5/5 Too good for TV
  by Larry Sanders (small town missouri)
The Fear Itself series which did run on Network Tv has got to be the most consistently Spooky TV series ever. There are a couple of episodes in the series such as the Circle and Eater which are exceptional but the story Skin and Bones is the single scariest TV show I have ever seen. Smart with great photography, very unsettling. Like any series there are some stories not as good as the others, but all in all the scariest TV series I have ever seen.

2/5 Excellent series but beware of packaging
  by Donald J. Wurzelbacher (Cincinnati, OH)
"Fear Itself" aired on NBC for a short time and did not finish its 13 episode run but it is very well written and I was sorry not to have seen every episode yet. But it does make it fun to watch the DVD set now. The main thing I want to let everyone know is to beware of the packaging it comes in. First of all these are four double-sided disks. I never liked double disks because they scratch very easily, it's difficult to tell which side you're on, and it's easy to put finger prints on them. Also, they are more likely to have problems playing on a DVD player. Simply put, they are very cheap. Secondly is that they packaged in such a way that the double sided disks actually are placed on top of each other with nothing at all protecting them. That is extremely irresponsible of the manufacturer and shows how little they care for their customers. Upon receiving my set I immediately rectified the problem myself, hoping that it's not too late already considering that they could already be scratched. I put each of the four disks in their own slimline DVD case and then got on the computer and made my own DVD label for the series. Then I put the four cases in the bottom cardboard part of the original set because they fit perfectly inside of it. I strongly recommend that everyone do the same. I think you may be sorry if you don't. Although I enjoy the series, I am giving it only 2 stars because the packaging is horrendous and inexcusable. I've never yet seen packaging this bad and I've bought many DVD sets in my time.
As for the show itself, it's actually season 3 of "Masters of Horror" just moved from SHOWTIME to NBC so the stories had to be shortened for commerecials and the nudity was taken out and the blood and gore was lessened. But that's fine with me. Horror does not mean lots of splattered blood. Horror should give you some chills, give you an unexpected shock. That's what some of these stories do. If you enjoy horror I think you should try this out.

5/5 FEAR IT'SELF AKA MASTERS OF HORROR 3
  by fmwaalex (Austin, TX USA)
FEAR IT'SELF

This is the now gone and cancelled series that once was called "The Masters of Horror" on Showtime, they cancelled and on to NBC I believe it was we were treated to this. You could call it MOH season 3 or by its actual title "Fear It'Self" but what ever you call it once more it is great. Creator Mick Garris continued what he was doing with the original show by having well known directors and writers do the episodes, I wish it would have been renewed. To me there is no better way to tell a story as far as TV is concerned then in the anthology format. It seems more fun to have a completely different story every week, really is there any type of show that is better?

The DVD release is kind of a mixed bag since the DVD placement is weird; it is one of those flip side style releases with episodes on each side. The thing is all four of the discs are put on top of each other with nothing in between, two on the right side of the case and two on the left so the packaging could use some work. Also another kinda weird thing is that the episodes are not put in the order they appeared on TV, but that is not really a big deal since you get every episode including those that were not aired. There is a little something here for everyone from the non stop bloody to the more ghostly like tales, I am pleased with all although some more than others.

Episodes

EATER-this is a personal favorite of mine about a cannibalistic serial killer who is finally appended by the police. Thing is he as the ability to become who ever he eats if he eats their heart before it stops beating. This one is full of suspense and blood and is very very entertaining. Directed by Stuart Gordon and written by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech this tale revolving around the eater and a rookie cop named Danny Bannerman. She has her work cut out for her on this night.

THE SACRIFICE-written by creator Mick Garris this is another insanely fun one filled with great atmosphere and some kind of creature, perhaps of the vampiric kind maybe a monster or even demon. This story follows a group of friends who are forced to hold up inside an old fort of some kind after an accident leaves one of their friends unable to walk. At this fort which apparently is the home of three beautiful young women who are sisters they have the worst night of their lives. This episode is directed by Breck Eisner.

COMMUNITY-once again we are blessed with another great episode although this one reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode for some reason. But this one follows a young married couple who move into the perfect neighborhood. The thing is they actually do move into the perfect neighborhood and the people who live there will do anything to keep it that way. Starring Brandon Routh, directed by Mary Harron and written by Kelly Kennemer this is another fun one with a great ending.

IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH-directed by the great John Landis and starring two stars form one of my favorite shows ever "Psych" James Roday and Maggie Lawson, this one is a weird and crazy one. This one is about a couple who are about to get married when the bride to be receives a letter from a stranger that reads "the person you are marrying is a serial killer". Well what is a girl to do in this situation, watch and find out?

SPOOKED-this one is about a cop who once did some very bad things to some bad people and because of that lost his job. Now days he is a private eye who not only does his job but also turns on the client to make some extra money. Now he is hired by a woman who suspects some bad things about her husband, but during the stake out across the street from her house something strange is going to happen to him. This ghost story is written by Matt Venne, directed by Brad Anderson, and stars Eric Roberts.

