'Chiller' Cable Network Meets Its Icy Maker After 11-Year Run

Written Awash in Cable's Bloodbath by Bridger Cunningham

Being a broadcast cable network can be a frightening place in the Millennial Era  As this oft-insulted generation has done what the previous failed to do -- turn their backs on the piggish cable companies!  With that tragic note, Chiller becomes the latest cable network to shutter after an 11-year run on Sunday December 31, 2017 at 11:59pm.  Ratings data for the niche network is sparse at best, and the network's demise stems from failing to secure carriage deals from Dish and Verizon among other providers.  Chiller reached 40 Million homes and was launched by NBC Universal on March 1, 2017.  It catered to the thriller and horror fans, broadcasting movies and repeats of horror television shows.

A creative success as if avoided Channel Drifting in format, Chiller struggled against alternative platforms such as Netflix duplicating coverage of its shows.  Chiller only produced one original scripted series, 2016's Canadian-produced Slasher, which is now showcased on Netflix.  Chiller acquired several movies, as well as repeats of Reality-TV hit Fear Factor and anthology series Masters of Horror.  On July 30, 2014, NBCU folded parallel channel FearNet into Chiller after an 8-year run, condensing duplicate programming.  2017 spelled a swift decline for the network as NBCU cleaned house of networks such as Esquire.  Several carriage providers dropped the network starting with Dish on February 1, followed by Swift on April 25, Verizon Fios on October 2, Mediacom on October 23, and several Cox Communications outlet on November 8.  Enjoy the remaining weeks of its cable anomaly, as it never strayed in format like offenders MTV and VH1.

Sources:

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiller_(TV_channel)
(2) http://deadline.com/2017/11/chiller-shut-down-cable-channel-nbcuniversal-slasher-1202209932/

SLASHER: The Executioner -- A Review Cutting Friendly Canadian Stereotypes to Ribbons

Writing a Bloody Mess by Bridger Cunningham



Daring to find a new Netflix series which can conjure up scares more frightening than a Friday ratings report?  The United States' neighbor to the north managed to perfect s sleeper hit known to few, as it made a quiet debut on Canada's Premium Cable Super Channel and America's cable outlet Chiller.  Broken apart into an 8-episode season, Slasher crafted a clever murder mystery hinging on the seven deadly sins.  Set against a picturesque fictitious Canadian town of Waterbury, the idealistic setting holds a beautiful backdrop thinly guising the vile nature and actions the townsfolk have been hiding for decades.  Slasher is not produced to draw upon the Award-worthy nature of American counterparts Stranger Things, Twin Peaks or American Horror Story.  But rather, it delivers decent dialog against a well-constructed mystery and delivers a standalone product worthy of investing in if viewers yearn for frightful thrills and piquing their curiosity and theories as to the killer's identity and motive for unleashing mayhem.

McGrath, McLaren

Slasher manages to debut with a shocking, gruesome murder of two seemingly innocent people on Halloween 1988.  Out of this town's blemish, the daughter of one of the murdered principles returns as an adult to inhabit the infamous house where the murders took place.  Immediately, she is the beacon of speculation for sensationalist reporters, curious, friendly townsfolk and even a hateful neighbor who breaks the stereotype that all Canadians are jovial.  The heroine, Sarah and her husband Dylan (Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren) interact with local police officer Cam Henry (Steve Byers), his chief Iain Vaughn (Tori Spelling's spouse, Dean McDermott), local realtor Robin Turner (Christopher Jacot), his spouse Justin (Mark Ghanime), and Dylan's newspaper publisher Allison Sutherland (Mayko Nguyen).

Of course, not all in this town are friendly toward the Bennetts as grudging neighbor Verna McBride (politician/actress Mary Walsh) is too eager to pepper the young couple with insults and awkward exchanges. The characters meeting their grisly demises at the hands of the masked copycat Executioner are guilty of the seven deadly sins over the first 7 episodes -- Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Lust and Pride.  For those eager to locate clues lying in plain sight, pay attention to the chillingly appropriate title sequence.  The 2016 run manages to hook viewers with the first casualty being campy and humorous balanced with the right doses of shock and horror, hooking viewers to see who will meet their cleverly crafted and savage demise.  Throughout the 8-episode run, characters' vile misdeeds are explored, leading the audience to realize to the very end why they were chosen to meet grisly end.


Incarcerated Executioner Tom Winston (Patrick Garrow) plays the aiding villain as he aids Sarah in her quest to figure out why her friends, loved ones and neighbors are being picked off, and how this ties into her sudden return to the infamous town scarred by her birth.  The cast delivers on par, though the only demerit was the severe underuse of international star Wendy Crewson as Sarah's "grandmother."  At first glance, viewers appear to have to suspend disbelief that she plays the grandmother of a woman in her late 20's until further explanation is given why Sarah has a GILF.  That oversight aside, Slasher delivers on-par and has two seasons readily available for the globe via Netflix.  Dare to frighten yourself bemused and give Slasher a whirl if you crave a decent mystery.