I don't understand the review's need for the episode to have a "fun" factor with the creepiness. Can't it just be scary? Nor do I see a reason why the crew had to find a solution from previous anomaly-of-the-week episodes.
Certainly
Night Terrors is one of my more under-rated episodes of TNG with some genuinely disturbing moments. The aforementioned ensign who hears movement below decks is spooky and the morgue scene is probably the most terrifying moment Trek has ever pulled off.
I think something very unique to this episode was how the aliens were communicating. We've only seen aliens just chat over subspace, but it was rare in Trek to meet aliens who were truly
alien and in this regard unaware of how just their simple attempts at communication were actually
deadly.
The episode reminds me a lot of
One, most of Voyager's most surprising episodes and another under-rated creepy thriller.