THE FAMILY MAN-is possibly my favorite of all of the episodes because of the story and ending to it. This story directed by Ronny Yu and written by Dan Knauf is about a great family man who loves his wife and kids, and has a great job. But after a near fatal car accident with a killer he wakes up but not as him self. Turns out they have traded bodies and now they family man is going to prison for crimes he did not do. As for the killer he is taking over as the family man and living that life, with the guy's wife and every thing. Starring Colin Ferguson and Clifton Collins Jr. in possibly the best story on here.

NEW YEARS DAY-this crazy tale told by director Darren Lynn Bousman and writer Steve Niles is all about a girl that wakes up to a world over run by zombies and she has a hard time piecing every thing together. This is another one that has a wonderful ending and has a nice dark feel to it.

SKIN & BONES-this is another one that is up as a contender for best episode as writers Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan and director Larry Fessenden bring forth this tale of a Wendigo. For those who don't know it is a legendary creature most popular amongst Native Americans that lives in the harshest and coldest of places. In this story a man has been missing from his ranch for days when he finally reappears, but is he the same man that left or is he something a whole lot more sinister.

SOMETHING WITH BITE-written by John Landis's son Max and directed by Ernest Dickerson this one is about a pet vet who is bitten by something resembling a werewolf. As time goes on he stars to change and mostly for the better, or has he. This is a fun tale in the werewolf genre.

THE SPIRIT BOX-directed by Rob Schmidt and written by Joe Gangemi this ghostly tale is about two friends who try to contact the spirit world and stumble upon a message from an old classmate who died. This girl who committed suicide or so they thought is leading them to the person who may have killed her.

CHANCE- directed by John Dahl and written by Lem Dobbs & Rick Dahl this one is all about two that are one, if that makes any sense. What would happen if you meet the darker side of your self, this episode may just answer that for you. Another good episode that is worthy of this great collection.

ECHOES-is a wonderful episode about a young man that moves into a new place only to start having dreams about a man who once lived there. This man though was the opposite of our lead as he apparently was a murderer and his girl may have been one of the victims. As time goes on he starts to think he has more in common with this guy then first thought, and his girl may be in trouble. Directed by Rupert Wainwright and written by Sean Hood this is another like I said before fun one.

THE CIRCLE-this cool little tale is directed by Eduardo Rodriguez and written by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech is about the roles changing from fiction to fact real fast on a group of friends. The synopsis says it best, "A group of people meet every Halloween to tell horror stories and suddenly discover they're living one." Another good episode that all should enjoy.

Each episode comes with a behind the scenes feature or making of type deal and is great for all fans of the show. There is not any episode I dislike and in fact I enjoyed all of them but like I said some more than others. For those of you who love horror like I do I highly recommend this, and to those who may not really like horror this may get you into it. This is a wonderful set and I am a proud owner of it, buy it now if you have not already.


4/5 Love the Series Hate the Packaging
  by bacta70517 (Breaux Bridge, LA USA)
I love this series it is great. I haven't seen every episode, just the ones that aired in the US before it was taken off the air. I wish they wouldn't have cancelled it. It was a really scary and creepy series. I love the theme song. The only complaint I have is with the packaging of the DVD. Its cheap! I don't have a problem with the shape of it, but they put the discs directly on top of one another and that is a big no no for me. It creates the potential for having lots of scratches and messed up discs. I hate the packaging but love the series.

5/5 Some might call this "MASTERS OF HORROR Season Three"
  by Saint Thomas (Kent, Ohio)
Yeah! You remember MASTERS OF HORROR right!?! Don't 'ya!?! It was a Horror show that ran on Showtime for about two seasons before is was cancelled. Sometimes it seems like every Horror show gets cancelled before it can really build any steam. I guess audience members these days want reality shows, not psycho killers and monsters.

Eventually series creator Mick Garris decided to shift the series to the TV network NBC and renamed it "Fear Itself." Thank goodness too because it's a little different. Naturally, some changes were made to the series that couldn't have carried over from the late night adult themed MASTERS OF HORROR show. The first and most obvious one was the lack of gore. Some of the episodes do actually push the envelope in terms of blood shed. People are stabbed, chopped and hacked like any other Horror movie, they just don't show the action shot like you would in an unrated film.

Some of my favorite episodes are "The Sacrifice", "Eater", "Skin & Bones" and "New Year's Day." All of which are really creepy, bloody and well done for regular television. Some of the other episodes like "Community", "Spooked" and "Family Man" are all equally weird, if not a little off base compared to my first four choices. Then there are the real duds, like the strangely off the mark episode directed by John Landis "In Sickness And In Health." The episode "Something With Bite" starts off really horrible (in a bad way) and actually ends up with an interesting twist by the finish.

Over all this was a pretty good Horror series. It's not better than MASTERS OF HORROR but then again, it isn't the samething. This is FEAR ITSELF and nothing more. It's a little more risky with the blood and gore than your usual television show. Some of the episodes are amazing, others are just down right awful. Thats what happens with any anthology series. You gotta' take the bad with the good.