The Thing from the Grave
It's true that love conquers all, even death.
Crypt Keeper: (reading a "Playdead" magazine; he notices the camera) Oops! Looks like you caught the old Crypt Keeper checking out one of his ghoulie magazines. (cackles) Which gives you a little hint about tonight's dead-time story. It's all about the way some guys just die over a pretty girl. But don't worry, kiddies, if it starts to reek a little of rotten romance, I think the title of our nasty narrative makes no bones about where its heart is really at. I call it: The Thing From the Grave.
Swimsuit model Stacy (Teri Hatcher) falls in love with her photographer Devlin Cates (Kyle Secor) during her latest shoot. When her jealous and violently abusive manager/fiancée Mitch (Miguel Ferrer) finds out, he threatens Devlin to stay away from his soon-to-be wife. Devlin offers Stacy a spare key to his apartment, just in case she needs a safe place to go, as well as a necklace evidently belonging to the Mayan God of Truth as a present. Mitch soon finds out about the affair and kills Devlin, burying him in a shallow grave. Before Mitch can do the same to Stacy, the necklace Devlin gave her allows for his love to overcome death itself.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Explanation: Devlin rises from the dead thanks to a magic necklace that binds him to his promise to protect Stacy. The comic implies that it was The Power of Love itself.
- Adaptational Name Change: Stacy, Devlin, and Mitch were originally Laura, James, and Bill.
- Artifact of Power: Devlin gives Stacy a necklace worn by the Mayan God of Truth given to him by a blind old lady, and makes a promise on it to always be there for her. The necklace helps him keep that promise by reanimating him into a zombie who seeks out and kills Mitch.
- As the Good Book Says...: During his confrontation with Devlin, Mitch cites the commandment of not coveting thy neighbor's wife. When Devlin comes back with the commandment about not killing, Mitch simply says "Fuck it." and shoots him in the chest.
- Asshole Victim: Mitch, in spades.
- Attempted Rape: When Stacy discovers what happened to Devlin, Mitch abducts her, ties her to her bed, and prepares to rape her before killing her. As she cries for help, Devlin rises from the grave and shambles to the cabin to save her.
- Back from the Dead: Devlin comes back as an undead corpse to save Stacy from Mitch, who was about to murder her over the affair she had with the photographer.
- Big Damn Heroes: A rare case in this show when the monster functions as this. Devlin returns as a wrathful, rotting corpse to save the helpless Stacy from Mitch.
- Big "NO!": Mitch, as he's buried alive by the zombified Devlin.
- Bittersweet Ending: Stacy loses Devlin, but he manages to come back from the dead to save her from being killed by Mitch.
- Bookends: Devlin is buried in a shallow grave by Mitch. The ending has Devlin crawling back inside the grave, taking a screaming Mitch with him.
- Bound and Gagged: Stacy is subjected to this when Mitch abducts her.
- Buried Alive: The zombified Devlin kills Mitch by burying him in the former's grave.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Stacy admits that she's been staying with Mitch because she owed him money, but after her debt has already been repaid, she refuses to tell him that she doesn't want to be together anymore because she's scared of what he'll do.
- Chiaroscuro: Stacy and Devlin's first kiss is framed as their silhouettes embracing on a sunset-colored backdrop, not unlike the shoot where they met.
- Cold Open: Devlin speeds through the night over suspenseful music and arrives at a cabin, where Mitch shoots him to death and buries him.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Mitch is very possessive and abusive toward Stacy. When she starts a relationship with Devlin and he finds out, he plans to kill them both.
- Creepy Good: You wouldn't expect a nightmarish zombie to be the hero, but Devlin clearly cares about rescuing Stacy and punishing Mitch
- Fingore: After realizing that he's fallen into the open grave, Mitch attempts to climb out to safety. The zombified Devlin brings the shovel down on his hand, cutting off four of Mitch's fingers. He then uses Mitch's blood to write "She's Mine" on a nearby rock.
