A Deep Dive Into Doctor Who's Forgotten Horror Flop

[@HarboWholmes]

Ever wanted me to make a specific video? Well now is your chance to make it happen! You can commission videos over at www.patreon.com/harbowholmes

[@snowyowl2784]

I know you mostly do Dr Who videos but would you ever consider an Are You Afraid Of The Dark? episode analysis?

[@LeoChaseTheMythMaster]

I loved the Nursery Rhyme. One of my favourite things in Doctor Who with it being expanded upon at end of other episodes.

[@arisamelody]

i honestly didn’t mind this episode i thought it was really good every time i watched it just bc i love the idea that a kids terror can be so strong to conjure a message to the doctor. it really did something to my child mind to make the doctor more of a hero. i love the doctor forever

[@arisamelody]

the dolls were definitely creepy i loved that the scary things are all fr in a scary dimension in his cubbard. the villains in doctor who all seem to live in the same realm as the doctor too so the nursery rhyme felt to be on theme to the doctor. i feel like every villain knows the doctor in some way and the lullaby was foreshadowing some deeper evil kinda like how the silence falling was constantly foreshadowed.

[@arisamelody]

i wish they had done something more creepy with this episode though bc they built up the suspense so good with the elevator and the old lady going missing

[@FutoOnYoutube69]

When i was like 7 and this came out, it was the first episode of doctor who I had to turn off (and yes i HAD watched all of the RTD era) and because of that, it's now my favourite episode.

[@petermckenna6377]

Yess lad same

[@tobynorris]

Good to know I'm not alone here

[@KrisFrost4359]

Honestly, I love this episode. Yes, a lot of the horror themes could have been explored a lot more and a lot better and could have tied into the overall plot more, but aside from that I always liked how creepy the episode was as a kid and the Doctor's whole interaction with George was very interesting to see. I do wish, however, that they hadn't simply brushed aside the fact that George can apparently bend the laws of reality to the point that he throws people into pocket dimensions and turns them into dolls.

[@idcthtubrokeurlbow5306]

for some reason as child when this episode aired i was absolutely obsessed, thought it was the pinnacle of horror and was just enthralled by it. i memorised the script and would write it out in my primary school story time(we would make like our own miniature stories into folded paper so it looked like a book and apparently i was just like cool let’s plaglorize) so to me it will hold a special place in my heart but like that’s embarrassing

[@Cminorputitincminor]

Don’t be embarrassed, I was obsessed with this episode too!! No clue why, but me and my best friend at the time would sing the “tick tock” song to each other, text each other pictures of the peg dolls late at night to scare one another, and generally make up stories about them, and to this day I have no idea why.

[@generalcorgi]

This episode had me by the throat when I was younger too

[@MG-fv4oj]

I’m a 2003 kid so Matt smith was my era and this story has always stayed with me for some reason. Like when I was little I would watch this over and over.

[@TheWatcher5292]

Hi, during the "Claire can't have kids" part in the episode, the dad states that they tried everything, so it's most likely that they already had the income to support a child at the very least

[@ruairicorrigan3582]

I believe he says something along the lines of "As much IVF as we could afford", so they were likely still broke as IVF is pretty expensive. But yeah, they really desperately wanted a kid at least.

[@tjet34]

The whole notion that a child coming to a couple that desperately wants one is somehow unethical is nuts to me. Like. Does he not realize most kids these days are accidental? These people wanted a child and got a superpowered alien baby. Honestly, it's just a modern changeling child story, especially given the OCD/ASD implications.

[@paladinboyd1228]

@@tjet34I mean to be fair a alien decided to rewrite your memories and convince you that you have a kid. While it has no ill intentions that was the stuff of nightmares for centuries in Europe folklore about something making you think it’s a child and you have to care for it

[@tjet34]

@@paladinboyd1228 yes, which is why I said it's a modern changeling story. Infertile couple wishes desperately for a child, gets their wish, but it's not quite right? There's no Good Neighbors coming to take the child away, or any implication that the child is unhealthy or failure to thrive or any of the common curses given alongside a boon. The couple got what they wanted, almost exactly, with none of the drawbacks beyond "kiddo is scared and needs help controlling his gifts."

[@paladinboyd1228]

@@tjet34 Unhealthy? The child is so terrified of everything he locked his father in a dollhouse with creepy dolls. That might be a issue when he has to deal with being bullied and so on. And there is still the matter of rewriting your memories to slot into your life. While there are no ill intentions that is still a issue to be addressed.

