The Tale of the Twisted Claw

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Air Date: Saturday, September 12, 1992 (In Seasonal Order)
Storyteller: David (Nathaniel Moreau)

Frame: The episode begins with Eric (Jacob Tierney) telling a story that, upon reflection, one would immediately compare to sleep paralysis. However, the story gets cut short, as he hasn't come up with how to finish it. With the rest of the group disappointed and looking for a complete story, David speaks up about a story he has ready, and proceeds with one of my all-time favourite episodes. It was also technically the first episode to air on Halloween night, 1991, in Canada and on October 25, 1992, in the US. This episode was the one that started it all.

Story: The night before Halloween, two best friends, Dougie (Noah Plener) and Kevin (Maxwell Medeiros), take a risk at vandalizing the house of an older woman (Ann Page), who has become a sort of local creepy shut-in within the neighbourhood. The kids fail when they accidentally hit her face with shaving cream when she opens the door they're about to vandalize. The following night, they head out for trick-or-treating, risking a visit to the same woman's home. She answers and hands them a wooden vulture claw that can grant wishes. But it's not long before the boys get more than they bargained for.

Review: This episode is essentially a retelling of the famous "Monkey's Paw" short story by W.W. Jacobs, introduced to many of us through the second 'Simpsons' Halloween episode and Lisa's nightmare. However, this was also a great way to introduce the valuable lesson of being careful what you wish for to kids at the time. On top of that, it's a full-fledged Halloween episode, featuring some almost surprisingly dark moments, and it's one of the funnier episodes. It's a great example of an episode in the series that hits all the right notes, with a near-perfect balance of creepy and fun. 

Final Rating: Afraid

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