Skin and Bones (Fear Itself)

Grady, a rural ranch owner, and his friends went out hunting in the cold mountains. Rowdy, his brother, has been tending to the farm in his absence. Ten days have passed, and no one has heard from the hunting party. The sheriff and rescue parties have called off the search until the weather improves. Rowdy is preparing to go himself when he sees Grady hobbling towards the house. He, along with Eddie Bear, a Native American who lives with the family, rushes out to help Grady. He is visibly injured and suffering from frostbite.

When the family goes up to check on him, they notice that he doesn't look like he did before. That night, Rowdy and Eddie Bear hear noises coming from the horse stables. They see that one of their horses has been slaughtered. The following day, Eddie Bear tells Grady about his uncle who also disappeared in the woods and turned up days later, looking very much how Grady looks now. Later, Eddie Bear tells Rowdy that his uncle was possessed by a Wendigo--and murdered his family--ultimately being gunned down by the police. Eddie Bear believes Grady has been possessed as well...and tries to convince Rowdy.

Grady's wife Elena checks on him. He speaks to Elena as the real Grady might have, explaining to her that he and his three fellow hunters got lost. To shelter themselves from the cold, they took refuge in a cave. Two went for help and never came back. Grady began hearing a voice that instructed him that he had to eat -- and he implies that he killed and ate the other hunter. Elena is frightened as Grady suddenly appears as if he wants to eat her as well. Rowdy intervenes with a gun, and Grady flees back to his room.

Eddie Bear walks upstairs to kill Grady, but he is attacked and killed. Rowdy tries the same, but Grady successfully guilt-trips Rowdy into lowering the gun. Rowdy comes to his senses, however, and raises the gun to shoot Grady, but he is also attacked and killed. Elena hears the shot from the barn and attempts to flee in the truck with her children, Derek and Tim, but is stopped by Grady. Derek and Tim hide as Grady drags Elena into the kitchen. He puts Rowdy's corpse on the table -- and instructs Elena to chop him up and cook him.

She reluctantly does, trying to draw attention away from Derek loading a gun. Grady forces Elena to taste the corpse as Derek shoots Grady. Grady escapes. Elena is injured but instructs Derek to go find Tim before Grady does. The boys have a showdown with Grady...who now appears more monstrous than ever. Grady attacks Derek, telling them that he is not their father, their real father was Rowdy, whom Elena had been having an affair with for years. Grady is about to kill Derek when Elena shoots him. Grady drops dead...as the boys weep, held by their terrified mother.

• Molly Hagan as Elena Edlund
• Doug Jones as Grady Edlund
• John Pyper-Ferguson as Rowdy Edlund
• Gordon Tootoosis as Eddie Bear
• Brett Dier as Derek Edlund
• Cole Heppell as Tim Edlund
• Julian Christopher as Doctor

Dread Central and Bloody Disgusting both reviewed "Skin and Bones". Dread Central rated the episode at 3 1/2 out of 5 blades, criticizing its dialogue while also stating that it "was one of the strongest episodes of Fear Itself to date".[4] Bloody Disgusting was more critical, writing that "SKIN AND BONES fails mostly because it’s boring. Jones scenes are great acting exercises but in the end they service a script that has no sense of foreboding and no new elements to titillate viewers imaginations."[5]

• Skin and Bones at IMDb