I really liked this series. Unfortunately, as a non-Showtime viewer, I had to wait for the DVDs. This sort of ruined the 'sit in and be scared' atmosphere a bit, but the episodes were usually at least solid. I actually intend to cover my favorite 'episodes' of the show in the future. In the meantime, enjoy my holiday-themed review of...
This whole thing is done in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek manner. I say that to make sure that nobody has the wrong impression from the get-go.
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The story begins with a young man uncovering some mysterious items amongst his grandmother's possessions after her death. One is a creepy note accredited to George Washington and the other is a fork that appears to be made out of human bone. Both items are found hidden behind a portrait of George Washington. Adding more fuel to the fire is the note being signed with 'G.W.' A family lawyer wants the items to be turned over, but our hero refuses. I'm sure nothing will come of that choice.
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I was wrong, apparently, as a group of thugs dressed as 16th Century Americans show up at the door. They demand the letter and the fork at threat of death. They are very creepy and persistent, but turned away by the arrival of the police. All of the most dangerous killers are scared off so easily right? This inspires the man to call upon an old friend (Saul Rubinek), who seems to have most of the answers. He explains that this group is called 'The Washingtonians' and is obsessed with hiding the truth.
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The truth consists of a hidden secret about George Washington himself. Forced into cannibalism at Valley Forge, he grew to love it and wanted to turn the country to it. Benjamin Franklin was not on-board with the idea and was killed. As such, he was killed and all of 'his' accomplishments were actually the work of several people and accredited to him to hide the truth. Knowledge comes with a price, however, as the villains return. Their friend escapes, but the family is captured. All of the previous townspeople are revealed to be part of the cult. Will our heroes escape?
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If you really want to know, keep reading. Otherwise, skip to the synopsis.
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The Washingtonians give a long, in-depth monologue about their way of life, accompanied by numerous shots of people eating in a disgusting manner. Before they can eat the family, their friend and a S.W.A.T. team show up. The cannibals get shot up and the letter is returned, provided that the truth come out. In the epilogue, six months have gone by and our family is vegetarian. It is then that our movie saves the biggest scare for last: our new currency!*
This movie/episode is quite entertaining. Because of its brevity, most of the extemporaneous material often littering movies of this type. It is fun, silly and appropriately-scary when it needs to be. You get some good, solid gore in the middle as well. Some of the humor may be hit-or-miss depending on your political leaning though. I enjoyed it as much as the other big political M.o.H. episode: Homecoming. More on that gem later.
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As Weird Al once said 'It's your birthday, it happens every year.' As such, I am bringing you a special, themed review to celebrate mine. Stay tuned...
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