It's been a while since network television hosted a successful horror series, much less an anthology. Enter Fear Itself, NBC's foray into the world of dark fantasy. I am a fan of anthology horror, and there are several episodes of The Twilight Zone that still give me the creeps. Episodes such as "The Howling Man" and "The Shelter" still give off chills. The Outer Limits and The Night Stalker certainly had their moments, and even the obscure Darkroom and the better-known X-Files achieved some fine moments. These are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Fear Itself is a port of Masters of Horror, the short-lived Showtime series that had its ups and downs, but managed some truly exceptional work, like John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns," Dario Argento's mini-masterpiece "Jennifer" and Takashi Miike's "Imprint," a piece extreme enough to cause Showtime to shy away from its airing. Though it manages to capture the feel of MoH, it fails to deliver. The most recent installment, a nasty little short from Stuart Gordon (Re-animator), called "Eater," held the promise of some fine thrills, but ultimately fell flat. Upon examination, I believe this is due to the nature of network broadcasts.

When one looks at the seminal Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it's worth noting that the film contains several images that aren't necessarily part of the story, but begin to break down the viewer's distance, the comfortable state-of-mind that is anathema to horror writers and directors everywhere. The swarming spiders, the skeletal animals in hanging cages, all these elements work to create a sense of unease in the viewer. "Eater" approaches some of these images, but can't maintain the terror through ads for new Fall shows and deodorant. In the case of The X-Files, there is an element of camp (and some pretty fine writing) that carries this off. Fear Itself has neither the writing or the consistency to achieve the same.

It's unfortunate that the networks can't seem to get anthologies right, and perhaps it's as much the fault of the viewers. The Twilight Zone worked on such a metaphorical level, at times, that it felt more like a

a short story than a television show. If viewers continue to flock to the dumbed-down offering of the big four networks, why should they invest in top genre writers? Why should the films be little more than lead-ups to a handful of shocking images, rather than attempt to create true dread? An episode such as "The Shelter" mentioned above does little to make the viewer feel comfortable. In fact, it does everything to aim the mirror at ourselves and ask us "When we're under pressure, real life and death pressure, we're capable of some pretty awful behavior, aren't we?" It's sad that that seems like daring television, now.

One of these days, I'm sure someone will get it right, and anthologized horror and science fiction will again find its home on commercial television. Until then, we're better off without the near-misses of Fear Itself. As the old adage goes, just because you can do something doesn't always mean you should.