Channel Zero season 2 No-End House was the show’s creepiest. Channel Zero is a SYFY series inspired by creepypasta, a form of internet horror fiction. These tales are typically told from a first-person account or take the form of modern urban legends. The Slender Man is arguably creepypasta’s most famous creation, but other major tales include “Jeff The Killer,” “Sonic.Exe” and the eerie slow-burn of “Ted The Caver.” There haven’t been many adaptations of these tales, however, though Slender Man received a 2018 movie of the same name.
Channel Zero is an anthology show that based each season on various creepypastas, with a different director helming all six episodes. Season 1 was Channel Zero: Candle Cove, which is regarded as one of the best creepypasta stories and involves a group of strangers recalling a sinister kids show they grew up with called Candle Cove. The story itself was quite short, so the season expanded the concept greatly, including adding new creatures like the nightmarish Tooth Child monster.
Channel Zero ultimately ran for four seasons, with each series receiving solid reviews. The third season Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block was singled out for praise due to the performance of the late, great Rutger Hauer, and was based on the creepypasta “Search And Rescue.” Arguably the show’s best was Channel Zero season 2, No-End House, which was inspired by the works of John Carpenter. Based on the creepypasta “NoEnd House,” this season finds a group of friends entering a mythical, traveling haunted house that only appears once a year, which contains six rooms. They enter the house in the first episode, with main character Margot (Amy Forsyth) encountering some very personal horrors in each room, including the death of her father John (John Carroll Lynch).
It turns out the house is sentient and feeds on the memories of those who enter, with Margot being confronted with a replica of her late father. This version of John is a cannibal, and to survive, he must feed on Margot’s memories, which manifest physically as creepy orbs he feasts on. Channel Zero season 2 is all about building dread than jump scares or gore - though it certainly has plenty of the latter - and is mostly about Margot literally confronting her grief. The “House World” is also inhabited by “Hollows,” who are people who became trapped inside the house and had all their memories consumed - which will be Margot’s fate if she doesn’t escape.
Channel Zero season 2 “No-End House” contains lots of twists so it’s best experienced fresh, but it’s definitely a show horror fans should seek out. Channel Zero season 2 is also an example of the show at its best, fusing eerie scenes and imagery with some very personal drama.
Next: Channel Zero: Candle Cove’s Tooth Fairy Monster Explained
