Channel Zero was a series that I was fortunate enough to discover upon its initial release on the SyFy channel. It's a title that I'm still not entirely sure that everyone will be aware of despite the immense positive word of mouth currently surrounding it. Although the first season came across to me as a watchable and eerie story that could have easily served better as a standalone episode of something like The X-Files, the second installment cranked things up to the next level. So, if you're someone that have exhausted yourself hunting the galaxy for a binge-worthy horror based TV series, look no further. What's especially fantastic here is that each season of Channel Zero only covers the span of 6 episodes making this an attractively easy binge, and as an anthology series in format, none of the seasons necessarily connect whatsoever.
Whether or not you should check out Season 1's slow burn pacing with creepy imagery scattered around is completely up to you. However, I highly recommend skipping straight to Season 2 for its more faster yet carefully paced out character story and altogether compelling concept. Now, there will be a few spoilers here (minor or otherwise), so I cannot emphasize enough that you should check out the season first as fresh as possible then return back here. You'll be happy that you did. Alright, assuming that you decided to watch the season or simply want to continue on reading for the sake of intrigue, let's start the list of Pros and Cons.
Positives
-A fascinating concept for a story essentially presenting a house of horrors theme but with an emotional and mind boggling twist. There is quite a bit of head scratching and eye brow raising moments to go around here, but nothing ever feels forced in for the sake of shock value. As one of the characters explains towards the end of the season surrounding the house's mentality, everything does indeed have a purpose. The same can be said about the different unique scares and freaky plot points introduced and thrown at the viewers.
-Solid characters for the audience to tag along with in this crazy roller coaster ride of suspense, mystery, and genuine terror. Unlike countless of properties within the Horror genre, Channel Zero manages to offer up an ensemble of characters worthy of getting either invested in or intrigued by considering their individually unique stories. Never feeling aggravated when following along a character or group of characters for a long period of time is a major win for me. This is something that I sadly rarely get to say after watching a horror film.
-Great visual direction and cinematography keeping the viewers in a constant state of engagement even during times of minimal action taking place. Possibly taking a page out of the critically praised horror film, It Follows, the camera work here involves a healthy dosage of slow panning shots allowing the audience to fully soak in the suspenseful atmosphere and setting. Suffice it to say, it's a very effective method especially giving the show its own unique visual flare. Also, with the risk of sounding like a broken record, Channel Zero continues its gallery of twisted and creepy imagery here stronger than ever.
-An emotional central character story that feels worthy of spotlighting throughout the many horrors being showcased. This is one of the rare examples of drama and horror perfectly intertwining to tell an intimate yet larger than life story. There's a great balance of scares, thrills, mystery, and a heavy sense of dread all surrounding a powerful human tale of loss and guilt. This season shows us how truly effective the horror genre can be at conveying different themes that we all as humans can deeply relate to while still bringing the entertainment component of a great scare.
Negatives
-While the show does pay off strongly on its central character story, there are a couple of side plots left hanging with no immense sense of closure. Now, this isn't so much a major negative but a nitpick nonetheless as I do feel that the season could have benefited from at least one more episode filling in a few spaces of story development. You're left to interpret what you can with what you're given, and although that may seem fine given the nature of the series thus far, there are a couple of characters that felt deserving of more than just fun assumptions. However, you can also take this minor negative as a positive towards how compelling those characters' stories seemed. It's a simple case of wanting more of something that felt slightly sidelined in the end.
Overall Thoughts
Channel Zero continues to be one of the best things to happen to TV within the realm of horror. If we're to continue this rise in quality for the brand (considering that Season 2 was a major step up from the first), then things are already beginning to look great for Season 3. I simply cannot wait to see what insane and twisted stories will creep their way onto our screens in the years to come.
Season Rating: 9/10
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