Main cast: Mia Isaac (Claire Michaels), Dyllón Burnside (Malcolm), Jennifer Ferrin (Lilly Mulling), Kate Eastman (Anna Henley), and Henry Winkler (Dr Eric Nostrum)
Director: Matt Spicer
X has nothing to do with, you know, that social media platform. Instead, this is American Horror Stories taking on the evil scientist trope, but because that is quite an overdone premise, someone has the bright idea of filming this entire episode in artsy black and white.
It won’t be so bad, except that this episode has a considerable number of scenes taking place outdoor at night as well as in poorly lit hallways and rooms, so the whole black and white thing ends up not appearing as well thought out as it should have been.
Claire Michaels is a recent addition to the staff of a hospital that boasts its share of spooky and even dangerous episodes. For example, there is this strange blood-soaked woman that has her mouth permanently wide open, and she can be quite deadly with sharp implements. That woman also seems to be able to teleport, as she is good at being jump scares that disappear the moment one turns away. Maybe she’s related to those evil nuns in those Blumhouse movies.
As it happens, she soon learns that the hospital has a not-so-widely-known Springhill Program, led by Dr Eric Nostrum, that supposedly take in patients with terminal cancer for free in order to conduct some experimental treatments. Naturally, those patients that go into Ward X never come out again, at least not in a hearty and hale manner…
This episode has its share of admittedly bog-standard jump scares and fake twists and turns and what not, but come on, this is the third season of this show. I think most anyone have learned to expect neither originality nor groundbreaking stories from it by now. It’s nothing that most people haven’t seen before, right down to the ending scene.
Still, it’s well put together in an entertaining manner, so it’s more than adequate to while away the time with. The cast is fine, and the pacing is also okay. So far, this “Huluween special” has three perfectly watchable episodes back-to-back, so it is already miles better than the embarrassingly bad “Huluween special” of the previous year.
I do wonder what X is trying to tell me, though. Cruel and inhumane experimentation is necessary for the greater good of humanity, such as a cure for cancer? I’m old and cynical enough to say that, yes, I’m all for that actually. Having the goody-goody nurse that can’t mind her own business as the next volunteer for the project sounds just about right to me!
