch’s house says, “For the dead to become living, the living must die. The witch will have you dead by sunrise.”
Mariana and Walter hide in the nearby church for sanctuary, and Walter calls Frank for assistance. The witch arrives and circles the old church. She calls for Walter. Then she breaks open the door and takes him; there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
Epperley appears to Frank, but he can’t help. She then breaks through the door and stabs the witch with her own wand. Epperley says she isn’t scared any more and is ready to move on, which she does. “I’m finally free, Walter.”
“It’s over. It’s finally over,” Walter says in relief. Mariana and Frank take care of Walter, who has passed out. Frank is thrilled that he’s actually finally seen a ghost. “You were right all along,” he tells the sleeping Walter.
Frank notices the wet spot on the ceiling and goes up into the attic to investigate. There’s a secret room with a dead body inside; that’s the witch’s remains from hundreds of years ago. There’s also a rat skeleton with a human skull. “These are their corporeal bodies,” Frank says.
Downstairs, something bad is happening to Walter. The monkey-rat breaks out of Walter’s chest, Alien-style. He lives again! Walter has died so that the dead thing can live, just like the rules stated. “She won,” Mariana says. The rat crawls back inside Walter, and Walter sits up; the creature will use him as a shell. “Home sweet home,” he rasps.
Commentary
As we were told in the beginning, the story has a happy ending, at least for someone.
The witch is a fascinating creature with excellent design. The talking monkey-rat, not so much. The sets here are really good, although the story is pretty thin.