The first of four very spooky stories!

We've heard the Doctor and Nyssa out of their depth before, but I think this is the first time they're properly scared. Right from the start, it's disorienting and sets the tone as terrifying, which is brilliant. There's a real nuance in Peter Davison's performance that I've never heard before, trying to take command as he usually does but always slightly frightened. He's constantly captivating and a moment at the end allows him to reflect on the events of the previous night with solemnity - there's so much range for Davison to get his teeth into and it's brilliant for him. Unfortunately for Nyssa, I feel like she's so out of character here. She's proven time and time again that she's become more independent, at this point in her life she's almost an equal to the Doctor rather than a daughter to him; so why is she so weak and feeble, constantly relying upon the Doctor to rescue her? I also don't get why she'd be trying to reassure him that their deaths are a good thing - she plays a very stereotypical supporting protagonist in a horror movie, not Nyssa - and I don't like it. There's some nice references to Traken and allows her to reflect on that, something that the show doesn't do often.

The main problem with this story is that it tries to do too much in half an hour - introducing the Speera, explaining their culture and religion, their invasion plans, impersonating the Doctor and Nyssa and 98 other humans, their motives. There's a lot going on which makes it feel incredibly rushed. As well as this, they play on very common horror tropes, which work to an extent, but when they're hyped up to be a scary threat and defeated in a manner of seconds, it ruins the impact a little.

The setting of Red Lodge is alright - it helps to create a scary atmosphere, but I don't think it's ever used to its full potential. There's moments where it falls back on, again, the typical horror genre, and I like the way that this is obviously meant to be an homage to Friday the 13th, "campfire/stalker" vibe, but it never fully works for me, unfortunately.

Something I do enjoy is the way that these unique side characters are introduced, only for them to strip back and reveal themselves as the Speera. There's some interesting dialogue which feels out of place coming from their mouths, only because it's not their dialogue - it's the Doctor's and Nyssa's.

The music is tense and possibly one of the best parts of this episode. The percussion really sells the atmosphere as creepy and eerie throughout, it's a very strong score.

Favourite Line: It's just that, for some time now, I haven't really allowed myself to think about Traken. About my father. The Speera in my mind brought everything back. They were good memories, Doctor. Happy memories. They haven't been so happy in a long time.

It's an alright episode - creepy, atmospheric, and obviously references the usual horror films we've come to expect from Halloween - but it's not incredibly original and a bit rushed, and the character work isn't always the best. Good, but not amazing.