Terror Tuesday: Extreme combines the experience of call-in radio shows with Thailand’s unique brand of modern horror. This new, eight-episode anthology series is inspired by the popular EFM radio program, Terror Tuesday, where listeners share their own frightening (and supposedly true) tales. Viewers will be lured in by the “based on real events” angle, but the creative — and not to mention brutal — interpretations of the truth is what ultimately makes this series worth watching.
Traditional anthologies struggle to stay relevant and on the air these days; the term “anthology” now often refers to series like American Horror Story and Slasher rather than anything in the vein of The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt. Thankfully for fans of self-contained horrors, Terror Tuesday: Extreme is more in step with those classic TV shows. In fact, the only thing linking these standalone stories is the titular radio program. And even that now-fictionalized element is underplayed until the final episode.
Things are off to an adequate start with Prueksa Amaruji‘s “Our Little Sister” and Surapong Ploensang‘s “Wedding Dress.” The former is a familiar rehash of family tragedy, grief and creepy coping mechanisms; after losing her sister in a car accident, one she feels responsible for, a teenager struggles to look after herself and her inconsolable mother. Making the depressing situation even worse is the mother’s reliance on a doll, which may or may not house the dead daughter’s soul. This so-so opener refreshingly subverts one trope in the end, only to then whip out another. The possession and cursed-object follow-up “Wedding Dress” plays out like a grislier version of Cornell Woolrich’s story “I’m Dangerous Tonight”. While neither of these first two episodes are very watchable, they tend to keep going and explain too much. Leaving some sense of mystery could have made a positive difference.
The severe tone of Terror Tuesday: Extreme has been established, and Chayan Laoyodtrakool’s “Ode to My Family” keeps that intensity going. Here a dysfunctional family of four moves into a haunted house with its own mysterious room. One that is locked for good reason. Of course, opening said room unleashes hell for the new occupants. This sounds quite like The Amityville Horror, but Laoyodtrakool’s take on the standard family haunter is both bleak and vicious. Abhichoke Chandrasen’s contribution “The Vow“ is a slight change of pace without giving up the gruesomeness seen in past entries. The cracks in a couple’s relationship are exposed and magnified after they cross a vengeful goddess. And the solution to the characters’ dilemma — being completely honest with each other, even if it kills them — invites a surprising romantic quality not seen so far in the series.
Chookiat Sukweerakul delivers the wild and nasty “Spectral Class.” A teacher hoping to impress her bosses by getting an AWOL student back in school results in a horrifying meeting with the boy’s father and grandmother. There is no predicting where this darkly humorous story will go, and it ends on a perfect note. The series then hits a small but surmountable bump with “Girl Next Door.” Prin Keeratiruttanaluk’s unfocused offering about an addict entangled in a supernatural mystery is more sad than hair-raising.
Eakkasit Thairat resumes the violent fun with “Dear Granny,” a somber story that eventually takes a sinister turn. A mother and her daughter are relieved when the family’s missing grandmother returns, but something is off about her. Soon this episode transforms into a sick reformulation of “Little Red Riding Hood.” And lastly, Alisa Pien’s “Viral Curse” channels the maternal horrors of Hideo Nakata’s Dark Water. As mentioned before, the Terror Tuesday radio show plays a more noticeable role in this episode; a struggling single mother of a six-year-old has her own dreadful story to share after listening to the program.
Not every story is as strong as the next, but the highs outweigh the lows. And this series doesn’t use the word “extreme” lightly; it can be delightfully mean at times. So when looking for episodic horror with some extra bite, considering tuning in to Terror Tuesday: Extreme.
Terror Tuesday: Extreme is now streaming in full on Netflix.
Pictured: Terror Tuesday: Extreme episode “Our Little Sister”