Monsters: "Reaper"

"There isn't a room in this home where death hasn't been more than once. He's a frequent visitor."

Sheila Brewer

This morning, I awoke to a whispering in the room. It sounded like a young girl or child. I've awoken to such strange experiences before; once, before a close friend passed, I awoke and heard the voice of "La Llorona," the "Weeping Woman." Indeed, she did seem to be weeping.

Today, my experience of the childlike voice (which seemed to be replying to some unseen companion or questioner) followed a night of troubled dreams in which I saw an image, twice, of the Grim Reaper, "The Hooded Man" (I invariably think of it as a man), or, as I have recently come to refer to it since seeing it first in childhood, in recent years in dreams, as "The Exile." In dreams, The Exile carries no sense of fear or dread. When I saw him with my literal eyes in childhood, it was not so. (I dread the day this happens again, as I may not survive, considering my heart condition.)

When I sat down at the computer to sign into work (and watch episodes of Monsters, my new favorite show), I was surprised to see that the next episode to watch of the cult classic 1980s horror anthology program was called "Reaper." Made sense to me, as The Exile looks to be the traditional image of the Grim Reaper from artistic depictions. As I once wrote: "As a child I saw the Angel of Death. As a man, he passed me by. Why?"

All of which is just to introduce the episode of "Monsters" I saw this morning, "Reaper", based on a story by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho. It starred Barbara Billingsley from "Leave it to Beaver" fame, as "Sheila Brewer", who projected an iconic, all-American image of a middle-class suburban housewife, going back into the mists of American television antiquity. In this episode, she's presiding over a nursing home full of octogenarians, one of whom, a cantankerous, bitter old man, Mr. Ross (George D. Wallace), has an obsession with his impending end. In the night, he is visited by the literal Grim Reaper in the form of the new director of the home (played by the incomparable Curt D. Lowens). The Reaper gives the old man an offer he can't refuse: take the life of someone in the home with his own hand, or shuffle off the mortal coil and vacate the premises permanently within thirty days. What would you do?

I'm a little confused on some of the plot points, but Mr. Ross sends out a letter to a newspaper columnist that ends up killing his secretary or some damn thing. I'm not certain why this transpires, but the end of the episode features one of the most genuinely unnerving reveals I've ever seen on a television show; but, to say any more, would give it away and spoil it for those who haven't already seen it.

Everyone knows, somewhere deep down in the primal, most terrifying place where their sense of the ineffable (or their denial of the same) lies, curled like a snake, or crouched like a hungry wolf, that death is out there, somewhere. Breathing heavily like a psychopath, pulling on the gloves, circling the block, and looking at the square, perfectly trimmed little lawn and white picket fences, the well-clipped hedges and vacant, eye-like, dusty windows of Time, and waiting. Always waiting.

The days tick on, hour after hour, moment after moment, as we mock up our visions of a future that doesn't really exist. This idea of "tomorrow" is a mirage; tomorrow is happening NOW. No man knoweth the hour of his own death, even those who have been condemned by dint of medical science not having a cure for their terminal disease. Which, again, is Time. The lights shut off suddenly, and all of this is gone.

We reiterate, no man knoweth the hour (although it is said Wesley or Bacon or someone I can't quite remember knew the date of their own death and recorded it beforehand by many years).

But, The Reaper, He knows.

He knows.

Notes:

Curt Lowens was a German actor and Holocaust survivor. Far from being the "Grim Reaper," he saved 150 Jewish children from the Nazis. RIP, Mr. Lowens.

From a commentary on Curt Lowens by ChatGPT:

Curt Lowens, born Curt Löwenstein on November 17, 1925, in Allenstein, East Prussia (now Olsztyn, Poland), lived an extraordinary life marked by survival, resistance, and reinvention. His father, a respected lawyer, and his mother, an active member of local Jewish organizations, provided him with a stable upbringing until the rise of the Nazis destabilized their lives. When his father’s legal practice suffered due to the regime's antisemitic policies, the family moved to Berlin, seeking safety within its larger Jewish community. There, young Curt continued his education under Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky at the Fasanenstrasse Synagogue and prepared for his bar mitzvah.

After the horrors of Kristallnacht in 1938, Curt’s school was closed by the Nazis, and his bar mitzvah took place in a school auditorium shared with 34 other youths. As the Nazi grip tightened, the family planned to emigrate to the United States via the Netherlands. However, their plans were thwarted by the German invasion of the Netherlands on the very day they were to depart from Rotterdam.

Curt's family endured harrowing years under Nazi occupation. His father’s job with the Jewish Council in Amsterdam initially delayed their deportation to Auschwitz. However, in June 1943, Curt and his mother were deported to Westerbork, a transit camp. Thanks to his father’s connections, they were released, but the family was forced to separate and go into hiding. Curt assumed the false identity of "Ben Joosten" and became active in the Dutch resistance, working with a network of rescuers who saved approximately 150 Jewish children. Tragically, his mother died in January 1944 while in hiding.

Curt’s bravery extended to aiding two downed American pilots, an act of heroism for which he received a commendation from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. After liberation, Curt worked as an interpreter for the British Eighth Corps, helping to detain Nazi leaders in Flensburg, Germany.

In 1947, Curt emigrated to the United States with his father and stepmother. Reinventing himself as Curt Lowens, he pursued acting, training at New York’s Herbert Berghof Studio. Over a prolific career, he appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, leaving an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.

Curt Lowens passed away on May 8, 2017, at the age of 91 in Beverly Hills, California. His life stands as a testament to resilience, courage, and the enduring spirit of those who resist oppression.

Perhaps a bit much for this article, but there it is.

Monsters 2x09 Reaper

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