1.04 - "HAUNTED HOUSE"
Directed by Bradley Buecker
Written by Brad Falchuk
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
Click on a title to be taken to the review for that episode.
1.01 - "
Pilot" (September 22, 2015)
1.02 - "
Hell Week" (September 22, 2015)
1.03 - "
Chainsaw" (September 29, 2015)
1.04 - "
Haunted House" (October 6, 2015)
1.05 - "
Pumpkin Patch" (October 13, 2015)
1.06 - "
Seven Minutes in Hell!" (October 20, 2015)
1.07 - "
Beware of Young Girls" (November 3, 2015)
1.08 - "
Mommie Dearest" (November 10, 2015)
How bizarre was the opening to this episode? I was so confused for a little bit but it was weirdly entertaining. Chanel-O-Ween is so out-the-box that it shows the writers of this show really do go to weird places. It was pretty ridiculous how Chanel would send Halloween decorations to her fans and she even visited one too who fell to the floor in shock. Also interesting to note that one of them said they'd do anything for her. She really does have followers that could potentially kill for her if she asked. Anyway, I had some fun watching this episode and the build-up to Halloween, as well as lots of mystery progression, so once the weird opening was out the way, I really did like what happened next.
So Zayday wants to run for President of Kappa House and she announces it to Chanel who reacts badly. It was pretty funny when Chanel was sharpening knives in her closet, it's strange to do something like that and Chanel #3 was funny in saying they were worried about her mental health. They also don't like how Zayday is planning a fundraiser so they come up with their own for a Haunted Pumpkin Patch, which will feature in the next episode. Zayday plans a Haunted House which doesn't go well. Before that though, Grace and Pete visit a woman from that night at Kappa House in 1995 dressed as Kate Hudson and Matthew McConoughy from
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Good costume idea and it was great seeing more flashbacks - Cathy made the girls bury the body of the girl who died in the bathtub before they were all forced out of the college by the Dean. "She's the devil that one" - could it be a clue? I felt so sorry for the woman when she was murdered but it was a good scene. This also leads into the story of the Hag of Shady Lane.
We are told the legend of the Hag in a very comic way by Denise and Pete. It was also hysterical how they talked over each other about the research at the library, again proving that Denise is a scene-stealer. Her scene with Zayday that revealed to us Denise once pledged Kappa but got rejected was another highlight. Zayday and Denise are a dream team and I love their scenes. Another two I love watching together are, strangely, Chad and Hester. Chad about to "rub one out" over a tombstone was morbidly funny, and Hester flirting with him was gold. I was just in awe of how delightfully creepy these two characters are. Chad takes the bait though and meets Hester at the Haunted House where they find the bodies of all the Devil's victims so far.
How bad is it that those teenagers didn't guess the bodies were real? They were taking photos of them, with them, touching them... it was so much. It's making me lose faith that the characters in this show are smart. Even characters that are supposed to be, like Wes, end up being extremely creepy and unlikable. I did love the Haunted House scenes and the escalation of chaos that led to Zayday's kidnapping. Another scene I liked was when the Chanels and Hester are in the dining hall and they begin fighting with that guy who wanted one of them to be part of his Halloween costume. Can you imagine if someone actually went as that? Anyway, they beat the two guys up really well and I loved some of the dialogue that accompanied it.
So the Hag of Shady Lane is... Gigi! I think a lot of people including myself guessed Gigi had something to do with that night. After all, she experienced a trauma in the '90s that meant she was stuck in the past, so when you put two and two together, well it made sense. Our suspicions were confirmed, but it was good how the Hag legend unravelled. The stealing diapers and the milk was a good find by Grace who really did her research and it puts us one step closer to the mystery. I thought that maybe Wes was the father of the baby, and it might not be Grace, just because he seemed so bitter about mistakes of our childhood and never being able to escape our inner child, so I thought maybe the two were connected. If Gigi took care of the baby, and it survived, then where are they? Why was she crying as the legend told. Did the baby die?
EPISODE VERDICT
It was a good episode that really furthered the mystery and I love the atmosphere we now have. I'm loving Hester as part of the Chanels and her insane relationship with Chad now. Loved the Haunted House aspect of the episode and the revelation of the dead bodies in true John Carpenter
Halloween style. The mystery is trucking along nicely which I like and I am still so very intrigued by it. The promo for the next episode looks insane so I'm hoping the episode will be better than this one. I did enjoy this episode, but I don't feel like this show has broken out yet, so I'm still waiting for that to happen.
FAVOURITE QUOTES
Denise: "Now no, I'm not a detective, hell, I ain't even a cop. But what I am is somebody who watched every one of those Cosby mysteries, okay?"
Denise: "Shontel, if you can hear me from that Best Buy parking lot in the sky, I am so sorry I pushed you out of my car and drove off real scared. But by Halloween night, I will avenge your face-stabbing girl. Okay I, Denise Hemphill, is gonna solve this crime!"
Zayday: "Let me brew you up a hot cup of telling it like it is."
Hester: "And this bitch puts out."
Hester: "And maybe... she'll let you in the back door."
Zayday: "It's for a fundraiser, trying to raise money."
Denise: "More like raise the body count... with murder."
Chanel: "And you all rallied around me... just like I would do for any of you if I wasn't busy that day."
Chanel: "I refuse to die hungry."
Chanel #5: "And Chanel Number 2, now I know for a fact she was a student."
Chanel #3: "Yeah, she was in my Art History class I think."
CHARACTER OF THE EPISODE: Hester, so weirdly great.
HUNK OF THE EPISODE: Chad, even though he screamed like a baby.
SHADIEST CHARACTER: Wes, he is such a bad teacher.
FUNNIEST LINE: "And maybe... she'll let you in the back door." - Hester
BEST MOMENT: Chad and Hester find all the dead bodies.
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Chad and Hester at the gravestones.
SHADIEST MOMENT: Gigi as the Hag of Shady Lane.
Did you guys enjoy this episode of Scream Queens? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to watch the next all-new episode on October 13th at 9.00PM on FOX!
About the Author - Gavin Hetherington
Award-winning author of the 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series. Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and reviews 2 Broke Girls, Devious Maids, The Flash, Mistresses, Pretty Little Liars, Salem, Scream Queens and Sleepy Hollow. Gavin will write previews for Devious Maids and Shadowhunters, and backs-up Empire, iZombie, Once Upon a Time, Reign, Scandal and Supergirl. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.
