Suburban Screams

Last updated

Suburban Screams
Suburban Screams.jpg
Official release poster
Genre
Created by Jordan Roberts
ShowrunnerJordan Roberts
Music by John Carpenter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations Prague, Czech Republic
Running time39–44 minutes
Production companies
  • Storm King Productions
  • DIGA Studios
Original release
Network Peacock
ReleaseOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)

Suburban Screams (titled onscreen as John Carpenter's Suburban Screams) is an American documentary horror true crime anthology television series created by Jordan Roberts. The series is executive produced by Roberts, John Carpenter, Sandy King, Tony DiSanto, and Andy Portnoy.

Contents

The series debuted on Peacock on October 13, 2023, with all six episodes released simultaneously.

Cast

"Kelly"

"A Killer Comes Home"

"House Next Door"

"Bunny Man"

"Cursed Neighborhood"

"Phone Stalker"

Production

In May 2023, the series was announced by John Carpenter. [2] [3] The series was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic. [4] Carpenter revealed he directed an episode for the series via zoom calls from his home in Los Angeles. [4] The series is Carpenter's first project he directed since The Ward (2010). [5] Other episode directors include Michelle Latimer, Jan Pavlacky, and the series writer and showrunner Jordan Roberts. [5] Roberts also served as an executive producer, alongside Carpenter, Sandy King, Tony DiSanto, Patrick Smith, and Andy Portnoy. [5] Carpenter also served as the composer of the series' main theme. [5]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [5]
1"Kelly"Jan Pavlacky Jordan Roberts October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
After playing with a Ouija Board, Joey finds himself entangled in a murder mystery involving a ghost named "Kelly".
2"A Killer Comes Home"Jordan RobertsAmanda Deibert & Jordan RobertsOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
The story of serial killer Allan Legere as he returns to his suburban neighborhood of Chatham, New Brunswick, after escaping from prison.
3"House Next Door" Michelle Latimer Zack KahnOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Torrence falls in love with Fiona, a new girl in the town, but suspects her house is haunted.
4"Bunny Man"Jan PavlackyZack KahnOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Various accounts from interviewees about the urban legend of the Bunny Man in Fairfax County, Virginia.
5"Cursed Neighborhood"Michelle LatimerAmanda DeibertOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
After moving into their new home, the Norwood family encounters various supernatural incidents that affect their familial bond.
6"Phone Stalker" John Carpenter Amanda DeibertOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
A stalker torments Beth via technology, ruining her relationships and psychological wellbeing.

Release

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams debuted on Peacock on October 13, 2023, with all six episodes released simultaneously. [5]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 18% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with a critics consensus of: "Even with the welcome return of the Master of Horror, Suburban Screams is muffled by rather pedestrian execution". [6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 30 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "Generally Unfavorable" reviews. [7]

Aramide Tinubu of Variety gave a negative review, concluding that "unfortunately, instead of the sinister narratives that fans have come to expect from Carpenter, this series is a cheap display of ghastly crimes." [8] Katie Rife of IGN also gave a negative review, summarzing that the series "is a typical true crime series in every way, except for the participation of John Carpenter and his family. Their contributions are minimal enough, and halfhearted enough, to not make much of a difference, however." [9] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com simarily felt that the series "doesn't deserve [Carpenter]'s name". [10] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter also commented on Carpenter's involvement with the series, elaborating that "without the attachment of Carpenter's name, Suburban Screams would just be negligible, but probably unreviewed. With his name, it's disappointingly negligible and here we are." [11]

Future

In October 2023, producer Sandy King expressed interest in making further seasons, saying "I think that it would be really fun to see how deep we can go and how many weird things really happen". [12]

References

  1. Yamato, Jen (October 10, 2023). "John Carpenter returns to the director's chair with true terror anthology 'Suburban Screams'". LA Times . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  2. Smith, Jeremy (May 31, 2023). "The Thing 2: John Carpenter Is 'Sworn To Secrecy,' But Teases A Sequel To His Horror Classic". /Film . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  3. Catt, Chris (May 29, 2023). "John Carpenter Teases 'The Thing 2' and Talks About His Latest Directing Work at Texas Frightmare Weekend". Creepy Catalog. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Bergeson, Samantha (June 2, 2023). "John Carpenter Returns to Directing with TV Series He Made from His Couch". IndieWire . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Petski, Denise (September 15, 2023). "'Suburban Screams' Trailer: John Carpenter Returns To Directing After 13 Years With Peacock Unscripted Horror Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  6. "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  7. "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams: Season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  8. Tinubu, Aramide (October 13, 2023). "John Carpenter's 'Suburban Screams' Shuns Horror for Exploitative Depictions of Crime: TV Review". Variety . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  9. Rife, Katie (October 16, 2023). "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams Review". IGN . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  10. Tallerico, Brian (October 9, 2023). "John Carpenter Returns with Peacock Project That Doesn't Deserve His Name". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  11. Fienberg, Daniel (October 12, 2023). "'John Carpenter's Suburban Screams' Review: Peacock's Ho-Hum Horror-Doc Hybrid Fails to Live Up to Its Title". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  12. Bennett, Tara (October 12, 2023). "How John Carpenter Was Lured to TV for Peacock's Suburban Screams". Syfy . Retrieved September 7, 2025.