That's kinda scary I guess but it wasn't gory
Which TNG episodes were great as horror?
- Thread starter Gingerbread Demon
- Start date
That's kinda scary I guess but it wasn't gory
I don't find it scary. I just find it disturbing.
For me, the most terrifying episode is «Genesis». In the beginning of the episode, a crew member brutally attacked the poor conn officer. This happened on the bridge, which is not usually crowded. I can only imagine the horror on the lower decks, where crew members were either fighting each other or injured so severely that they couldn't survive. The consequences should have been devastating. I always thought Barclay would suffer the most, as he was the patient zero in a way... Or Dr. Crusher... I'm not sure. Of course, the show's tone was not horror-oriented, but they could have made it more profound and included a speech about evolution and how sentient beings should treat life, etc.
The body bags sitting up is something I am absolutely not okay with
Where Silence has Lease has already been said, but I still want to point out that, at least to me, what makes it wo frightening is the existential horror it provides.
"You exist, and then you cease to exist. Your minds call it 'death'."
"You exist, and then you cease to exist. Your minds call it 'death'."
Night Terrors was always one of my favorites. This thread prompted me to watch it again last night. It is very creepy.
Once again, I noticed a couple of things I never noticed before:
1) When the away team finds the bodies on the Brattain, they don't make any effort to avoid contamination. In fact, Riker puts his hands on one corpse's face!
2) The lighting gets darker and darker as the show progresses. This increases the dread. I guess it's due to the loss of power. Then, as soon as the explosion clears the Tyken's Rift, the lighting jumps back to its normal levels.
3) Troi was supposed to send the message "Now!" to the aliens. I don't think she did. She seemed to have a hard time re-establishing communication. But, they must have been prepared, because they used the hydrogen to complete the explosion. So, I think Troi's last dream sequence was unnecessary.
Once again, I noticed a couple of things I never noticed before:
1) When the away team finds the bodies on the Brattain, they don't make any effort to avoid contamination. In fact, Riker puts his hands on one corpse's face!
2) The lighting gets darker and darker as the show progresses. This increases the dread. I guess it's due to the loss of power. Then, as soon as the explosion clears the Tyken's Rift, the lighting jumps back to its normal levels.
3) Troi was supposed to send the message "Now!" to the aliens. I don't think she did. She seemed to have a hard time re-establishing communication. But, they must have been prepared, because they used the hydrogen to complete the explosion. So, I think Troi's last dream sequence was unnecessary.
The Borg were terrifying early on.
I watched that age 10. The morgue scene made me have nightmares for a week.
Especially for how batshit insane the plot is, and how laughably fictional the science is, "Genesis": "Worf ... ... open your mouth ... " spits venom. 
NTM, for episodic TV, the horror cues on the episode soundtrack were actually pretty great.
NTM, for episodic TV, the horror cues on the episode soundtrack were actually pretty great.
Schisms probably gets the top.award from me. It was pretty creepy throughout.
Identity Crisis really gives one the chills during the holodeck scene when they're investigating all of the shadows.
Identity Crisis really gives one the chills during the holodeck scene when they're investigating all of the shadows.
That scene did allow McFadden to be taken out if the episode early so she can focus entirely on directing.Especially for how batshit insane the plot is, and how laughably fictional the science is, "Genesis": "Worf ... ... open your mouth ... " spits venom.
She did a damn good job in "Genesis".
She did a fantastic job with the material. And she makes the horror element as engaging as it can be, despite the campiness of the script.
To be clear: I LOVE "Genesis" for its campiness. And for the music AND for the makeup. And for how much the cast chews at the scenery. Top-shelf cult classic.
I love "Genesis", as well. It's truly among the best of season 7. It also helps prove that TNG was best series in the franchise at horror.
I actually don't mind Genesis. I just want to know how many crew ate other crew while devolved?
Did they lose crew or was that all magically reset?
Did they lose crew or was that all magically reset?
Definitely one of my favorites of TNG. It has a strong case for being the best performance of Frakes on TNG. And definitely among the best Brannon Braga scripts. (People tend to only remember Braga's later work in the franchise, when he was clearly burning out. But he was on fire through much of his early TNG and and VOY days. Definitely one of the most imaginative writers in the franchise.)
No jump scares or goosebumps, but very disturbing none the less. It really drew me in as a viewer, and I remember when I first watched it that I had know idea what was real or where it was going until the end of the episode. Very well written and acted.
All good candidates. I will note that "Sub Rosa" was a kind of spooky romance. Something Gates said about it at a convention stuck with me. Specifically about Crusher running out the door barefoot, in the middle of the night. "I'd have at least put on thongs," she said.
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