Syfy's Channel Zero is an ethereal horror anthology series known for its impeccable world-building and gripping psychological terror. Each season, inspired by a different creepypasta, explores the threats and frights lurking below the surface of everyday life. The first season, Candle Cove, stars Paul Schneider as a child psychologist who returns home to Iron Hill, Ohio thirty years after the tragic death of his twin brother and four other children.
It turns out Iron Hill is being devastated by a series of terrible events again, and they are all connected to a bizarre public access television series for kids known as Candle Cove. Despite his reluctance, Schneider's character Mike Painter must get to the bottom of the mystery that continues to haunt him and his fellow Iron Hill residents.
Who Is The Tooth Monster?
The nightmarish Tooth Monster haunts the screen a few times over Candle Cove's six episodes, and its appearance is linked to the strange way all the kids in town are acting. It doesn't take long for Mike to confront both this monster and his suppressed memories.
It turns out the monster is a physical manifestation of Mike's twin brother, Eddie, who is responsible for all the terror unfolding in town. Even though Mike killed Eddie when they were kids to protect the town from him, Eddie's spirit remains.
Who Is The Skin Taker?
Theories abound about The Skin Taker, another gruesome monster who haunts Iron Hill, both as a character in Candle Cove and as a physical creature wandering around town. The Skin Taker, as its name makes clear, takes the flesh of anyone who gets in his way.
Some fans hypothesize The Skin Taker is another manifestation of Eddie, while others believe The Skin Taker is an independent entity responsible for turning Eddie evil. Whatever the case may be, The Skin Taker is definitely psychically connected to Eddie, and as an extension, his twin brother Mike.
Why Doesn't Mike Have The Same Powers As His Twin Eddie?
Considering how close and connected Mike and Eddie are, it seems strange that Mike doesn't have the same supernatural abilities as his twin. How could this be the case?
The answer may simply be that Mike was never aware of his powers, and thus didn't know he could tap into them. Somehow, Eddie was able to tap into his abilities, which he used to avenge his bullies in town.
How Could Mrs. Booth Sacrifice Jacob To Eddie?
It is shocking to watch Mrs. Booth, a local teacher, sacrifice her own son to Eddie. After Eddie uses his powers to cure Mrs. Booth of epileptic seizures, she promises to do whatever Eddie wants.
Eddie explains that his powers are strengthened by the blood of children, which prompts Mrs. Booth to remorselessly give up Jacob, her only child, for Eddie's sake. How could any mother do such a thing?
How Does Lily Travel To Iron Hill So Quickly?
Little is known about Mike's estranged wife and daughter in the first part of Candle Cove. At the end of the third episode, Mike's daughter Lily mysteriously arrives in Iron Hill – even though she lives over 400 miles away.
There's no doubt this is the work of Eddie, who uses Lily's body as a vessel. Eddie's ultimate goal is to use his twin's body to return to the world of the living.
Why Does Mike Burn Eddie's Body?
In the fourth episode, Mike takes Eddie's skeletal remains from the morgue. With Jessica's help, he burns what is left of his brother.
Mike thinks burning Eddie's remains will force his spirit to leave Lily, Mike's daughter. Instead, Lily isn't freed from her possessor until Jessica is killed at the end of the same episode.
Why Do The Kids In Iron Hill Kill Jessica?
Jessica Yolen is a childhood sweetheart of Mike's who caused a rift in his relationship with Eddie when they were kids. Eddie was jealous of Mike's attraction to Jessica, and he remains jealous from the grave.
When Mike returns to Iron Hill as an adult, Eddie uses his psychic powers to persuade a group of children in town to stab Jessica to death. Could it be Eddie still wants Mike all to himself?
Why Does Eddie Call His Puppet Show Candle Cove?
Like The Skin Taker and The Tooth Monster, Eddie is also the creator of Candle Cove, the creepy children's show he emits through televisions in order to brainwash children. Eddie's ability to create alternate realities, portals, and new worlds is impressive.
While Candle Cove is the name used by author Kris Straub in the original creepypasta, it's never clarified on the series why Eddie chooses the name.
What Exactly Is The Netherworld Mike Follows Eddie Into?
In order to protect his daughter Lily and the residents of Iron Hill from Eddie, Mike follows his brother's spirit into the real Candle Cove in the season finale. This netherworld, a dimension of Eddie's creating, is a large bedroom draped in skin.
This horrific dimension is where Eddie does his biding, and it also features a television where he transmits the puppet show.
Why Would Mike Choose To Stay In Candle Cove With Eddie?
Fiona Shaw plays Marla Painter, the mother of Eddie and Mike. As Marla becomes more aware of what her deceased son Eddie is capable of, she works with Mike to save her town from Eddie's influence.
Mike asks his mother to suffocate him in order to sever Eddie's link to the physical world. Marla agrees, trapping Mike's spirit in Candle Cove, where he can keep Eddie from causing more harm.