The Fair Haired Child
Malone Strikes Gold Again. Once again, the director, cast, and crew all put in an excellent effort.
A brief synopsis, then I’ll just shovel some praise.
Based on a story by Matt Greenberg. A socially awkward girl is kidnapped on her way home from her prep school. She is cast into the basement of her kidnappers. There she finds both Johnny and many warnings to beware the Fair Haired Child.
Now the praise.
Lindsay Pulsipher is about as perfect of a teenage heroine as any horror film could hope for. Her performance as “Tar” brings back a glory day in horror, when teenagers actually looked like teenagers. Awkward, less than glamorous, and charming as all hell. I hope the right people have seen this episode, and it leads to more work.
Jesse Haddock performs brilliantly with all of the same grace. “Johnny” is awkward, wide-eyed, and again looks like an honest teenager. I’d like to hope the right people for Jesse are watching this, too.
Horror fans are almost as starved for teenagers portrayed by teenagers as they are for good horror. Even the extras in Tara’s classroom look like they are still young enough to be in a classroom.
The longer these two characters remain in the dirt, the dirtier they get. Both of the younger actors endure this very well. As the story unfolds and becomes more intense, their performances make that transition from awkward to desperate with fluid precision.
Lori Petty practically pulls double duty as the “before” and “after” mother. The transformation is violent, sudden, and final. William Samples portrays the cowardly father Anton with terrific grace and honesty. The dream sequence style of Anton’s memories were so well put together that they truly do resonate more fright into the rest of the story.
This set is absolutely amazing. The various props and decorations are no doubt even more of a treat to anyone who ever lugged their band equipment to and from school several times a week.
William Malone mainstays that are welcome in the Fair Haired Child:
Camera Tricks. Yes, yes, and yes. These movies are proof that although there is a time and place for the computer to do the heavy lifting, there is still very much a time and a place to let the camera do it as well.
Piano Quartet in G Minor, Opus 25, Movement IV, composed by Johannes Brahms. First heard in House on Haunted Hill, the same tune finds a bigger role in Fair-Haired Child. Despite this one excerpt lending itself so well to creepy moments in horror, the entire piece is very soothing. Crying kids, angry co-workers, even your own road rage. Everyone needs this on their mp3 player.
Gore where it’s needed. Not excessive. Not cowardly. Logically, fifty gallons of blood don’t spray out of a violently attacked corpse. Neither do five milliliters. The Fair-Haired Child gets it just right.
Evil Nurses. I don’t know what any nurse ever did to this man, but I suspect she did it (if indeed there was a she to have done it, and if the it in question was truly done) some time between 1985 and 1999.
Sound. Our eyes are not our only sense. Everything from the monster breathing to the tense score is spot-on.
I’m honestly trying to think of any complaints. I honestly can not.
One final note, to segue naturally into the next review. William Malone has stated that the inspiration for Parasomnia struck him while working on the Fair Haired Child. Some of the art for Parasomnia was also developed in this period.
Up next: Parasomnia.
He has worked as a level designer for a small online video game, as the grim reaper in a haunted house, and traded web design for concert tickets and tattoos.In years past, he could be found performing improvised comedy or stage magic in the south side of Austin, Texas.
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