The Horror Show

 


The Horror Show (1989)

The Plot: A death row inmate is executed in an electric chair but it releases his spirit which haunts the detective who put him away. 

The Horror Show is basically Nightmare on Elm Street with Brion James playing the Robert Englund role. He is a cop killer who in order to cheat death and somehow get his spirit to another dimension actually built a home made electric chair for himself in order to build up immunity to the electric charge. Just sheer brilliance from Brion James here. Got to love his bold thinking and planning, 
He is really getting a charge over this

His original thinking doesn't stop there or with death even. He finds unique ways to haunt lance Henrikson and family. One particularly inventive way was to warp himself into the Thanksgiving turkey. You really haven't lived until you have seen a cooked turkey with Brion James' face on it. I will think of this scene fondly come Thanksgiving. 

Nothing to see here. Just a cooked turkey with a man's face


The rules of this universe are confusing to me. A helpful scientist arrives on the scene to espouse his theory that if electricity could put the evil spirit in the other haunting dimension then certainly more electricity will bring him back to the realm of the living, or something. Lance is being haunted from beyond the grave so I guess this theory is as good as any. And to my surprise that is exactly what Lance does saving his family. 
Somebody get her some pepto bismol!

The Horror Show should really be better than it is. It does feature two great character actors playing what they do best. Brion James as a crazed psycho, and Lance Henrikson as a cop. It just doesn't pull it together enough however. I give The Horror Show 4 carved turkey with Brion James' face.



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