Pavor Nocturnus (Sanctuary)
Encyclopedia
"Pavor Nocturnus" is the fifth episode of the second season
of Canadian
television series Sanctuary, and is the 18th episode overall. The episode first aired on Syfy
in the United States
on November 6, 2009. It was written by Damian Kindler
and James Thorpe, and was directed by Brenton Spencer. In the episode, Helen Magnus
(Amanda Tapping
) awakens in a future
where Earth
is devastated by a plague that turned all but a handful of the human population
into savage zombie-like creatures.
The idea behind "Pavor Nocturnus" came after Damian Kindler saw the film I Am Legend
, and wanted to show a "what if" scenario, showing Magnus' work going "horribly wrong". To give the practical sets a more post-apocalyptic feel, the production crew added several wrecked cars
and several bags full of dead leaves
. The episode was viewed by 1.4 million Americans after its original broadcast, a drop from the previous episode, and received generally mixed reviews, though one reviewer believed this to be a standout episode of the second season. It was nominated for a total of six awards; one Constellation Award and five Leo Awards, winning three.
s, who proceed to capture and decontaminate her. Magnus is later shocked to discover that her protégé, Will Zimmerman
(Robin Dunne
), is the leader of the survivalist
group. Unlike his original personality, Zimmerman is acting far more violent and aggressive, and believes Magnus to be an imposter, citing she died three years ago. As more creatures attack the base, Magnus escapes and returns to the Sanctuary, where on the way she is joined by a young girl, Jessica Mitchell (Nicole Muñoz).
Zimmerman returns to the Sanctuary also after his unit are killed by the attacks. Now believing Magnus is who she says she is, Zimmerman recounts the events of the plague to her; ten years ago, a contagion was released in Old City, transforming humans to cannibalistic creatures. When containing the city failed, the disease spread throughout the globe and despite her best efforts, Magnus could not find a cure and was eventually killed in Buenos Aires
. Several world governments deployed nuclear weapon
s in an attempt to stop the threat until they fell. All Sanctuary personnel apart from Zimmerman were killed in the process. Only around 100,000 unaffected humans remain in colonies in the Arctic
and remote islands. Jessica is revealed to be infected and alerts the creatures to the Sanctuary after she transforms, forcing Zimmerman to kill her. Both Magnus and Zimmerman fortify one section of the Sanctuary so Magnus can learn, via computer files, how the plague started. Zimmerman is revealed to have been infected during his last skirmish, and sacrifices himself to buy Magnus more time.
Magnus realises that before the outbreak began, she was on a mission in Honduras
; tired of losing people she loved, most recently daughter Ashley, she was researching for a way to "cure" her immortality
. She found out about a Mayan
elixir
, which allows immortals to age at a normal rate. But by taking the vial she also inadvertently released the contagion (it is also believed the elixir was responsible for the fall of the Mayan civilisation). Before she can die at the hands of the creatures, she is sent back to the same moment she discovered the vial by an incorporeal Abnormal (called a "sentient mist" by the producers); the Abnormal is revealed to be a guardian of the vial and transported Magnus to the future to show her the potential consequences of her actions. She leaves the vial behind and returns to the Sanctuary.
The idea behind "Pavor Nocturnus" came before production started on the second season. Damian Kindler wanted to write a "what if" scenario to the viewers, showing Magnus' work going "horribly wrong". Kindler once saw I Am Legend, and practically wanted to "rip it off" with a Sanctuary-esque story behind it. It was written to be more about Magnus and Zimmerman than the "zombies;" by doing the opposite—the episode being more about the zombies and Magnus spending most of the episode finding a cure—it would not be as interesting. Kindler ran out of time to allow the episode to move at the correct pace, and asked James Thorpe to co-write it with him; out of the five acts, Thorpe wrote the first two acts, while Kindler wrote the remaining three. Kindler liked Thorpe's contribution towards the episode for including much of the imagination and ideas towards it.