[@joshsylvester1450]

I mean Rory was absolutely the best part of the Moffat era

[@lexwithbub]

I really love the set design for this episode. It's kind of stuck in the past, the way the flats are very retro, and it feels like time has been passing differently.

[@poohslosteyes264]

There are real places like that. Pockets of deprivation that have been left behind. Stepping into them is like travelling back in time 20+ years.

[@KEEGANATORGAMING]

“Horror flop” everyone I know who watched this was scared shitless of this episode as kids

[@OkMakuTree]

Considering Gatiss’ usual output I think this episode is fairly decent. Matt Smith and the director do a great job with the script and keep it engaging throughout. I wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch it, but I also wouldn’t skip over it like some of the more embarrassing Doctor Who episodes.

[@DanTheMan2150AD]

Honestly, as much as I like a lot of Gatiss' other Who works, even considering him vastly underrated, Night Terrors I haven’t seen since broadcast. This review definitely has me curious to revisit it again, even if I remember it quite well already. Also gotta love Daniel Mays in this story.

[@ruairicorrigan3582]

While I appreciate that the whole "power of love/family/etc" thing can be utter trite at times, I feel it was pretty sweet in this episode. Also loved the scene with 11 talking to the kiddo, waving the sonic around like a magic wand.

[@mathieuleader8601]

A darker take on the Gattis story would be unmade Torchwood adventure titled Babymother Written by Andrew Cartmel. A story idea considered for the second series, it involved a single mother on a sinister housing estate being controlled by an alien cuckoo that has taken the form of her baby. It was later reworked by Cartmel as the Torchwood short story "The Wrong Hands" which featured as part of the Consequences anthology.

[@jbcatz5]

Sounds like the Quadrant part of the plot in Damaged Goods, a young kid with influence over others he doesn’t quite understand. He actually scares one of the characters so badly they jump in fright upon finding him in their closet.

[@TheGerkuman]

I have one issue with your argument about the placing. Curse of the Black Spot has nothing to do with the ongoing plot either. So whichever way you slice it, Moffat messed up.

[@ladrok97]

Curse of the Black Spot is probably only episode of Doctor Who I skip. It's so useless and boring

[@brobs0463]

I really love when doctor who turns into an all out horror, even when they don’t land the attempt makes me like the episodes that much more

[@utherteasdale933]

My first experience with Doctor Who was when I was when I was 7 and my friend introduced me to the doctor who website and there was a picture of a wooden hand reaching around a door (from this episode). From only that I couldn't sleep.

[@ashleybow]

The idea of the kid being an alien that just inserted himself into their lives may have been inspired by the idea of changlings which are like fey creatures that would swap themselves with human babies (even if he didn't necessarily swap with an existing child). If that's the case it would fit with the idea of the moffat era being more fairytale based.

[@altinaykor364]

this comment and Changellings reference just made me more upset about how DW Moffat era never really even tried to go full dark. if this episode was in any other fantasy sci fi show, or another show runner, we would at least have a few deaths and much more life changing scenarios

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Nice to Matt Smith being reviewed as the Doctor again after watching him as the villain of Morbius last weekend. 🧛‍♂🦇 Sure, the movie itself was a mess, but for me it was a *fun* mess, and Smith's performance was part of said fun. 🥰

[@HarboWholmes]

I'm so sorry for your loss (of 2 hours)

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@HarboWholmes Aw, thanks Harbo, but you don't have to be. The movie honest-to-God felt like it only ran 30 minutes, that's how fast the story went by. And like I said, I had fun with it. 😊

[@thedoctor1263]

@@HarboWholmes I liked it mainly because Matt smith cause duh but also it just being dumb fun

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@thedoctor1263 Yay, someone else who managed to have fun with it! Besides, I can at least say that I got more out of Morbius than I did of Venom 2 (all that stayed with me from that was the unapologetic Symbrock content).

[@ashleytuchin7693]

You could tell Matt was really having fun in Morbius.

[@qqqqqqqqqqqq121212]

£350 for a two bedroom flat, unrealistic? Lol - paid 550 a month for a room, rent goes nuts down south

[@Jabberwooki]

My exact reaction lol

[@stephjovi]

My niece was 14 when she watched this. She watched slenderman and other stuff on KZbin. But this episode caused her nightmares!

[@craytherlaygaming2852]

Rory's comment about being dead, again... is one of my favorite parts of the ep. It is testament to his character, that he just goes to that conclusion cause of how often it happens. With that mindset him not reacting as badly as he did to Amy's conversion makes sense. It's more of a *not again* and less of a *oh god I'll never see her again*. Besides it felt more that he was too shocked to actually react. And he didn't exactly have the luxury of mourning her.

