'Skin & Bones' Review

I finally got around to watching Doug Jones's FEAR ITSELF episode, "Skin & Bones." Doug had some really great moments, playing a rancher ("Grady") who has returned from being lost in the wilderness and has somehow acquired a supernatural taste for human flesh.

This was the first time I can recall Doug being really E-V-I-L. Like a violent kind of evil. If you ever meet Doug, he is such a kind and generous soul, so it is fun to see his talents as an actor shine through - he really is able to inhabit the soul of Grady.

One thing that really stands out for Doug is how he uses his hands so expressively. I have a feeling that this is one of the things that Guillermo likes about Doug. His hands move at times in an almost "other-wordly" manner - it creates a "dreamy" or "supernatural" effect in his performance. His portrayal of the faun in PAN'S LABYRINTH is a great example of his hand motions, and I think this episode of "Skin & Bones" showed it as well. There was a moment when Doug's hand reaches out to open a barn door that was positively chilling.

Overall I thought the episode was average. I had never watched a FEAR ITSELF episode before, and I was hoping it would be a show that I could set the DVR for every week. Unfortunately, I thought it eventually went too heavy on the cheap scares and horror, and could have benefited from a little more psychological drama and character development. But that's the difference between "good" and "great". "Skin & Bones" was just a "good" show - but still, it is a quality "horror" program returning to network television. For that reason alone it will get my support.

Doug had a tough role, and he made it work. His performance was chilling and spooky. Can't wait to see what he can do with a more understated part in MY NAME IS JERRY.