Reality shows and horror are two things that rarely go well together. Sure, there are a variety of cooking shows that feature one-off Halloween-themed episodes showing off creepy baked goods to the delight of a gang of esteemed judges. I'm not talking about that.
What I'm suggesting is a series that mixes the challenge-focused sensibilities of Survivor with the tactile terror of The Blair Witch Project. Well, good news: I found a show that is exactly that.
I am talking about Shudder's first-ever competition series, Guts & Glory (which premiered on Oct. 14 and airs new episodes each Tuesday on Shudder and AMC Plus), and the creator/host is Greg Nicotero, special effects makeup artist, TV producer and filmmaker.
This is a series that operates under the familiar reality show rules where contestants are pit against each other to complete tasks and solve puzzles, all with the goal of outlasting everyone else to be the last one standing. And it does all this in a perceived reality of a horror movie. Each episode explores a different horror trope and subgenre, upping the ante as it progresses, with a collection of unsettling challenges.
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Greg Nicotero hosts Guts & Glory on Shudder and AMC Plus. Shudder
Nicotero's film credits span a wide range, from Evil Dead II to Aliens. Then there's AMC's The Walking Dead, where he has orchestrated the zombie apocalypse on TV for over a decade. Now, he's putting his mark on reality TV.
While I'm not one to watch shows of this ilk, his involvement piqued my curiosity. I decided to give the episodes a spin (I was sent advanced screeners of the season), and, once the credits rolled on the pilot episode, I was hooked.
First and foremost, we're introduced to a group of contestants that, after a while, felt like playable character types you'd find in a survival horror video game. I'm not sure if that's by design, but the casting lent a peculiar vibe to the proceedings, making everything feel slightly off-kilter.
When people started to die, I really leaned in.
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