By Robert Scucci
| Published
They say that brevity is the soul of wit, and Two Sentence Horror Stories messes with this sentiment by transforming microfiction into a bite-sized horror anthology series with mixed results. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, you can find a more literal version of this kind of microfiction on the r/TwoSentenceHorror subreddit for some great examples of the genre done right, as well as some hilarious takes from some of its more unhinged users.
Using a similar framework for each episode in the series, Two Sentence Horror Stories plays out like a teen scream version of Black Mirror in the sense that each self-contained episode explores various horror and sci-fi subgenres, leaning into how technology and the supernatural can have profound effects on human interactions living within the fictions that are established.
As a jaded horror fan, Two Sentence Horror Stories is underwhelming. But it’s a great gateway series for a younger audience who may not necessarily want to commit to the entire run, as each episode is a one-and-done experience in which their mileage may vary.
Narrative Framework Inspired By Reddit
Though Two Sentence Horror Stories was inspired by microfictions told on Reddit, each episode is an original work using the format that had already been popularized online. Each episode in the series starts with an opening sentence on the screen, and upon its conclusion reveals the second sentence that brings everything around full-circle.
For example, the “Teatime” episode involving a babysitter being tormented by an evil little girl who turns her subjects into creepy dolls begins with the sentence, “Of all my toys, I love this doll the best…,” concluding with, “She only cries a little when I hurt her.”
What happens in between these two sentences is a full episode that plays with the premise, providing the viewer with a 20-minute horror story that supplements the two sentences in Two Sentence Horror Stories.
A Mixed-Bag Concept Despite Its Ambition
The problem with Two Sentence Horror Stories is that in this case, brevity truly is the soul of wit.
Microfiction works well as a subgenre because it leaves everything to the viewer’s imagination, which more often than not is scarier than what plays out on-screen in an attempt to embellish what simply doesn’t need to be embellished in most instances. Season 3’s “Teeth,” for example, centers on werewolves and vampires. The shocking revelation after Cara has reason to believe that her girlfriend is an other-worldly being is that … her girlfriend is an other-worldly being, leaving little to the imagination because it’s all explicitly spelled out for you.
In other words, did we really need 20 minutes of buildup to tell us what we pretty much already know? Embellishment of microfiction completely undermines what makes the genre so appealing in the first place, and makes you wonder why episodes like this even exist.
Streaming Two Sentence Horror Stories
However, there are some absolute bangers found throughout Two Sentence Horror Stories’ three-season run that will make you want to poke through the catalog because even though its narrative framework leaves a lot to be desired, some of the stories are genuinely unsettling and worth your time. If I had to recommend a single episode to drive this point home, it would be Season 3’s “Crush,” which tells a disturbing tale about senile twin sisters living in squalor who hate each other, but only until they find a common enemy who’s trying to disrupt their lives for his own benefit.
While Two Sentence Horror Stories may not be for everybody, it’s a great, low-stakes introduction to horror for younger audiences who want a buffet-style exploration of various subgenres in a single place. Like I said earlier, think of this horror anthology series as a watered-down version of Black Mirror geared toward kids who want a good scare, but don’t want to be traumatized by the content they’re consuming.
As of this writing, you can stream Two Sentence Horror Stories on Netflix.
