 " Ride Me to Hell " was written by Mike Rowe and directed by Aaron Augenblick and series creator Devin Clark . Screenwriter and executive producer Daniel Powell said that the episode explores " a little bit more " about Mark 's background , particularly that his father left him when he was younger , and that it " sort of informs why he became a social worker " . Unlike the series ' first season , which paid homage mainly to horror films , season two referenced a variety of genres . In an interview with Matt Barone of the magazine Complex , Clark used " Ride Me to Hell " as an example that the season " taps into a little bit beyond the horror culture " . He referred it to as " one of our big episodes " and stated that it references contemporary shows with " unsatisfied endings " , such as Monk and Lost . In the episode , Grimes unleashes memories of being a cop in the 1970s , which Clark saw as an opportunity to make fun of 1970s cop shows , such as CHiPs and Starsky and Hutch . He said , " It 's always a fun opportunity to see what other worlds I can pull from , even beyond horror . We had some really fun opportunities this season to pull from old ' 70s cop shows . ... So , it 's fun for me just to step out and try lots of different styles and looks . I 'm excited for whatever the writers throw at me , thematically . It 's just a new opportunity to try something different . " " Ride Me to Hell " was the fifth episode to be produced for the second season . In addition to the regular cast , the episode features appearances by recurring guest voice actors Pete Holmes , Julie Klausner and Mike O 'Gorman . 