[@ladrok97]

He doesn't even have time to mourn her. Like when? Attack dolls so they will convert him? Run faster, to get exhausted and maybe lure more dolls?

[@olimara1647]

I have mixed feelings about this episode. I know structurally it's not the best, but the sheer terror I felt seeing those dolls as a kid has *never* waned, those things still creep me the heck out even now

[@rebeccacalledalice]

I don't think the kid should have been an alien. I think it would be more interesting if it was an alien parasite that latches onto a host and feeds on their fears. And, since children have lots of fears, those are the hosts they latch onto. I don't know. That's just my opinion.

[@jvblhc]

I always liked Night Terrors. Same goes for The God Complex and The Girl Who Waited. I like the one-off stories more a lot more than several of Moffat's convoluted multi-part stories. Mark Gatiss is not the greatest writer, but his heart is in the right place and his stories are usually decent, though never classic.

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

I never expected to hear Harbo imitate Chills of all people but I'm glad he did. 😆

[@matthodgkinson2003]

Fun fact this was actually the first ever episode of doctor who i ever watched given my age at the time of release i didn't sleep well for a while

[@clairethebreadfascist5753]

tHiz episode was the only episode fo doctor who to ever give me nightmares - I rate it highly for that. the idea at the end of the doctor being powerless and having to rely on the kid really worked for me; I stand by this episode, I think it's pretty good bear in mind, I haven't seen it since my first watch mostly because I've been too scared to try lol I'd rate it an A, it managed to terrify me

[@depresso0423]

I love Night Terrors. I watch it every time I rewatch the series. Know which episode I never fail to skip? The Doctor's Wife.

[@doctorneotech7011]

I thought that The Doctor’s Wife was great. Although to be fair I always skip the Girl Who Waited so I can’t really talk.

[@s_nny]

I literally had nightmares about these as a kid, especially the tick tock song. It really captured my imagination, it's one of the standout memories I have of watching Doctor Who when I was little.

[@mathieuleader8601]

if I wrote the Night Terrors episode I would have wrote the dollhouse and the flat being the other demension known as the Celestial Toyroom with the Celestial Toymaker being the episodes antagonist.

[@lorlok623]

I dunno whether this is fear her 2.0 or not, but this episode definitely gave me plenty of fear when I was small and even until today lmao

[@MDHGames]

I actually quite like this episode, I found it terrifying when I watched it when it first aired on TV. The atmosphere iside the dolls house was very nicely done personally and was quite eerie. It's not one of my favourite episodes but I don't think it's bad at all :)

[@jbcatz5]

The apartment block setting evokes for me Damaged Goods, the RTD written New Adventures novel which used a council estate as the main setting. The way identical looking doors along a corridor or walkway can be opened to many possible kinds of people with their lives, ambitions, fears etc opens up the opportunities for exploring character and making us feel when bad things happen, be it bad things to good characters who don’t deserve it or bad people getting their just desserts. It like seeing a scifi or horror take on the home invasion premise.

[@Vxrmatwo]

Never admitted it before, but this ep hit me in the feels at the end. It's not a bad instalment, though I don't think I've rewatched it properly

[@samuelkent4674]

I was 10 when this came out and the doll’s petrified me and this was the only episode I’ve ever skipped when watching doctor who I’d only ever watched it once until last year

[@jacklarkin3137]

I remember how scary the peg dolls were when I first watched it ( I was 6)

[@lummy15th]

I can’t believe I never noticed the similarities between Night Terrors and Fear Her

[@eddieravenwood]

Ah, the episode that stressed me out so badly as a little kid that I had to get my mom to make my brother turn it off halfway through, and then kept me up that night. To this day, I still haven't finished the episode- not for any lack of trying, I just haven't had any way to watch the show since I recently started caring again, lol. Edit: I'll admit, my stomach twisted quite a few times just watching this video! Guess this episode is still extremely effective.

[@LeoChaseTheMythMaster]

I loved the Nursery Rhyme. One of my favourite things in Doctor Who with it being expanded upon at end of other episodes.

[@BayouBlooms]

8:02 I have never felt more like this show is from a different country 🤣 $350 for a two bedroom apartment?! I’d sell a kidney for that low of a rent payment. In 2010, my two bedroom apartment was $1,100 a month!

