The fourth and lamentably final season of Syfy's excellent horror anthology is still the highest quality television horror in decades, though slight comedown after the high bars of seasons past. Where other seasons presented a surreal ambiguity to events, Dream Door answers its mysteries rather prosaically. By episode four, the story boils down to creepy superpowers, complete with an extended training montage. Admittedly, there are fascinating layers to how the powers work, as the manifestations are embodiments of the character’s drives wrapped in the shell of their demons. However, there's a cartoonish quality to later conflict scenes, in which copious milky blood substitutes fail to evoke much of a visceral reaction. Horrific elements end up feeling sanitized and somewhat neutered. These complaints are offset by an unnerving performance from Twisty Tony, playing the rubber-limbed acrobat/mime Pretzel Jack: a fever dream vision of a homicidal cirque du soleil performance. This performance is alone worth the price of admission with the remainder of the cast also excellent and thoroughly committed. What makes Dream Door, and the whole of Channel Zero, excellent is the level of rich and nuanced writing. Under the horrific visions and grotesque monstrosities lie strong metaphors for mental illness and trauma the damage wreaked upon lives. The levels of deep characterization and strong writing cement why Channel Zero consistently delivered and will be thoroughly missed, however maybe now creator Nic Antosca can deliver projects unfettered from the limitations of television standards.
Channel Zero - The Dream Door