Cradle of Fear (Video 2001)

Cradle of Fear: Directed by Alex Chandon. With Dani Filth, Emily Booth, Stuart Laing, Edmund Dehn. A gruesome homage to the cult Amicus anthology Asylum, Cradle of Fear unfolds four screamplays all linked by the unspeakable need of an incarcerated child killer to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his imprisonment. Helped by deranged angel Dani Filth, who leaves a trail of charnel house death in his crimson wake, the cannibal convict forces two Goth vamps to endure a one night stand from hell, two tough female robbers to see through each other, an obscenely rich coke-head to chop up more than a few lines and an internet surfer to descend into madness when he uncovers the ultimate web depravity.

“Unlike many reviewers on here, I have waited until the end of the first season to actually review this series as a whole. I want to start off with the Pilot. When I first saw it, I had a lot of problems with it. It was messy, and some of the characters were dumb, and some of the acting was corny. However, after the Pilot ended, I realized just how intrigued I was by it. It sure was a messy Pilot, but thatu0026#39;s the beauty of it. It was always moving, it wasnu0026#39;t your typical slow-paced suspense show. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn fact, that pretty much sums up the whole season. This is a crackling, fast-paced and entertaining horror series. I would never call this high- art, but thatu0026#39;s what makes it great. The show doesnu0026#39;t take itself seriously at all, and it always remains fun, even when itu0026#39;s silly, and yet you get really invested in the story lines and characters. Sure, the performances are flawed at times, and the writing and directing awkward, but the fast pace in every episode doesnu0026#39;t ever let the viewer gasp for air. This is the true definition of a thrill ride. It also feels very experimental. It executes a lot of things in very unordinary ways, in ways that no other TV show does. It doesnu0026#39;t always succeed, but even when it doesnu0026#39;t, you can appreciate it. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYour friends might call The Walking Dead the better horror show, but I disagree. As far as Pilots go, no matter how entertaining or thrilling American Horror Storyu0026#39;s Pilot was, the Pilot for The Walking Dead was better, masterful in every way. Since then, itu0026#39;s merely a good, sometimes great, TV show. It takes itself more seriously and is slower-paced, but itu0026#39;s problem is that a lot of times the writing just feels stale, recycled. You are intrigued by it, but it sometimes feels weaker than it should be. And the fact that it takes itself too seriously sort of dampens the fun one should be having with it, simply because its writing isnu0026#39;t strong enough to stretch out its story lines (like the two best TV shows on air, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, do). American Horror Story is better for these reasons- each episode by itself is exciting, itu0026#39;s always moving, and instead of trying to slow things down and makes its flaws more apparent, it even overdoes things on purpose. Messy, sure, silly, sometimes, but overall more intriguing, funner, and more exciting. I cannot wait for the second season of this, since I thought the resolution to the story of the first season was excellent, as well as the final shot. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eP.S. Oh, I also want to add another note to take. The performances do hit their great marks, but the only truly incredible performance is Jessica Lange. Her character and performance makes all other supporting turns in television look stale by comparison, and all of her scenes are truly gold! She needs to win that Emmy next year! I want to see her back!”