[@anguspate6510]

Right?? I had to triple take there. Thought he meant per week hahah

[@LegitOreo64]

This episode may have given me more nightmares than the weeping angels

[@ghoulishtoast1241]

I remember watching this as a kid and when Amy died freakily turning into a doll, I turned the TV off and went to bed with the light on and nightmares. Normally, skip it on rewatch, so maybe I should give it another go.

[@GeorgeMarionerd]

I remember we were on holiday to Wales for the first time when we watched this episode as a family. It always feels strange when media has a character with your name lol

[@mattthesilent777RED]

If I was a companion in this episode, at the point where Rory indicates the converted Amy, Moffat would've probably written for me to say something like "Ah, right, I see," as if this was a normal thing for me!

[@Jacob_iot]

I would never forget night terrors because it gave me nightmares when I was a child

[@alexford4755]

I was so terrified of this episode when it came out I had to leave half way through

[@tinykemper2561]

The episode scared me so much, I couldn't look at anything to do with Doctor Who for a week.

[@PrimeMinisterRetsuko]

This is the only episode that, despite having watched the series more times than I can count, I consistently forget actually exists

[@lucypreece7581]

Sometimes I wonder if the age of the child was a hinderance? Like we expect children to have fears and nightmares and stuff. Doctor Who has done is several times. Maybe if George was older like in his teens could it have been different.

[@Nozm-c8j]

I remember this being one of the first doctor who that I watched, I was still young i couldn't finish it on my own I told my mom to not go to sleep and stay with me until the episode is finished

[@deezers8304]

Must have watched this episode for the first time when I was around 8-9. Fuck this episode scared the shit out of me.

[@Sh00sx]

Ironically the only episodes that scared me as a child were the mark gatiss episodes… (also weeping angels lol)

[@obi501]

Same.

[@missmadness564]

I found this episode unsettling, walking through a dark dollhouse with no escape and living dolls stalking you. Seeing someone being turned into a doll was very disturbing, seeing their face being turned to wood was really uncomfortable to me. Though that's why I like the episode.

[@empressfrozentoes5285]

I actually appreciated the more unserialized episodes of series 6 and curse of the black spot was usually the only one I ever came back to when looking through the series 6 library cause the last thing I needed when I wanted to pick an episode to relax was to jump on the silence roller coaster 💀

[@ashleytuchin7693]

The best things about this episode is the Doctor's interactions with the kid, and the "monsters are real" speech. The dolls are extremely creepy too, but other than that it's a fairly average episode.

[@desmondcoppin591]

I think Rory not reacting too much is not that bad, as he looks visibly shaken and shocked, but he still gets up and tries to stay alive, which is more meant to speak his levelheaded nature.

[@lukeshields6568]

This is probs my favourite episode, i liked the way that they tried to add a horror aspect to it. Yes it could've been done better but it was still really good in my books

[@coffeemaenad7455]

Shame about the jumbling around of episode order, bc your point about the serialisation of this series is what really put me off this episode. It seemed to be trying so hard to play on "Look, a child is sad so you care about this :(" while the companions had literally just lost their own baby and it didn't come up at all. And it was just kinda baffling to witness these characters stubbornly refuse to make the connection or have any strong reactions to such a child-focused episode after the fucking traumatic shit they'd just been through. Obviously, in retrospect it makes sense as just one of those things that just happens in TV land sometimes, but yeah its placement definitely hurt it for me.

[@TheYoungDoctor]

This story is reminiscent of the Eighth Doctor Adventure novel The Deadstone Memorial.

[@lindseycatlin5972]

I call this one my 'guilty pleasure' episode lol

[@Mimicloo]

The lift scene made me terrified of lifts as a kid

[@mimikyugigas8106]

i despise night terrors because i was and still am deathly terrified of the peg dolls

[@petermckenna6377]

Youve brought back past trauma now hated this episode as a kid and was like 6 at the time so scared the sh*t out of me very good nowadays but definitely not at night

[@Kasilyn_S]

Wtf? I have no memory of that episode??? Like so far I remembered every episodes but this one? Feels like I've ever seen it

[@CashelOConnolly]

Harbo,if seeing huge stone statues of screaming angels is an everyday object and/or experience for you, then you must live in a cemetery 🪦😳 Peace and happiness from Dublin Eire 🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@rene370]

Not screaming no lol but weeping, sure ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ big cemeteries and above ground tombs are common in my part of the world. Sometimes we call them “Cities of the dead”

[@rene370]

I pass by one on the way to work! I think it’s pretty

[@alfiecameron5442]

Night terrors is my favourite ep, its not good but i remember hiding watching it as a child making my family watch it.

