Quibi is the latest streaming service that everyone is talking about. A mashup of the words “quick” and “bites,” Quibi’s concept is fast entertainment. Each show’s episodes are 10 minutes or less and don’t require a whole lot of commitment. 

With more time to indulge in screen time (thanks, quarantine 🙄), exploring new shows has never been easier. With Quibi’s sweet 90-day free trial, there was no reason not to check out the pickings.

As a folklore fanatic and horror junkie, the first show I jumped into was 50 States of Fright: an anthology built around modern reimaginings of timeless folklore, urban legends, and spooky supernatural tales.

“The Golden Arm”

★★ out of ★★★★★

Set in Michigan, “The Golden Arm” opens with a confessional approach. Looking directly at the camera, a plaid-clad small towner named Andy (John Marshall Jones, Paradise Lost) reminisces about his friend Dave (Travis Fimmel, Vikings). Right from the get-go, we get the sense that some kind of tragedy has befallen Dave. 

The point of view quickly switches to the past and Dave’s perspective. A successful lumberjack, Dave is hardworking, humble, and entirely devoted to his vapid wife, Heather (Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). 

With as much personality as the trees her husband saws down, the golden-haired beauty flounces about the town in her floral frocks. Hoeing her garden in gauzy haute couture dresses and blowing hundreds of dollars on necklaces, it’s not difficult to see Heather’s character for the shallow and vain woman she is. 

Predictably, Heather gets her comeuppance in a tragic accident that results in the loss of her arm. Driven by Brosnahan’s one-note performance, we witness Heather’s Veruca Salt-esque demands for a golden prosthetic arm . . . and know without a shadow of a doubt it’s not going to end well. 

When a film or show has a mere three characters, even a single weak performance can cause the entire production to nose dive. In “The Golden Arm”, Brosnahan, Fimmel, and Jones all play uninspired characters. While the cast doesn’t phone in it, the scrawny plot and weak writing make it a near Herculean task to elevate this episode beyond yet another unremarkable mass-produced McHorror offering. 

“The Golden Arm” Isn’t a Complete Bust, Though 

50 States of Fright’s first episode isn’t campy or low-budget, I’ll give it that much. There’s also nothing to complain about on a technical level. The sound design, sets, and camerawork are adequate. Ok, so, they don’t push the envelope in any way . . . but they don’t flop like the flimsy characters and poor script. 

Aside from one truly chilling scene in the final act, this “quick bite” adaptation of the timeless “Golden Arm” folktale doesn’t hold a candle to the original story as it appears on paper. (One of my personal favorites? Folklorist Joseph Jacobs’ take on the tale in his collection English Fairytales.)

That scene? Heather’s desecrated, reanimated corpse shuddering as she heaves herself up a flight of stairs with her ruined, decaying feet. Clutching an axe to support her body as she stumbles up each step, the thunk thunk thunk of the blade on the wood sounds out like a heartbeat. If only all of the three-part episode could have that same unnerving energy!

Instead, the most frightening thing about “The Golden Arm” is that it came from prolific horror director and producer Sam Raimi. 

So, “The Golden Arm” didn’t win me over. 

But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to write 50 States of Fright off. It is a folklore-based anthology after all, and I’m always on the hunt for spooky new takes on time-honored classics. Each episode clocking in at 15 minutes or less certainly helps too. 

Have you watched 50 States of Fright or any of the shows streaming on Quibi yet?

Note: this is not a Quibi ad or endorsement. Just a freelance entertainment writer watching and reviewing the shows it has to offer.