Quibi’s 50 States of Fright continues to explore America’s unique folklore that encompasses superstitions, tall tales, and urban legends. Last season, the anthology visited Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon; next up on this macabre, nationwide tour is Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, and Washington. While we’re visiting one less state this time around, Quibi maintains its goal of “taking viewers deeper into the horrors that lurk just beneath the surface of our country.”
First on the season’s itinerary is Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Almost There,” a harrowing story about Iowa’s own Banwell Bridge also known as the “Terror Bridge.” It starts with an Amish mother suspending both herself and her children from the aforesaid bridge so they can all be killed by an oncoming train. One of the kids who manages to escape a grisly death is then forced to confront her past years later on a dark and stormy night. All grown up, Hannah (Taissa Farmiga) is now the only available engineer when a power emergency comes up; a wind turbine has malfunctioned and it’s up to her and Blake (Ron Livingston) from the power company to fix it. With no other choice, Hannah climbs the inside of the soaring tower so she can reset the system and prevent an even bigger problem. There’s one catch, though — Hannah has a fear of heights. With every step she takes, Hannah can feel something unearthly right behind her, just waiting for her to fall.
The season is off to a good start with this spooky account of Fort Dodge’s infamous Terror Bridge. Beck and Woods, who are best known for writing A Quiet Place, do a fine job of visualizing Hannah’s aversion to heights and making the audience understand her every moment of hesitation. There are sequences here that are bound to make palms sweat. The empathy the pair evokes for Hannah, who we really don’t know much about other than her traumatic childhood, is commendable given the short duration of these episodes.
Death plays a significant role in Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) and Sarah Conradt’s entry for Washington, “13 Steps to Hell.” Another regional myth is enmeshed in a shared familial tragedy; in the wake of their mother’s death, three young siblings go to bury the youngest brother’s dead pet in Bothell’s Maltby Cemetery. Rory Culkin guides us through the story and explains in detail what happened on this fateful day.
Mallory (Lulu Wilson, The Haunting of Hill House) and Liam (Graham Verchere, Summer of 84) escort their younger sibling Aiden (Kesler Talbot) to the above-mentioned cemetery despite initial reservations. Their mother’s passing especially affected Mallory, whose anxiety over death is near pathological. Once they reach their destination, Aiden’s cherished stuffed toy ends up in an underground crypt and it’s up to Mallory to retrieve it. A strange old man (Christopher Heyerdahl) suddenly appears and urges the children to leave, but upon learning the sister is already on her way down the steps to the crypt, he goes in to retrieve her. His panic is due to a legend stating anyone who reaches the thirteenth step of the stairs will see an all-consuming vision of hell.
Cronin and Conradt convey palpable dread with “13 Steps to Hell” while also contextualizing all the grief that comes with experiencing the death of a loved one, especially at such a young and vulnerable age. The stunning technical aspects, including gobs of ghastly ambiance and terrifying interpretations of the fear of the unknown, are the highlights in this disquieting tale.
There is wicked amusement to be had in Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei’s “Red Rum,” a story regarding the supernatural legacy of Colorado’s Stanley Hotel. A trio of young influencers — Kyle (Colin Ford, Under the Dome), Logan (Victoria Justice, Eye Candy), and Simon (Jacob Batalon, Blood Fest) — visit the site of inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining in hopes of generating some clicks and cheap scares. Yet when they defy their tour guide’s (Christina Ricci, Sleepy Hollow) rule about filming, the violators are unduly punished by the site’s spectral residents.
The minds behind Cam celebrate the iconic Estes Park hotel and call attention to its notable paranormal activity. Compared to their debut feature, though, “Red Rum” is conventional in almost every aspect. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because this one breaks up the overall solemn mood so far in the season by acting very much like your standard supernatural slasher. So while this isn’t a deep dive into the Stanley’s haunted history, it’s still a good deal of impish fun.
Making her television debut as both a director and writer, art consultant and storyboard artist Cate Devaney (Sinister, The Purge) closes the season with the Missouri-set “Dogwood-Azalea.” Seven-year-old Azalea (Erica Tremblay, The Bye Bye Man) is sad about moving again because of her parents’ job of flipping houses; she desperately wants to make a lasting friendship. Right next to their new place in Arcadia is a cemetery where the previous homeowner’s daughter, who died of lead poisoning at a young age, is buried. Upon moving in, the family then experiences a series of unfortunate events that can only be explained by local ghost lore.
“Dogwood-Azalea,” whose real-life basis is vague, is a crafty closing story. Initially, everything seems routine and fangless, and you’re already sure how this one is going to end. The ultimate outcome isn’t all that hard to predict, but the journey getting there is what really matters. Easily the most pleasurably jarring scene in the entire season can be found here.
Enthusiasts of both short-form and “get in, get out” horror will eat these four stories up. Like always, they’re well shot, filled with recognizable and talented actors, and there’s a healthy balance of artfulness and pure entertainment. The inconsistent and oftentimes meager runtimes continue to be a hindrance, but as far as new horror anthology series go, 50 States of Fright is still one of the better ones to come out in recent years.
