After its’ fourth season, the beloved and underrated show titled Channel Zero, has ended. The show was being aired on the SyFy channel, and came about in 2016 and premiered on October 11th. The show, takes place in a different story each time, as they are based off of “creepypastas” found online. The creator, Nick Antosca, read horrifying but entertaining and thrilling stories found online, and based his creations off of them. Every time, there is a different story, but one thing remains consistent, “is monsters. Candle Cove had the Tooth Child, No-End House Butcher’s Block had the Meat Servant and other strange creatures, and The Dream Door had Pretzel Jack, a murderous contortionist clown. One thing that viewers should certainly expect from Channel Zero season 5 is the introduction of another terrifying monster” (Raymond, “What to Expect from Channel Zero Season 5”). Due to the lack of popularity, the show is no longer continuing. Nick Antosca left a tweet on social media, announcing that the show was no longer continuing and that he loved working with the people involved in every season (Pena, “Channel Zero: Cancelled by Syfy; No Season Five for Horror Series”). In an interview, he discusses his method of creation, “When I go into the writers’ room, I usually have the characters, the world, the scenario, roughly what the take on the creepypasta is. Then, together as a room, we often figure out where it goes” (Greene, Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block: Inside the Making of an Experimental and Insane Season Finale).
The first season was called Candle Cove and that was about a creepy puppet show that no one remembers as adults, but they watched as a child. Characters known as the Tooth Child and Jawbone. The creepy pirate show was about pirates. These children who watched the show, would think they are actually watching, but anyone else who looked over at the television had only seen static. The main character, Mike, is the person who deals with all of these things and hallucinates things all of the time. With child abductions, hallucinations of weird monsters, and a sense of mystery, the first season was an absolute hit (“Channel Zero: Candle Cove Photos.”). It received an 86% on rotten tomatoes and everyone who did watch it had mentioned their enjoyment in the first season. However, the show was unpopular because it did not become a known television show.
In the second season, No End House, characters Margot Sleator and Jules were reliving Margot’s disturbed past involving her father passing away. The pair, with a friend, go into a haunted house, which normally, the scares end once you leave the house. However, with this house, there is no end, as suggested in the title. She has to live in her own personal torment. When Margot tends to think she has escaped, it is only another room in the haunted house.
Butcher’s Block is Channel Zero’s third season. The season is about two sisters who move from their mothers’ house after a tragedy. In an interview with IndieWire, Nick Antosca discusses the shows’ most impressive effect yet, which was an explosion in the end of a monster. In discussing his methods, Nick states, “You’ll find these creepypastas that grab images from Olivier de Sagazan, the performance artist we hired to play the Skin-Taker in Season 1 and they’ll just repurpose them and build a creepypasta around them. We felt that remixing of experimental art was in keeping with what creepypasta is and what it does” (Greene, Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block: Inside the Making of an Experimental and Insane Season Finale). The season has to do with the two sisters, Alice and Zoe, falling into the local legend of the new town, and that is about the Peach family. The Peach family had run a food company, specifically meat. People who were haunted by Mister Peach, normally turn to methods of cannibalism. With insane characters, a creative world, and a brain twisting, nerve-wracking story, the show had a very popular season for season three.
Season four, my own personal favorite, titled The Dream Door, Nick and his cast really took it to the next level. The most horrifying, yet loveable, character appeared in this season. His name is Pretzel Jack, and he essentially becomes the protagonist, Jillian’s, protector. Pretzel Jack can move in horrifying and mind twisting ways, as his actor is actually a contortionist. Jillian just moved into her husband, Tom’s, childhood home with him. As soon as they move in, weird things begin to occur in their household, which causes issues between them. Whenever someone makes Jillian angry or upset, Pretzel Jack comes in to try and eliminate them, and he normally succeeds, that is, unless Jillian intervenes. He is later found out to be a creation from Jillian’s mind, a childhood imaginary friend and protector of sorts. Her long lost brother was also shown in the episodes, as he had the same ability in which he could create fictitious beings, such as characters known as Tall Boy and the crayon children. Her brother, Ian, participates as the antagonist to Jill, even though he seems to be her upcoming best friend, and it takes the story for a deep plot twist that keeps the audience captivated.
In all, the show was immensely horrifying and was receiving a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.2/10 on IMDb. SyFy’s show was spectacular. The show took people by surprise, as people have so many thoughts about the seasons and that it is thought to be “the scariest horror show you’re not watching,” (Collins, Channel Zero Is the Scariest Horror Show You’re Not Watching). The urban legends and creepypasta stories involved are so enticing, that the viewer simply just must watch. Concluding these thoughts, Channel Zero is an underrated show and should be looked into more. Possibly, if people did, there would be more than 4 seasons.