Streaming service Quibi got off to a shaky start, but can the second season of its horror series 50 States of Fright improve on the uneven first outing? Despite some serious producer pedigree in the form of The Evil Dead creator/horror legend Sam Raimi, Quibi's horror series 50 States of Fright didn't win over a huge audience when it debuted earlier this year. With season 2 on its way, the show is pulling out all the stops to garner a bigger following from horror fans, but pulling this off will require a major overhaul of the series.
The streaming service Quibi was not met with overwhelming acclaim when it debuted, with many reviewers and viewers questioning the purpose of its intensely short-form (less than ten minutes per episode) format. 50 States of Fright seemed like a sure thing as the horror genre is well-suited to quick, punchy frights, but the series still debuted to middling reviews. Quibi's lack of playback speed controls didn't help matters, with the platform failing to optimize its promised commute-friendly viewing experience.
Quibi's 50 Shades of Fright could still use its strange, short-form format to its advantage, although doing so will mean pulling out the big guns. Its most obvious influences, iconic horror TV series like Masters of Horror and Tales From The Crypt, dropped a serious chunk of their budget on recruiting from the top brass of horror directors and let the likes of Tobe Hooper, John Landis, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, and Dario Argento have free rein. In comparison, 50 States of Fright season 1 relied entirely on newcomers behind the camera, a mistake the series will now need to reverse to survive the increasingly competitive world of horror TV shows.
50 States of Fright season 1 failed to find a consistent tone between its first installment, the simple but compelling 'The Golden Arm", and its second ambitious, but overstuffed outing, "America's Largest Ball of Twine". The season's wavering confidence can likely be attributed to the lack of directorial experience as outside of Raimi, who helmed the pilot, the closest thing to a notable director in season 1's line up is Adam Schindler, of 2015's Intruders' fame. Luckily, 50 States of Fright season 2 looks set to redress this balance by bringing in the likes of A Quiet Place's Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, The Hole In The Ground's Lee Cronin, and Cam's Daniel Goldhaber for the show's sophomore outing.
But with Creepshow season 2 also on its way, solid directors alone won't be enough to save this series from its stiff competition. As such, seeing familiar faces like Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story), Rory Culkin (Scream 4), and Christina Ricci on the season 2 cast list is more promising news for those hoping 50 States of Fright will pull off its eponymous promise more successfully. Although the biggest surprise of season 2 may still be finding out whether Lee Cronin's "13 Steps To Hell" is a stealth remake of fellow Irish horror director Brendan Muldowney's terrifying 2004 short, The Ten Steps.