TV Terror Tuesday - GOTCHA!

Ray Bradbury. If you don't recognize this name and the incredible resume attached to it then please, don't call yourself a horror, fantasy, or sci-fi fan. For many, Ray Bradbury was a renaissance in literature and inspired many writers to explore deeper into their own imagination. Like many of us, Mr. Bradbury grew up in a small town and had his imagination in place of materialistic amenities. There are so many written works to mention here in his honor as well as mention of all the awards his work gained him over the years, but for this particular entry, I would like to write about an episode of Ray Bradbury Theatre which aired in 1988 on the USA Network called "Gotcha!". Besides the fact that I didn't have cable growing up, and I would have been 5 years old at the time, this was something that was shared with me by my father years later thanks to the DVD box set release.

A man and a woman meet at a costume party; he is dressed as Oliver Hardy and she is dressed as Stan Laurel. They greet each other with a famous Laurel and Hardy quote, "Well, Stan, this is another fine mess you've gotten me in", and then needless to say they are smitten with each other and right away they fall in love. Deeper in love they fall and then before you know it, a romantic weekend is planned and, well...have 30 minutes to spare? 

Words do not explain the jolt that you may get from their night in a dark, seedy hotel room. Or maybe you'll just find it fun. Crazy witchery, disappearing acts, otherworldly supernatural happenings, and a cheers to "the last night of your life" creates an eyebrow raising moment for the viewer as tension builds and you're left wondering what's going to happen next. The first time I saw this, I wasn't really prepared for the "gotcha!" part. As she says to him before it happens, it will scare the HELL outta you. Again, maybe this is just hype but for the time that this aired on TV I'm sure many people found this episode quite jarring. Thanks to my dad, this is a nice little episode that I like to put on from time to time. Hope you enjoy...