Review of Night Terrors by 15thDoctor
23 April 2024
This review contains spoilers
An underrated gem with a flawless premise and a beautiful performance from a scared little boy. It is in my view Mark Gatiss’ most impactful story since The Unquiet Dead.
It’s so nice to have some Doctor Who which doesn’t feel the need to be BIG, IMPORTANT, or INTERCONNECTED. It feels like I’m finally catching my breath this series with the first monster of the week since The Doctor’s Wife. I’m so glad that over the years this has been the show’s default mode. It fits nicely.
Great to see a council house prominently displayed on the show after a couple of series that have focused on the posher end of society. It gives us a lovely set of characters.
The peg dolls, the dollhouse are great visuals, but it’s the alien boy with OCD trying to assimilate that is the most successful thing about this 45 minutes of TV. You can project a lot of meaning on him.
Feels like a lost series 5 episode. More of these please!