In one scene, Zimmerman says the line "let's do the time warp again", a reference to the song "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
. In regards to Zimmerman's fate during his last fight against the zombies, Kindler originally wanted Zimmerman to "suicide bomb
" himself, but later chose to have his death unseen. The ending, where Magnus is transported from the post-apocalyptic future to the present, was written in a way that Kindler wanted the audience to discuss whether it was a case of time travel
or merely a "psychological dream." The scene between Magnus and Zimmerman after her return at the very end of the episode was originally meant to be light hearted, but toned this down somewhat as the producers felt that doing so would betray the audience, though they decided Zimmerman was allowed to have a playful attitude, since he did not see the dystopia
Magnus saw.
In the end, it took Kindler and Thorpe seven days to write the episode, a relatively quick time for writing a Sanctuary episode. Because of the horror element of the episode, including the "horrible" fate of Jessica Mitchell, "Pavor Nocturnus" was the first episode in the first two seasons Damian Kindler truly felt was not suitable for children. Also because of this, and the inclusion of an "assault" of a naked woman, considered taboo
by the producers, Kindler did not want to include those scenes in any future episodes.
. Half of it was filmed using green screen
, while the other half was filmed using practical sets in Studio One at The Bridge Studios
in Burnaby, British Columbia
. One of the sets included the dilapidated city streets. The production crew purposely "destroyed" the street set, by placing several wrecked cars and emptied several bags full of dead leaves, then later created artificial rain
and use several fans to simulate wind
; this gave the sets more of a post-apocalyptic feel. Doing so also made the floors very slippery for the cast. Being primarily a Magnus-focused episode, actress Amanda Tapping spent most of the seven filming days cold and wet.
The scene where Tapping had to strip and be hosed down with water was the hardest sequence Tapping had filmed in her entire acting career; Tapping "bawled [her] eyes out" between takes. Shooting the sequence was also hard on the crew who were present on set. Because the producers believe the audience could misconstrued the scene as Magnus being rape
d, before shooting the sequence Tapping asked director Brenton Spencer not to make it sexual in any way. The two stunt actors who hosed her with water were the same stunt actors Tapping worked with for years during her tenure on Stargate SG-1
; Tapping chose the actors because of her trust with them. The scene, written by James Thorpe, was initially considered to be cut by Kindler as soon as the script was completed; Kindler was against the idea, but eventually decided to keep it, realising it would be a harrowing moment for Magnus.
Robin Dunne altered his appearance for a more "post-apocalyptic warrior look." This included the addition of scars, a "funky eye" contact lens
, and a mullet
, which Kindler believed was "ubiquitus" for the look. Tapping noted that seeing Zimmerman's altered appearance for the first time "creeped [her] out." She also stated that while Dunne played the darker version of Zimmerman, she felt there were times he "really wanted to punch [her] in the face." Martin Wood believed Dunne did "an amazing job" playing the most unlike Zimmerman. Throughout filming, Dunne and Tapping performed their own stunts. The episode became one of the most expensive in the series, partially due to the rather extensive use of prosthetic makeup
. The destroyed city skyline was in fact a painting
made by the production designers. Andrew Lockington
composed the score
of the episode. Damian Kindler was receptive towards Lockington's work, stating that he "sustains this very very heavy tone, and he keeps it there."
.
Critical reaction towards the episode were mixed. Rob Vaux of Mania.com graded it a C+; Vaux said that the "we've seen [the Zombie apocalypse
] scenario too many times before." Vaux noted the "plenty of House of the Dead
-style kung fu
", but felt Tapping did not "have that Bruce Lee
vibe." Dunne's portrayal received a mixed response, stating "the script doesn't give him much to do besides bark out exposition and snarl with hatred at the faceless enemy," though he and Tapping did "succeed in evoking an entire end-of-the-world scenario with just a few terse lines of dialogue." In review of the first and second season releases on Blu-ray Disc
, Michael Simpson of CinemaSpy named the episode "Sanctuary's take on I Am Legend
", but thought the plot was "derivative". However, from a visual effects stand point, Simpson called the episode a "highlight of the second season", adding "the post-apocalyptic world created by the effects team at Anthem is worthy of a motion picture and together with the gritty production design looks disturbingly real". In review of the second season, David Blackwell of Enterline Media named "Pavor Nocturnus" as a standout episode, along with "Veritas" and "Haunted".
