The Haunting Hour: The Weeping Woman Review: ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ Meets ‘Paranormal Activity’

October 26, 2012 Patrick Hickey Jr. TV 0

R.L.Stine’s “The Haunting Hour” adds another solid episode this season with “The Weeping Woman.”

Powered by a multi-faceted story that appeals to children and adults, it’s great television that both scares and entertains.

The story blends Stine’s classic horror ideals with a family-friendly television format almost perfectly. At the same time, some of the scares are legitimate ones and will cater to those who appreciate the work of Alfred Hitchcock.

The theme of the story revolves around a family in need of their father. Away at work all the time, his family suffers emotionally. The matriarch of the family, Suzie (Enid-Raye Adams) is believable as a mother lost without her husband. Her emotions have an effect on the rest of the house and its inhabitants, smart-mouthed but sweet son Chad (Collin MacKechnie) and shy Hanna (Alissa Skovbye). The kids try to make due, but they’re obviously affected as well.

Things don’t change when Chico (Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez) has to stay over for the weekend.

Relatable as the kid thrust into a supernatural situation, Rodriguez and his young co-stars eventually get to the bottom of this “Scooby Doo” meets “Twilight Zone Tale.” The “safe” lesson at the end and happy, yet eerie ending make for signature Stine storytelling.

But don’t be fooled by the child-friendly disposition of the show. With the central theme of the house and how it feeds off of negative energy, literature buffs will feel like they’re watching D.H. Lawrence’s “Rocking Horse Winner” with a side of “Paranormal Activity.”

The emotional suspense and buildup to the climax shows the depth of Harold Hayes Jr. and Craig S. Phillips’ script. This episode will keep everyone’s attention, even if they weren’t fans of Stine growing up or, have never been introduced by his work. Kids on the other hand, may find it enough to their liking that it’ll become a part of their weekly television diet. With good acting, a solid message and fun storytelling, everyone will find something here to enjoy.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14316 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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