Episode Recap: Sinister Showdown Part 1

Squeeeee! It's here! Part 1 of the two-part finale! But as the Final Three walk through desolate oil fields, they wonder if the term 'finale' is just referring to the contest, or to their days on Earth …

When they finally spot McKenzie, she's with super-producer Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, maker of such horror phenomena as Paranormal Activity, Sinister and Insidious. He's collected an assortment of gruesome short stories into an anthology, and each finalist will be creating two makeups –- one demon, one possessed –- for short films based on a selection from that book. Here to helm each of the films are up-and-coming horror directors who can guide the creatures to their full, freaky potential. This week will be preparing for the camera test, where the directors will give feedback; from there, the artists will head back to the lab for the 'second draft' and actual film shoot.

And what would a Face Off finale be without the dearly departed? ... departed artists, that is! Melissa, who chooses Yvonne and Johnny as her teammates, meets with director John Wynn, who envisions the demon as a Cyclops. Melissa's like, "I just did a Cyclops!," so her idea with this one is to have it with an ocular orifice ... but no eye. Creepy! It's all gnawed out and icky where the eye should be. She doesn't love the chest piece, and during the camera test, neither does John -- the shapes aren't quite reading, and the 'oil' she's added to bring in a sense of the environment sorta makes it look like he's lactating. But their agreement on the subject is a relief, in a way: Melissa had been dying to revise it, even though it means more work and a less clear path to victory.

Walter, flanked by Mel and Robert, has a waaaay smoother camera test, as his director, Ryan Spindell, loves everything that's up there! The idea for this demon is that it's of the earth: half-gourd, half-tree, all monster. The 'vines' wrapped around him for the test are temporary (they're currently just foam tubing), but Ryan totally gets the work-in-progress approach and trusts that they'll be gorgeous and terrifying on the shooting day. As for the possessed makeup, he's digging (no pun intended) everything he sees, only he wants to see less makeup, more model. This is an easy fix for Walter's team, as it just means trimming the face appliance. Done and done!

Rob, aided by Anna and Kaleb and directed by Bryce James McGuire, strides confidently into the camera test ... and whimpers humbly out. The classic Japanese horror duo he presents is cool, no doubt, but not what Bryce is looking for, which means there's going to be some major revisions before the shoot. Bryce wants something more immediate and less intellectual for the demon, and for the possessed, it's gonna be a total overhaul from 'Demon, Jr.' to 'Demon Minion' –- so, less a copy and more a lackey.

Rob goes right into panic mode. His eagerness to get back to the lab and get to work is surpassed only by his fervent efforts not to vomit all over Bryce's shoes. Somehow, we think the wunderkind will squeak through, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out what happens … and who wins!