Community: "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" Review

Thursday night's Halloween episode of Community gave us their mini version of a Simpson's Treehouse of Horror: seven little stories from all seven of the study group. The results were mixed, but the overall outcome was another entertaining half hour.

The conceit of the episode was fun, but may also have been a bit of a hindrance. After administering an anonymous personality test on herself and her friends, Britta discovered that one member of the group had homicidal tendencies. To figure out who that person might be, Britta started telling scary stories to see how each individual would react. It's a fun set up for the stories, but it's one that locks you into trying to figure out whom the homicidal maniac might be. So instead of just sitting back and enjoying the tales, you're looking for clues that aren't really there to begin with. It added an unnecessary level to the episode, bogging things down just a bit.

Because, really, the true joy of the episode came from the seven stories themselves. Each retold a common horror cliché (or went off on some other weird tangent), and gave them all the right amount of Community tweaks. My favorite came first, as Britta told her variation of the "hook hand" story. The best part was how we cut to the action, but the dialogue was still being delivered in the way Britta was telling it. The newsman on the radio talking about a man on the loose with a, "You know, whatever thingy. On his hand. You know what I mean," was priceless.

Another highlight of the episode was the second story, told by Abed. In fact, as I think about it, it's possible this was my favorite story. His horror story twist had his characters actually making logical choices, and the events in his story didn't rely on coincidence. Hearing the music over the radio, then cutting to Abed (and Troy!) humming that tune was another fantastic moment in the episode. As the stories continued, the returns diminished a bit, but there were still lots of laughs. Annie's gothic vampire tale was fine, but then made better by her grotesque description of her werewolf devouring Jeff's vampire.

From there, the stories got a bit weirder, and the "horror" aspects became less important. This is where the original conceit seemed to get in the way. Pierce's story was funny in its ridiculous way, but I couldn't help but try to figure out how any of it related to him possibly being a raving maniac. Same with Shirley's story slash sermon. If the episode could have eliminated that aspect and delivered tighter stories, this episode could have been a lot more of a classic.

But since the personality test was already a part of the story, it was nice to have that become a twist in the end. Rerunning the test to show that all but one of the group was actually insane was a nice way to end things. Better still to secretly reveal that Abed, of all people, was the one sane study group member. There were a few minor problems, but Community still delivered an enjoyable Halloween episode.

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