In total, the episode received six award nominations; one Constellation Award, and five Leo Awards. Robin Dunne was nominated for a Constellation Award for "Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode" for his portrayal as Will Zimmerman in the episode, but narrowly lost out to David Tennant
from the Doctor Who
episode "The Waters of Mars
". However, Dunne did win the "Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series" in the 2010 Leo Awards. Director Brenton Spencer also won "Best Direction in a Dramatic Series", while Christina McQuarrie won "Best Costume Design in a Dramatic Series" for their roles in the episode. Make-up artists Francesca von Zimmermann and Andrea Manchur were nominated for "Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series", but lost out to another team from "Fragments", another Sanctuary episode. Amanda Tapping was nominated for "Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series", but lost to Erin Karpluk
from Being Erica.
Sanctuary (season 2)
The second season of the Canadian science fiction–fantasy television series Sanctuary premiered on Space in Canada and on Syfy in the United States on October 9, 2009, and concluded on the same channel on January 15, 2010 after 13 episodes...
of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television series Sanctuary, and is the 18th episode overall. The episode first aired on Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 6, 2009. It was written by Damian Kindler
Damian Kindler
Damian Kindler is an Australian-born Canadian writer and producer. He emigrated to Toronto, Canada, when he was young. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. He lives with his wife and his two children Hannah and Phoebe Kindler.He is most noted for his contributions to the Stargate...
and James Thorpe, and was directed by Brenton Spencer. In the episode, Helen Magnus
Helen Magnus
Doctor Helen Magnus is the series protagonist and central character of the Canadian fantasy-science fiction television series Sanctuary. She is portrayed by Amanda Tapping...
(Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping is an English-born Canadian actress, producer and director. She is best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis...
) awakens in a future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
where Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is devastated by a plague that turned all but a handful of the human population
World population
The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. As of today, it is estimated to be billion by the United States Census Bureau...
into savage zombie-like creatures.
The idea behind "Pavor Nocturnus" came after Damian Kindler saw the film I Am Legend
I Am Legend (film)
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
, and wanted to show a "what if" scenario, showing Magnus' work going "horribly wrong". To give the practical sets a more post-apocalyptic feel, the production crew added several wrecked cars
CARS
Cars, or automobiles, motor cars, are wheeled motor vehicles used for transporting passengers.Cars or CARS may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Cars , a Disney/Pixar film series...
and several bags full of dead leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
. The episode was viewed by 1.4 million Americans after its original broadcast, a drop from the previous episode, and received generally mixed reviews, though one reviewer believed this to be a standout episode of the second season. It was nominated for a total of six awards; one Constellation Award and five Leo Awards, winning three.
Plot
Helen Magnus awakens in a dilapidated corrider in the Sanctuary and finds that both the building, and the surrounding city skyline lie in ruins; Magnus has no memory on how the devastation occurred. While venturing the streets, Magnus finds herself under attack by a savage humanoid creature, but is saved by two men in Hazmat suitHazmat suit
A hazmat suit is a garment worn as protection from hazardous materials or substances. A hazmat suit is generally combined with breathing apparatus for protection and may be used by firefighters, emergency personnel responding to toxic spills, researchers, specialists cleaning up contaminated...
s, who proceed to capture and decontaminate her. Magnus is later shocked to discover that her protégé, Will Zimmerman
Will Zimmerman
Doctor William "Will" Zimmerman is a main character and male lead of the Canadian fantasy-science fiction television series Sanctuary. He is portrayed by Robin Dunne...
(Robin Dunne
Robin Dunne
Robin Dunne is a Canadian actor who is mainly known for having had numerous leading roles in sequels throughout his career, and lately for his role as Doctor Will Zimmerman in the cult Science fiction Television series, Sanctuary....
), is the leader of the survivalist
Survivalism
Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order...
group. Unlike his original personality, Zimmerman is acting far more violent and aggressive, and believes Magnus to be an imposter, citing she died three years ago. As more creatures attack the base, Magnus escapes and returns to the Sanctuary, where on the way she is joined by a young girl, Jessica Mitchell (Nicole Muñoz).
