Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 38 The Playhouse Review

The Playhouse originally aired on January 23, 1989. This is the third time writer/director Tom McLoughlin has contributed to the franchise. Luckily for him, this was his best contribution yet. He had previously done a terrible sequel, as well as a terrible episode, but this particular episode after a slew of forgettable duds is a knockout. The cursed antique is a playhouse that gives the owners (who are children) anything they want. However, they must trap happy children inside the playhouse through the power of hatred. The playhouse looks just like the house in Psycho, the original that is. Anybody else notice the reference to Psycho? A bar in the background was named Bates, pretty clever. This episode deals with child abuse, missing children, as well as how hateful children can truly be at times. Let's face it, nobody's born with a clean slate. How does Tom get away with all of it? It's quite simple: he gives it a happy ending. None of the children trapped inside the house die, but are released at the end. The two abused children learn the power to love and care for others and it's heavily hinted that they'll find a foster family of people who really care about them. Wow! It's almost like a Disney movie ending. This episode was truly disturbing at times, something the TV series hasn't been in a while. This was a great, unforgettable episode.