Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 46 Mesmer's Bauble

Mesmer's Bauble originally aired on May 1, 1989. The original title for this episode was: The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble. This episode rarely appears in reruns. Vanity, who was a singer in the 80's guest stars and legal reasons could play a factor. The episode is intact in the DVD release though. This episode has some striking imagery though and I'm so glad I watched it. The cursed antique is a hypnotist's bauble that, after having hypnotized a person and had them kill themselves, grants whatever the owner wishes. There is a fairly edgy sex scene, as edgy as they could have gotten in 1989. It didn't feel like TV, it felt like a movie. The villain, who is a man first wishes to become beautiful, his face distorts and through sound effects we can feel his painful transformation. He then goes one step further he doesn't want to just have sex with the famous singer Angelica, he wants to become her. She literally is swallowed into him. Her arm goes under his skin. It's a spectacular make up episode. Once Micki and Ryan get the bauble back, there's one final transformation: that from beautiful woman to ugly man. We see that transformation too, especially some spinal work. It's incredible. This episode went back to what made the series great to begin with: amazing visual effects, interesting cursed objects, and the interaction between our main trio. It was a wonderful back to form.