When the gang go to a frat house for a Halloween party, their fun is spoilt by the fact that the residents have inadvertantly drawn a powerful mystical symbol that is causing people's fears to come to life.
Buffy's second Halloween episode is a real triumph. It might not be the most terrifying thing ever, but get into it and it can really send the chills down your spine. Personally, I found the skeleton murderer particularly creepy, but maybe I'm just easily frightened. Mind you, there are some truly horrible sights on offer here: a guy falling downstairs and breaking his neck only to be brought back to life, and a horrible lone head with its eyeball falling out for two. Oz's forced transformation into a werewolf is also frightening, especially when Willow is hurt by him.
What sells the episode particularly is the reactions of the lead characters, as they are separated and forced to live their deepest fears. Xander becomes invisible to his friends, Willow's simple spell goes horribly wrong and Oz can't control his werewolf side. You feel for the pain of the characters because they are all totally convincing, especially Seth Green whose pain and fear is almost tangible.
On top of this, there's more Anya (never a bad thing), Giles and his impressive kit for getting into buildings and some fantastic special effects, the best one being when the house boards up its own window. If there's any criticism, it's in the lack of closure: what happened to the other party-goers? Was everything imagined or real? However, there is a truly superb finish to the episode as Buffy meets the demon responsible and Giles makes a discovery. Delivered completely deadpan, his final line is can't be topped, and hence brings the episode to a close perfectly. Proof that Buffy can still perfectly create its blend of horror and comedy.
****
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