REVIEW: ‘Two Sentence Horror Stories,’ Episode 4 – “Hide”

Two Sentence Horror Stories, The CW’s new horror anthology inspired by the viral two sentence horror fan fiction genre, is back with it’s fourth episode, “Hide.” With each episode, the series has ventured into different horror subgenres and focused on social themes like femininity and motherhood, trauma, and most recently in episode three, abuse.

In “Hide,” we follow a nanny, Araceli,  played by Greta Quispe, as she fights to protect Gracie, the autistic child in her care during a horrifying home invasion. Directed by Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia, the episode is par for the course of home invasion horror. A house in a rich neighborhood, a woman home alone in charge of someone more vulnerable than her, and masked murders stalking the house.

For the most part, “Hide” features little dialogue, opting instead for the sound design to move the story.  Creaking doors, the sounds of stabbing, and the crinkling of paper create a heightened sense of dread as the home invaders move through the house.

The score this episode is particularly noteworthy. Jarring strings accompany the beginning of the break-in as it ebbs and flows into a mixture of piano and smooth cello with synthesized beats merging to push the story as much as the visual events.

At only 20-minutes of content, writers on this episode – Leon Hendrix III, Sehaj Sethi, and Stephanie Adams-Santos – are able to put together a full three-act structure as well as deliver a twist that while predictable still hurts to see. In addition, the team was able to write an episode with little dialogue that worked. With Spanish the primary language that is heard in the episode, none of it sounded like a bad Google translate search, something I’ve come to expect from Spanish spoken on network television.

Ultimately, the horror in this episode is delivered with a perfectly executed home invasion fit with two killers that unnerve the viewer with their bright colors and unique way of killing. In addition to the bright oversized hoodies, the women wear clear masks that distort their faces. While these masks look creepy from afar, when the camera comes in close, we’re offered a small jump when we see an eye move under the mask, revealing a piece of what’s underneath in an unexpected way. The attack and the small giggles that accompany it keep the mood tense, while the inclusion of a child and a comatose old man serve as two vulnerabilities that the viewer latches on to out of fear.

In the end, Quispe delivers a stellar performance as a woman determined to survive and save the child in her care. That said her heroism doesn’t go unpunished. Two Sentence Horror Stories once again knocks a short episode out of the park with “Hide,” serving up genre love for new and old fans of the world of home invasion horror.

Two Sentence Horror Stories airs two episodes back to back every Thursday at 9/8 CT on The CW.

Photos courtesy of Stage 13/The CW