3 out of 5

Director: Ernest R. Dickerson

I dont know if its just that Ive lowered my expectations for this series, but The V Word was good! Anyone who got hyped for Masters Of Horror has probably faced a similar disappointment: great concept, generally eye-rolling execution, even from the… uh, masters of the genre. Mostly it seems that the directors reach just slightly exceeds the grasp of the show. But V-Word hit it pretty directly, maybe by keeping it focused to a couple characters, maybe by saving the budget for some good gore, I dont know. But it worked. Two friends bond over some similar family issues, and one disgruntled night they decide to visit another friend – who works in a mortuary – with the intent of seeing a dead person. They do see a dead person, but that person also walks around and drinks blood… Get what the V-Word is? Pacing was really key here. You know where its going, but director Dickerson (who, in my opinion has put out some entertaining horror nonsense) does a really effective job of building and building and building to the moment without using any jump scares or music cues. And by keeping the costuming earthy, theyre able to save the money for some really impressive gore effects. Equally surprising was the continuation of the story… I think most episodes wouldve turned into an extended chase sequence, but Mick Garris plot extrapolates the scenario inventively and realistically. Dickersons representation of the main characters affection is also interesting. Why only three stars? Because its not mind blowing, just fun. But if every episode couldve been this fun, it wouldve been a great series.