Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Two Sentence Horror Stories,’ Episode 7 – “Only Child”

REVIEW: ‘Two Sentence Horror Stories,’ Episode 7 – “Only Child”

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez09/06/20193 Mins ReadUpdated:03/28/2024
Two Sentence Horror Stories - Only Child - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

I’ve said it before in other reviews and I’ll say it again: Two Sentence Horror Stories is the most diverse showcase of horror that I have ever seen on TV. Having used traditions to influence other episodes of the series, specifically “Legacy,” The CW anthology series based on the genre of the same name is back to using cultural identity to tell its story in episode seven, “Only Child.”

Directed by Nikyatu, a Sierra Leonean-American independent filmmaker who is rising the ranks of horror directors after her Sundance Selected short Suicide By Sunlight, and written by Leon Hendrix III, “Only Child” showcases Haitian voodoo in a respectful way that highlights its religious and positive significance while subverting the longstanding trope of “evil voodoo.”

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

In “Only Child,” an elderly Haitian grandma, Desi (Sharon Hope) is forced to move in with her estranged son John (Guy Lockard). However, she begins to suspect something is very wrong with his perfect family. While the family seems idyllic, Desi’s grandson Rex (Jaiden Smith) has spurts of erratic behavior and a curiosity of his grandmother’s religion, Vodou, that doesn’t include the blessings she uses to keep her safe from evil.

Beyond this, the pair uses generational traditions to not only build out the story’s rules for how spirits work, but they also use it to showcase how second and third-generation Americans lose their connection to their cultural identities. As time goes on with her grandson’s mother explaining that he wants to learn about the “her culture” as if it isn’t his too. The detachment from her family because of her faith fuels the horror in the story.

Instead of being portrayed as the wise Black woman who everyone listens to because of her connection to the “magical,” she’s shunned by her family, ignored as someone who is too stuck in the old world and set on scaring her grandson. While this seems small, it’s another subversion of an established horror trope and instead casts Haitian identity and voodoo as the religious practice it is and not the boogeyman that horror has disrespectfully made it into.

There is a beauty to the way that Nikyatu and Hendrix explore the spirituality of Haiti that puts voodoo, as explained in the episode, in a protective light. Instead of “zombies” and harm, Desi explains ancestral spirits and the use of smoke to make room for good spirits to remove and remove the bad. Contextualizing the practice with religious significance is important, and with it Two Sentence Horror Stories continues to diversify the genre with nuanced takes on traditional stories, specifically in this take on the creepy child horror story.

With twists and turns in the narrative work extremely well, “Only Child” starts as one story and quickly transforms into another. Nikyatu is a wonderful director with eye-framing shots. Creepy children are a staple in horror and she knows how to exploit this imagery in the best ways. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can jump in with any episode, so make episode seven, “Only Child,” your jumping on point.

'Two Sentence Horror Stories Episode 7 — "Only Child"
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

With twists and turns in the narrative work extremely well, “Only Child” starts as one story and quickly transforms into another. Nikyatu is a wonderful director with eye-framing shots. Creepy children are a staple in horror and she knows how to exploit this imagery in the best ways. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can jump in with any episode, so make episode seven, “Only Child,” your jumping on point.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleDEMO REVIEW: ‘Naruto x Boruto: Ninja Tribes’ Brings All the Anime Nostalgia
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Pretty Deadly: The Rat,’ Issue #1
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Helluva Boss Season 2 But Why Tho
9.5

REVIEW: ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 2 Is A Deeper Dive Into Love And Power

09/11/2025
Helluva Boss Season 1 Episode 7 But Why Tho
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 1 Is Full Of Violence, Chaos, And Heart

09/11/2025
Sandra Yi Sencindiver stars as Yutani in Alien Earth Episode 6
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 6 — “The Fly”

09/10/2025
Task promotional key art featuring Mark Ruffalo from HBO
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Task’ Episode 1 — “Crossings”

09/08/2025
Aneesha Malik in Invasion Season 3 Episode 3
9.0

RECAP: ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “Infinitas”

09/07/2025
Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 3
9.0

RECAP: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “Another Rick Up My Sleeve”

09/06/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here