[@cleanerben9636]

my mum is petrified of pot dolls so this was the perfect episode for me

[@unityedits3722]

When TikTok came out, those FUCKING DOLLS were the first things I thought of lol. Say what you will about the episode itself, but they delivered on the horror aspects. The dolls and the singing messed me RIIIIIIGHT up as a kid!

[@arianagrandefromfortnite]

questioning the morality of a small child misunderstanding the implications of conversations that they overhear two adults having as if it's a drawback of the episode is quite an odd issue to have

[@conorhamersleyspage8173]

Dolls are scery man

[@poohslosteyes264]

With all the apparent creepiness and eeriness involved, this episode commits the worst crime of all: it isn't scary

[@MrTambourineMan.]

Fear Her was incredibly boring. This was interesting and kind of creepy. Bad placement since it comes after Amy loses her child, but as a stand-alone episode it’s mediocre

[@mrmeerkathead6871]

Those dolls freaked me out for so long

[@mattthesilent777RED]

As an autist, I have cried before, it just happened rarely and still does that way because I've had to deal with peer pressure

[@mtdl3x]

Flop? Jokes on you, I was scared shitless

[@lazer_cat0o0]

Dude this episode scared the shit put of me when i watched ot as a kid

[@youcantakemehottogo]

I loved this episode! Sure, it took me a while to get through because I was terrified, but great nonetheless

[@Oldmangamess]

I honestly didn’t mind fear her and this episode

[@lachlan.mooney]

I like how coincidentally we are watching the same episodes at the same time.

[@Mae_is_gae]

I barely remember this episode even existed

[@Blofeld001]

I forgot this episode existed.

[@108asf]

I liked that episode when i first saw it, but i guess after "Let's kill Hitler" this one felt like a masterpiece

[@yannatoko9898]

"Fear Her 2.0" perhaps implies Fear Her is a terrible story, which it is not. Night Terrors was the only story in the Revived Series I temporarily forgot the name of when writing down all the stories in order, it isn't very good.

[@SpaceFluffDW]

I will never rewatch this episode. The dolls scare me too much.

[@dylanringproductions160]

I would love for you to cover Breaking Bad. It might not be your thing and that's okay, no pressure ofc but I think if you haven't seen it, watch it and if you have, I'd love to hear your thoughts :) . Also great video!

[@Redboots]

my cousin was like. nine I think when this released and she was terrified of the dolls. I made fun of her, but I can talk because I still get nightmares from the empty child lol

[@gilliankew]

The only reason I don’t want to watch it again is because it scared the bejesus out of me. I hate those sorts of dolls and found them terrifying.

[@Che1Angelius]

I believe is the next episode that affects this one.

[@joesomers3949]

This episode made me scared of floral carpets.

[@collecticus]

Really enjoyed this one, actually very similar to a certain X-Files episode.

[@thegreatprimevalshow]

I still find The Idiot’s Lantern as my favourite Gatiss episode 📺 ⚡️😶

[@happysellotape5006]

night terrors is the best episode of series 6 and the best episode by mark gatiss, hot take but that's my opinion

[@hokorie5249]

this episode is in my opinion good but not great, I like how it ends with the father accepting the fake son/alien son because even then it is their son

[@ladrok97]

13:30 I as a viewer of TV (not a streaming platform) expected going back to episodes which I can watch in random order. THIS is pure magic of Doctor Who for me. PLUS "let's kill Hitler" wasn't counted as a special episodes? Special episodes had tendency to disapear in re runs or show themselves in random spots. Like I'm watching tv, I expect fun, not penalty for not watching everything in correct odrer when show itself it's about TIME TRAVELING 15:10 this episode was scary, because Amy and Rory were showing us what is going in Dollhouse. We knew they can only wait for Doctor 18:30 "killing" Amy was surprising and it INCREASED strikes way more than in "stupid tv" episode. In "stupid tv" episode it was obvious she will be fine and it added maybe little timing and motivation. Here we see that Doctor and Rory are desperate, because they are very close to death and they can't do anything about it

[@dt0982]

I never watched this episode as a kid just pretended it never existed

[@doctorson7026]

Tbh I had no problem with this episode, it had scary element and it was vibe watching it

[@louisacapell]

That's a good episode. Pretty par for the course. Miles better than the crap they've pretended is Dr who for the last few years.

[@desmondcoppin591]

Rory is my favorite companion ever.

[@Venemofthe888]

I feel like this episode is a little misplaced in this series and honestly i think could have worked better in the next series or the series before

[@vortexlegend101]

Honestly Night Terrors and Fear Her are half-decent episodes, way better than any of the chibnall era