Zimmerman returns to the Sanctuary also after his unit are killed by the attacks. Now believing Magnus is who she says she is, Zimmerman recounts the events of the plague to her; ten years ago, a contagion was released in Old City, transforming humans to cannibalistic creatures. When containing the city failed, the disease spread throughout the globe and despite her best efforts, Magnus could not find a cure and was eventually killed in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Several world governments deployed nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s in an attempt to stop the threat until they fell. All Sanctuary personnel apart from Zimmerman were killed in the process. Only around 100,000 unaffected humans remain in colonies in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and remote islands. Jessica is revealed to be infected and alerts the creatures to the Sanctuary after she transforms, forcing Zimmerman to kill her. Both Magnus and Zimmerman fortify one section of the Sanctuary so Magnus can learn, via computer files, how the plague started. Zimmerman is revealed to have been infected during his last skirmish, and sacrifices himself to buy Magnus more time.
Magnus realises that before the outbreak began, she was on a mission in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
; tired of losing people she loved, most recently daughter Ashley, she was researching for a way to "cure" her immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. She found out about a Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
elixir
Elixir
An elixir is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medicinal purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's ills. When used as a pharmaceutical preparation, an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orally....
, which allows immortals to age at a normal rate. But by taking the vial she also inadvertently released the contagion (it is also believed the elixir was responsible for the fall of the Mayan civilisation). Before she can die at the hands of the creatures, she is sent back to the same moment she discovered the vial by an incorporeal Abnormal (called a "sentient mist" by the producers); the Abnormal is revealed to be a guardian of the vial and transported Magnus to the future to show her the potential consequences of her actions. She leaves the vial behind and returns to the Sanctuary.
Conception and writing
In one scene, Zimmerman says the line "let's do the time warp again", a reference to the song "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
. In regards to Zimmerman's fate during his last fight against the zombies, Kindler originally wanted Zimmerman to "suicide bomb
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
" himself, but later chose to have his death unseen. The ending, where Magnus is transported from the post-apocalyptic future to the present, was written in a way that Kindler wanted the audience to discuss whether it was a case of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
or merely a "psychological dream." The scene between Magnus and Zimmerman after her return at the very end of the episode was originally meant to be light hearted, but toned this down somewhat as the producers felt that doing so would betray the audience, though they decided Zimmerman was allowed to have a playful attitude, since he did not see the dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
Magnus saw.
In the end, it took Kindler and Thorpe seven days to write the episode, a relatively quick time for writing a Sanctuary episode. Because of the horror element of the episode, including the "horrible" fate of Jessica Mitchell, "Pavor Nocturnus" was the first episode in the first two seasons Damian Kindler truly felt was not suitable for children. Also because of this, and the inclusion of an "assault" of a naked woman, considered taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
by the producers, Kindler did not want to include those scenes in any future episodes.
Filming and music
The majority of the episode was filmed in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
. Half of it was filmed using green screen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
, while the other half was filmed using practical sets in Studio One at The Bridge Studios
The Bridge Studios
The Bridge Studios is a Canadian film studio in Burnaby, British Columbia. It operates the largest effects stage in North America. Its eight studios, ranging in size from to , are located on a lot at 2400 Boundary Road, in Burnaby....
in Burnaby, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. One of the sets included the dilapidated city streets. The production crew purposely "destroyed" the street set, by placing several wrecked cars and emptied several bags full of dead leaves, then later created artificial rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
and use several fans to simulate wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
; this gave the sets more of a post-apocalyptic feel. Doing so also made the floors very slippery for the cast. Being primarily a Magnus-focused episode, actress Amanda Tapping spent most of the seven filming days cold and wet.
The scene where Tapping had to strip and be hosed down with water was the hardest sequence Tapping had filmed in her entire acting career; Tapping "bawled [her] eyes out" between takes. Shooting the sequence was also hard on the crew who were present on set. Because the producers believe the audience could misconstrued the scene as Magnus being rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, before shooting the sequence Tapping asked director Brenton Spencer not to make it sexual in any way. The two stunt actors who hosed her with water were the same stunt actors Tapping worked with for years during her tenure on Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
; Tapping chose the actors because of her trust with them. The scene, written by James Thorpe, was initially considered to be cut by Kindler as soon as the script was completed; Kindler was against the idea, but eventually decided to keep it, realising it would be a harrowing moment for Magnus.
