TV episode review
UK airdate 12 March 2008 (BBC3); 19 March 2008 (BBC2)

While editing some old clips, a young film archivist is creeped out by strange images appearing on the film. And when the film is screened, with Ianto, Gwen and Owen in the audience, it is clear something supernatural is occurring. Soon people start turning up catatonic after a showman and a performer from The Night Travellers steal their breath…

From the haunting episode title to the mesmerising visual style, this instalment is a sheer delight.

It hits all the right notes and never seems derivative, even though its antecedents are clear. It might best be described as Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes crossed with a decidedly unromantic version of The Purple Rose of Cairo, but viewers may also notice shades of James Blaylock’s Land of Dreams and - perhaps inevitably as this episode is written by P.J. Hammond - Sapphire and Steel. Yet the episode still manages to be entirely dark and creepy in its own unique way.

Carnivals are always uncanny, and not just because of the clowns, and this is convincingly communicated through a stunning performance from Julian Bleach as the Ghostmaker (with a classic sequel hook; I for one am hoping he’s coming back).

This is a different kind of horror for Torchwood. It may not appeal to those viewers who are after a bit more action and excitement, but its quieter approach does deliver the shivers in abundance. Brigid Cherry

VERDICT: 9/10

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