Courtesy: Shout! Factory/The Hub
R.L. Stine and The Hub are back with two more volumes of seriously scary stories for kids and their parents. The Haunting Hour Vol. 3 & 4 offer audiences ten more tales of terror that will entertain and scare audiences every time they turn them on. This latest pair of volumes offers not only five great episodes each, but some star power, too. The Haunting Hour Vol. 3 boats guest appearances from the likes of Robert Capron (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Maddison Pettis (Cory in the House), Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels, Sanctuary), and others. Apparently, Heyerdahl has a thing for playing villains, much like Tim Curry, as he takes on the role of quite the scary character in the episode, ‘Fear Never Knocks.’ Heyerdahl’s character is absolutely creepy in his role in this episode, terrorizing a pair of children who stumble upon their grandfather’s “box of fear.” He is released when young Jenny decides to play with the box, and releases both her fears and those of her brother and fear itself (played by Heyerdahl). Also in Volume Three, Maddison Pettis is one of three kids that get caught up in a supernatural story that brings the past and present together thanks to a mysterious mask. The mask shows events that happened in the past, which themselves lead to another mystery that will leave viewers guessing right up to the end of the story. And in another of the set’s best episodes, Robert Capron plays a young man whose overactive apetite leads him to get much more than he hoped for after a strange ice cream truck starts making rounds through the boy’s neighborhood. This is an episode that will send “chills” (ba-dump-bump-bump) through every viewer, and will make them think twice next time they see an ice cream truck come through their neighborhood. What’s more, it’s a valuable warning against over eating, too, ironically enough. It’s little things like this, and the writing for the other noted episodes that make The Haunting Hour Volume Three another nice inclusion for any fan of ghost stories and of R.L. Stine’s work.
Courtesy: Shout! Factory/The Hub
The scares don’t stop with Volume Three of The Haunting Hour. Fans will also enjoy Volume Four, which was released alongside Volume Three. The show’s fourth volume offers even more scares, as well as guest appearances. It all opens with another episode that’s just as much a warning as it is a scary story in ‘Wrong Number.’ Debby Ryan (The Suite Life on Deck, Radio Rebel) stars in this episode as Steffani. Steffani is a rather spoiled young woman that is the very stereotype of the stuck up “mean girl.” But she gets what’s coming to her when she and her friend decide to prank call an elderly woman one night. The consequences of her actions turn out to be deadly, as a matter of fact. This is just one of the many scary stories presented in The Haunting Hour Volume Four. Another equally terrifying tale included in this set is the episode, ‘Lights Out.’ Super 8 star Gabriel Basso stars as Teddy, a young teen skeptic who is pulled into a ghost hunt after watching a ghost hunt show on TV. Teddy’s friends set out to prove to him that ghosts are in fact real in their hunt for the supernatural. He learns that lesson in a way he never would have expected, nor will viewers who have never seen this episode. The twist ending will scare audiences to no end and leave them talking. As with Volume Three, what is presented here is just part of what makes Volume Four so enthralling. The stories presented in these two volumes are sure to scare and entertain both kids and adults alike.
The Haunting Hour recently wrapped its third season on The Hub network. Allegedly, a fourth season might be in production. That gives ample time for both seasons Two and Three to be released to DVD while fans await the show’s return to The Hub. Until then though, these last two volumes of Season One will keep audiences coming back again and again. All four volumes are available in stores and online and can be ordered online direct at http://www.shoutfactorystore.com.
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