- Foreshadowing: When Mitch arrives at Stacy's photoshoot, she looks nervous and flips out over Devlin thinking he wants her, hinting at his violent temper.
- Hate Sink: Mitch Bruckner, Stacy's fiancé and manager. He's violently abusive, sees his girlfriend as a moneymaker, kills Devlin when she falls in love with him, then prepares to kill her to cover his tracks, after tying her up and nearly raping her.
- How We Got Here: Once the episode opens with Devlin's death, it brings the audience to the day he and Stacy first met and fell in love.
- Ignored Epiphany: While he's getting rid of Devlin, Mitch notes the Commandment about not coveting thy neighbor's wife. Before being shot, Devlin points out there's also a commandment about not killing. Mitch appears to consider this, before saying "Fuck it." and shooting him anyway.
- In Medias Res: The episode starts off with Devlin and Mitch's confrontation in the forest, before it flashes back to the day Devlin and Stacy met.
- Ironic Echo: Mitch tells Devlin "She's mine!" before burying him and apologies for the lack of a tombstone. Devlin writes that same phrase on a rock with Mitch's blood, making an epitaph for the makeshift tombstone for their grave.
- Ironic Name: In spite of the name, Devlin is a genuinely good guy.
- It's All About Me: Mitch only cares about himself, claiming to "own" Stacy like property and selling her out to make himself money.
- I Was Young and Needed the Money: Stacy's a swimsuit model, and she's implied to have stayed with Devlin because she needed money, then subsequently owed him money.
- Karmic Death: Mitch shoots Devlin and buries him in a shallow grave. When Devlin returns from the dead, he drags Mitch into the same grave to bury him alive.
- Lampshade Hanging: The Crypt Keeper talks about how this episode is a love story, but he's sure to note that the title should make it clear that the viewers should expect the usual horror tropes.
- Lingerie Scene: Stacy gets one as she's tied to the bed.
- Ms. Fanservice: Stacy, as played by Teri Hatcher. Especially in her swimsuit and lingerie scenes.
- Nice Guy: Devlin offers Stacy a spare key to his apartment if she needs to get away from Mitch for a while, and also gives her the supernatural necklace that allows him to return from the grave to save her.
- No-Sell: Mitch tries shooting the zombified Devlin, but upon seeing that it didn't work, he runs for it.
- Offscreen Teleportation: As soon as Stacy finds Devlin's abandoned apartment and plays Mitch's message on his answering machine, Mitch himself appears behind her to kidnap her.
- Revenant Zombie: Devlin comes Back from the Dead to keep his promise to protect Stacy thanks to the magic necklace he gave her.
- Rise from Your Grave: When Stacy screams for help as Mitch prepares to kill her, Devlin's hand bursts out of the grave where Mitch buried him. A series of intercut shots then show Devlin hauling himself out of the ground and coming to Stacy's rescue.
- Sinister Surveillance: Mitch is seen sitting in his car as Stacy and Devlin kiss, watching them through binoculars.
- Taking You with Me: The zombified Devlin kills Mitch by burying him in the grave the latter dug for him.
- Tempting Fate: Mitch brags to bound and gagged Stacy that he murdered Devlin and he can't save her. Cut to Devlin's corpse rising from the grave after hearing Stacy scream for help.
- Villainous Breakdown: Mitch is reduced to begging and pleading as the zombified Devlin chases him right into his open grave, then proceeds to bury him alive.
- Villains Want Mercy: Mitch begs the zombified Devlin not to kill him, to absolutely no effect.
Crypt Keeper: (still flipping through his "Playdead" magazine) Awwwww. Wasn't that romantic? Blech! I would have called tonight's fear fable a "Boy meets Ghoul" story, except the boy was the ghoul this time! Right, kiddies? Which leaves poor little Stacy fresh out of boyfriends. Oh well, I'm sure she'll dig one up somewhere! (cackles)
