Adam Welsh

Art the Clown and his evil puppet preyed on some of my deepest, darkest fears. The extreme realism of the torture is enough of a dose to last a lifetime. The way that the sacred bond between child and parent was broken makes most other slashers look humane. And I'm a father of three. I honestly believe that this is one of the rarest examples in cinema where evil is portrayed in the realest way imaginable, like 'Seven's' mystery box reveal at the end when he realizes it's his wife in there. Not many movies leave you looking for a word that trumps "pure evil." This one does. Thanks to the director, actors and crews for making Christmas' worst nightmare. It was impossible to suspend disbelief because you had me convinced. I'm praying the Terrifier 4 keeps the artistic touches, sound effects, dark humour and Art's perfect gesturing intact. A+++. Amazing job.

The episodes are rushed, cinematography is mostly claustrophobic, and, with the exception of Carrie-Anne Moss' believable acting, the remainder of the cast needs to watch one of the original 3 franchise films. The script is so poorly written that I actually consider this series to be a zany comedy - there are so many unintended laughs to be had that it's hard to look away. Kind of like the overzealous 5-star reviews I've read, which are clearly spun by fluff-spewing ChatGPT spammers or critics that have been bribed, or deluded into thinking that plot holes are thrilling "mysteries" yet to be revealed. The big revelation is the semi-Sith's nude body on his nudist colony, but the mystery as to why Osha has empathy for him can only be loosely related to her feeling of untrust for the Jedi. So, in a positive light, the 30 minute-long episode 6 ('Teach / Corrupt') deserves honorable mention for Smilo Ren's acting, but you can't build a monument atop a crumbling foundation in which Jedi have been portrayed as worse than Sith. Mei actually pulled off being a believable psychopath for a moment while she reset that poor droid gadget...but she once again flip-flopped her motives and chose not to kill the man responsible for her mother's murder, and instead gives him a big warm hug. There are way too many plot/character contradictions and cringe-worthy absurdities to note, such as a helmet that can deflect a light Saber but breaks when a padawan elbows it, or a semi-Sith villain who has every opportunity to execute a killing blow on the key people he is trying to kill, yet chooses to talk instead, or disappear. And why are young Mei and Osha played by two different kids, while the older twins are played by just one actress? One of the funniest moments is when the lame padawan gets sliced in the leg and knocked down, unable to get up, then skip to the next scene where he's running full tilt through a forest. Maybe funnier is when Osha puts a flashlight on the semi-Sith's back and he flails around like a deranged chimpanzee trying to get it off instead of using his telekinetic superpowers. His magneto helmet is good for a chuckle, too, which stops Sol from "reading my thoughts" like Professor X; yet Sol can't sense that bipolar Mei is pretending to be Osha. Selective telepathy, I guess. Then there's Master Sol's mysterious vanishing as his whole team is getting slaughtered, then skip to his asynchronous reappearance to save the "civilian" Osha as a light saber is chucked at her. Just call him Master Houdini. You could also play a drinking game to everytime Sol says "Osha" ...you'd be wasted after just one episode. Sol's insane reaction to Osha's mother turning into black magic mist is preposterous (I won't spoil the laugh for you). Why, Sol? Was it really necessary? So unprovoked, too. Shame on you. If Disney called this series the "Mei-trix" and it turned out the whole thing took place inside Mei's schismatic head while she rocked back and forth in a straight jacket, THAT would be believable. But even after 90% of the cast is slain including a ridiculous Jedi Master suicide, none except for Carrie-Anne Moss' character will be missed. At the end of each episode, we're all still stuck in the Meitrix. The Acolyte proved this SW knock-off can't weave lore. Therefore it must be concluded that what we are seeing is an alternate reality, or what Stephen Strange calls, "an incursion in the multiverse."