Robin Dunne altered his appearance for a more "post-apocalyptic warrior look." This included the addition of scars, a "funky eye" contact lens
Contact lens
A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
, and a mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
, which Kindler believed was "ubiquitus" for the look. Tapping noted that seeing Zimmerman's altered appearance for the first time "creeped [her] out." She also stated that while Dunne played the darker version of Zimmerman, she felt there were times he "really wanted to punch [her] in the face." Martin Wood believed Dunne did "an amazing job" playing the most unlike Zimmerman. Throughout filming, Dunne and Tapping performed their own stunts. The episode became one of the most expensive in the series, partially due to the rather extensive use of prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...
. The destroyed city skyline was in fact a painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
made by the production designers. Andrew Lockington
Andrew Lockington
Andrew Lockington is a Canadian film score composer, who composes scores for American and Canadian films. He was born July 31, 1974 in Burlington, Ontario....
composed the score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
of the episode. Damian Kindler was receptive towards Lockington's work, stating that he "sustains this very very heavy tone, and he keeps it there."
Reception
A drop of almost 200,000 viewers from the previous episode, "Hero", "Pavor Nocturnus" was viewed by 1.420 million Americans, making Sanctuary the sixth most seen series from Syfy the week it aired, and was the second highest viewing the day it aired, behind Stargate UniverseStargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
.
Critical reaction towards the episode were mixed. Rob Vaux of Mania.com graded it a C+; Vaux said that the "we've seen [the Zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
] scenario too many times before." Vaux noted the "plenty of House of the Dead
House of the Dead (film)
House of the Dead is a 2003 action-horror film adaptation of the successful 1996 light gun arcade game of the same name produced by Sega. The film was directed by Uwe Boll. The film was universally panned by critics.-Plot:...
-style kung fu
Kung fu (term)
Kung fu or gongfu or gung fu is a Chinese term often used in the West to refer to Chinese martial arts.Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial...
", but felt Tapping did not "have that Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
vibe." Dunne's portrayal received a mixed response, stating "the script doesn't give him much to do besides bark out exposition and snarl with hatred at the faceless enemy," though he and Tapping did "succeed in evoking an entire end-of-the-world scenario with just a few terse lines of dialogue." In review of the first and second season releases on Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
, Michael Simpson of CinemaSpy named the episode "Sanctuary's take on I Am Legend
I Am Legend (film)
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
", but thought the plot was "derivative". However, from a visual effects stand point, Simpson called the episode a "highlight of the second season", adding "the post-apocalyptic world created by the effects team at Anthem is worthy of a motion picture and together with the gritty production design looks disturbingly real". In review of the second season, David Blackwell of Enterline Media named "Pavor Nocturnus" as a standout episode, along with "Veritas" and "Haunted".
In total, the episode received six award nominations; one Constellation Award, and five Leo Awards. Robin Dunne was nominated for a Constellation Award for "Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode" for his portrayal as Will Zimmerman in the episode, but narrowly lost out to David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
from the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "The Waters of Mars
The Waters of Mars
"The Waters of Mars" is the second 2009 special of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on BBC One on 15 November 2009. It aired on BBC America on 19 December 2009 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 11 January 2010 and in the US on 2 February 2010...
". However, Dunne did win the "Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series" in the 2010 Leo Awards. Director Brenton Spencer also won "Best Direction in a Dramatic Series", while Christina McQuarrie won "Best Costume Design in a Dramatic Series" for their roles in the episode. Make-up artists Francesca von Zimmermann and Andrea Manchur were nominated for "Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series", but lost out to another team from "Fragments", another Sanctuary episode. Amanda Tapping was nominated for "Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series", but lost to Erin Karpluk
Erin Karpluk
Erin Karpluk is a Canadian television actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Godiva's and Being Erica...
from Being Erica.
External links
- "Pavor Nocturnus" on Syfy.comSyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
- "Pavor Nocturnus" on the official website