Welcome to Candle Cove.

Channel Zero is the hottest new show on Syfy, and quickly became one of the best shows I’ve watched in years. Each season will focus on a different tale of horror, and the first was Candle Cove. If you are at all familiar with Creepypasta, then you know Candle Cove. It is one of my favorites I have read, and it sent chills down my spine back when I originally read it. The premise is set around adults posting on the internet to reminisce about a pirate-themed marionette show they watched as children.

The Creepypasta reads like a forum post, and as the conversation goes on it turns from nostalgia to terror. One user notes how they remember having a recurring nightmare about the show, where the marionette characters would simply scream. Another jumps in to claim that that was actually an episode that they had seen on TV. One by one they begin to remember just how horrifying this show was, especially since it was geared towards children. The final message is terrifying:

“mike_painter65
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid’s show?
i visited my mom today at the nursing home. i asked her about when i was little in the early 70s, when i was 8 or 9 and if she remembered a kid’s show, candle cove. she said she was surprised i could remember that and i asked why, and she said “because i used to think it was so strange that you said ‘i’m gonna go watch candle cove now mom’ and then you would tune the tv to static and juts watch dead air for 30 minutes. you had a big imagination with your little pirate show.”

Candle Cove was the perfect place for Channel Zero to start with for their premiere storyline. While I didn’t think the series was perfect, overall I did love how it turned out. When I first heard about it being turned into a television show, I was hesitant to say the least. How can such a short Creepypasta be stretched into a series? Well, one thing Syfy did right was that they didn’t stretch it out too much. They kept the season to just six episodes, which I think was perfect for the story they told.

They masterfully gave Candle Cove life, and brought Mike Painter (played perfectly by Paul Schneider) to life as our protagonist. The series opens with Mike returning to Iron Hill, his childhood hometown, and surprising his mother with a visit. He has been having a rough time as of late, and has dealt with a mental breakdown. But this visit to his mother (who he has not seen in some time) is not simply to catch up. Mike has returned home because Candle Cove has been calling to him.

In 1988, 28 years ago, Mike, his twin brother Eddie, and a few other children were transfixed by Candle Cove. They would stare at this unnerving show, but all their parents could see was snow on the television. It was all imaginary… or was it? Who created this show? What caused them all to see the same thing if it was indeed made up in their own minds? A few children went missing, including Eddie. They were found dead, high up in a tree, with their teeth gone. Eddie, however, was never found. This has clearly haunted Mike and his mother, Marla (Fiona Shaw) for a long time, and their relationship has been strained ever since she sent him to live with relatives following Eddie’s disappearance and presumed death.

One of Mike’s first stops is to meet with the local Sheriff, and old friend, Gary. Mike, who is now a child psychiatrist, asks for access to the old case files to help aid him in researching for a book he wants to write on the murders. Gary suggests that Mike come over for dinner that night with some friends and his wife, Jessica, another childhood friend. Mike agrees, and this leads into one of my favorite scenes in the whole series. Not because it is scary (it’s not) but because it plays out much like the Creepypasta conversation does, including the assumption that some of the memories were dreams, while another jumps in to claim that they had seen that too, and it wasn’t a dream.

Mike’s desire to learn more about Candle Cove intensifies when he realizes that Gary and Jessica’s children are now seeing the show too. It is unclear what has caused this show to appear again after almost 30 years, but it certainly seems that Mike’s return has sparked something, and the accusations begin to fly at him. Has he somehow brought this terror back to the quaint Iron Hill community? Or is he simply a victim, trying to face down his demons once and for all? Things become more grave for Mike when he learns that his own daughter, Lily, is now seeing the show as well, and she is not even in town. This is far more reaching than anyone realized, but it is now clear that Mike has to come clean. He confesses something horrific to Marla, which sets them all on a course through murder, terror, and facing their very worst fears. As the children of Iron Hill begin to act more strange, Mike and the others race against time to figure out just what is happening, and how to stop it before it is too late.

There were a few scenes in this season that were a bit cheesy in delivery, but overall, the vast majority of the show had me mesmerized, and on the edge of my seat. There were countless chilling moments, and I think that above all, everyone can agree that marionettes are terrifying in the best circumstances. I wish we had gotten to see more of that, but when we did get to see Candle Cove in action, I was as transfixed as the children were. I had a chill down my spine, but I couldn’t look away. The single most disturbing part of the whole season was the Tooth Monster, or the Tooth Child as some call it. It is childlike in stature, but this thing is made ENTIRELY.OF.TEETH. You have no doubt seen stills of this thing, but nothing compares to hearing it walk. It rivaled the chills I got when I first saw images hitting the internet mentioning trypophobia… don’t google that. Just don’t.

It was not surprising to see Don Mancini’s name pop up as supervising producer. This man has some serious horror cred, being the writer for every single Child’s Play/Chucky movie up to and including Chucky 7, which is in pre-production as of writing this article. Mancini also directed Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and will take the helm for the upcoming one as well. I have a short list of horror masters that I trust, and Don Mancini is one of them. He also wrote two of Candle Cove’s episodes, and I’m so glad they got such a powerhouse to help with this show.

As for where Channel Zero is going next, I am happy to tell you that season 2 will focus on another Creepypasta, No-End House. As soon as I found out, I sat down to read this story, and I now have no doubt it will make for a fantastic follow-up. No-End house is based on the tale of a house with multiple rooms, each more terrifying than the next. It is said that no one ever escapes No-End House’s grasp, but that there is a monetary reward for anyone that does. John Carroll Lynch and Amy Forsyth will star in this new season. Don Mancini has confirmed that production for season 2 has wrapped, and that it will air sometime in 2017. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer here. I, for one, cannot wait.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess