User Reviews

I've just come back from the Torino Film Festival, and was thus able to check out a few episodes that have yet to be screened in the U.S. I thought I'd write down a few quick notes just to highlight the treats that are up for Showtime viewers.

I was able to see - projected on a big screen in HD - the episodes directed by Landis, Dante, Argento, Hooper, Garris and Coscarelli. And the first thing to say is each one of them would deserve an individual spot here on IMDb. Although it kinda makes sense to review the pilot of most TV series, on this particular one that is a big mistake: the whole point of this format, created by Mick Garris out of a series of friendly dinners with fellow horror directors, is there's no conceptual format. Yes, each episode is a horror, and yes, each episode is about 1-hour. But that's as far as the format goes: each episode is distinctly personal, and only reflects the style of its author-director. Judging the series as a whole is therefore pointless.

That said, all the episodes I've seen are really worth watching and much above average television. You've already been able to see Hooper's disturbing "Dance of the Dead" segment, Coscarelli's fast-paced "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" and Argento's sickeningly sexy "Jenifer", of course. Be sure not to miss Landis', Garris' and especially Dante's episodes when they air.

John Landis's "Deer Woman" is a radical development of the whole premise behind such a classic as "An American Werewolf in London". The idea on that film was giving the werewolf myth a realistic, almost everyday spin to make it scary again in spite of tons of bad werewolf movies. "Deer Woman" does the same, only the premise is even more outrageous, because the monster is something you're unlikely to having heard about before: a creature half woman and half deer which seduces men and then kicks and tramples them to death. With such a ridiculous premise, you'd never believe a filmmaker could produce the smallest shiver in any average viewer. The fact that "Deer Woman" does, without relying on any established movie myth, is a tribute to Landis' (John, but also his son Max, who wrote the screenplay) deep knowledge of how horror movies work. Without even the slightest hint of parody, this film is funny *and* scary and a triumph of what is called suspension of disbelief. Great performances by former "Dream On" star Brian Benben and heart-stopping newcomer Cinthia Moura.

Mick Garris's "Chocolate" is based on a "Twilight Zone" like premise: a guy suddenly starts sharing a stranger woman's senses - it all starts with sounds, and then it becomes images and event tactile feelings. This lures him into an obsession which is very similar to love but also has a strong potential for tragedy. Kind of an ultimate "amour fou", this is quite a bizarre, yet moving, love story that you'll find both involving and desperate.

Joe Dante's segment was acclaimed by thunderous applause at the festival, and it is the most overtly political. I wish someone would dare doing a similar film on our (Italian) administration: "Homecoming" deals openly with how Iraqi war was based on the blatant lie of Mass Destruction Weapons that were found not to exist, and has dead marines coming back from their graves as zombies to let the Bush administration know what they think of its lies. The President is actually never mentioned in person: but the clues are so crystal-clear one couldn't miss even if he tried hard. Witty and bitterly cynical, this is a film a Billy Wilder might have made if he was interested in horror. It should be a must-see for anyone who's voted for the current administration - and also for anyone who thinks horror cannot deal with important issues.

I am dying to see the next episodes.

(update of april 26th, 2006)

At last I was able to see "Imprint", the 13th episode in this 12 episode series, and the one that was deemed too gruesome to actually be aired on US television. It was screened, however, in the UK (albeit with some cuts, or so they say) and on a big screen at the Italian "Far East Film Festival" - which makes sense since it's directed by Takashi Miike. You can't help but admire this man's portentous energy: he keeps cranking out movie after movie after movie, and he does so without giving any impression of fatigue, or of cutting corners. True, "Imprint" does have a couple of very long, static, takes that effortlessly beef up the final footage: but they work that way, and contribute notably to the result. In spite of some dialog that sounds annoyingly literate (and it's mostly over-acted, which does not help) this episode is strong on atmosphere since its very beginning, with the main character being carried on a heavily charged boat on eerie waters. Not all of the story makes a lot of sense, but neither does expecting logic from a horror film. This one has a typically Miikian torture scene which is sure to make anyone cringe (it involves, just so you know what you'll have to endure as a watcher, suspension bondage and needles under fingernails and gums), and a freak-happy ending that is quite disturbing, in a silly kind of way. I saw a version that allegedly was slightly cut, but - surprisingly - was a little longer than the average MoH episode, running up to a little more than 1h.

Unless you've been living under a rock, or working the third shift at your job, you know by now that Showtime's provocative series MASTERS OF HORROR is the brainchild of creator/writer/producer/director Mick Garris (STORM OF THE CENTURY, THE SHINING, THE STAND). Known as one of the better adapters of Stephen King material, Garris conceived the idea by way of a series of bi-monthly dinners he attended with some close friends and colleagues, who also happened to be many of the famous (or infamous) horror/fantasy directors who make significant contributions to the series. Made mostly in Vancouver on ten-day shooting schedules with limited budgets, each director tackles a particular piece of material in the style they are most famous for with horror and fantasy fans worldwide.

I can only base my reviews on the installments I have seen, so here's my take on each one, not necessarily in order of broadcast:

INCIDENT ON AND OFF A MOUNTAIN ROAD. Directed by Don Coscarelli (PHANTASM); written by Coscarelli and Stephen Romano, based on the story by Joe Lansdale; starring Bree Turner, Ethan Embry, Angus Scrimm and John de Santis as 'Moonface.' Given that it has an interesting premise, (victim of spousal abuse by a psycho-survivalist matches wits with a deranged serial killer), I've heard that this wasn't one of Joe's best, and with the hit-and-miss style in which Coscarelli seems to have shot it, I would tend to agree. It's good to see the likable Embry playing an absolute bastard, and Ms. Turner is great in the classic Marilyn Burns-style heroine role. Yet much like the hit TV series LOST, the flashbacks (between the two of them) are much more engaging than the main focus of the story, which is all about Turner's struggle to survive in the killer's lair. And as fun as it is to see Angus Scrimm reunited with his old PHANTASM buddy, his presence is criminally wasted here. Good action sequences (no surprise there) and helped by Coscarelli's strong visual sense, but it's mostly worth ** out of four stars.

DANCE OF THE DEAD. Directed by Tobe Hooper ('SALEM'S LOT); written by Richard Christian Matheson, based on Richard Matheson's short story; starring Jonathan Tucker and Robert Englund as the MC. Tobe does what he's best at: innocence lost meets evil and depravity incarnate and triumphs...or makes said moral and spiritual compromise in order TO triumph. In a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden world that makes any place Mad Max has been seem like Club Med, patrons of a club where Goth-meets-grunge in the Ninth Circle of Hell, are entertained by the chemically-fueled gyrations of briefly reanimated corpses as the main spectator sport. In the midst of this unholy mess is the story of a sweet, innocent young thang who meets a bad biker boy, (the monumentally talented Tucker), in a 'Romeo-and-Juliet'-esque tale with a very dark twist, which puts a whole new spin on the concept of 'family values'. As the MC of the "Dead Can Dance" dive which is the story's central focus, Englund gets the tour-de-force performance, natch, doing what he does best. In this case, he might even be a little more unsettling than the alter-ego he's best known for, Freddy Krueger. Filmed in a jittery, dreamlike style that merges experimental art film with rapid-fire MTV editing, (think E. Elias Merhige meets the Brothers Quay), it's a whole different style for the CHAINSAW MASSACRE director. For me, this had a better, more "Twilight Zone"-ish ending than INCIDENT, so some may find it more accessible, if not as grounded in realism as Hooper's earlier work. This gets **1/2 out of four.

JENIFER. Directed by Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA); written by Steven Weber, based on the original graphic story by Bruce Jones and Berni Wrightson; starring Steven Weber, Beau Starr and introducing Carrie Anne Fleming as JENIFER. The master of Italian gialli, Dario Argento, works his macabre magic with almost surgical skill with this one, bringing to life a tale so twisted that it sears itself into your memory with the same intensity as the original story upon which it's based. Writer/actor Steven Weber, (so good in Mick Garris' reworked version of THE SHINING) stars as world-weary cop Frank Spivey, whose life and sanity are destroyed by a fateful encounter with a young girl. Frank interrupts what appears to be a murder-in-progress: a crazed maniac wielding a meat cleaver over a bound, helplessly cowering figure. But even after Frank fatally shoots the man and frees the girl, all is not what it seems. Frank has just met "Jenifer," which is the only word the dying man can utter with his last breath. Jenifer is a mute, graced with a body that would shame the Venus de Milo. But the problem with her speech is horrifyingly clear, as the poor girl also has a unnaturally deformed face that would stop a clock...especially if that clock is BIG BEN. Confused by his simultaneous feelings of repulsion and sympathy, Frank takes the girl into his house, once he discovers that she is homeless. But at the core of his compassion, which his wife and son understandably don't share at all, is something compelling, disturbing and powerful that he can't deny, explain or resist...He has fallen under Jenifer's insidious spell, and as she systematically destroys his will, his sanity and finally his life, he discovers that she is one siren/succubus whose appetite for the flesh is not limited merely to rounds of mind-blowing sex, in horrifically erotic sequences that will make you cringe and yet leave you unable to avert your eyes at what's on-screen...Weber does some of his best acting ever as Frank makes the constantly shifting transitions from sympathy, to lust, to revulsion, to self-loathing, to outrage and back again. *** out of 4. (To Be Continued.)

I love that this series is giving the directors a chance to be the stars and tell what the want to tell with almost no censorship. I think Mick Garris has touched on something wonderful here and I hope it goes on for years. I believe the second season will be better than the first because this time the directors will have had more time to adapt to the style of the one hour format and can now run with that. I see to that they are getting better actors this time around, last year had good ones too this is just a bigger list. i think that John Landis's episode is the best of the bunch and I thought most of the others were great too. I think Gordon's and Carpenter's needed the most work and I found Mick Garris's own episode to be dull the others though are great I love them. Can't wait to have them all on DVD. Wathc this show.

Finally picked up the "Banned from Broadcast" DVD. As a Miike & genre fan, I have some mixed feeling about Imprint: THE GOOD: Miike gives his fans an equally horrific needle torture scene a la Audition. On top of that he throws in some taboo abortion with floating fetus scenes. I know, sick stuff. The cinematography and colour Red were strong and equally memorable. Also the prostitute castings were great. THE BAD: Billy Drago, yeah he looked the part, but his acting is something to be desired. Some of his lines and delivery were pure fromage. I understand the creative reasonings behind having the dialogue in English, but I think it should have been shot in Japanese, with Billy struggling in English and basic Japanese. THE UGLY: I get the whole brother sister inbred produced the deformed daughter(s) thing, but a hand with a talking little face coming out of the head, c'mon now, that looked really lame. (Reminded me of curling your index finger around your thumb, drawing little eyes on the top and making your hand speak). Lame! THE FUNNY: Anyone else thought the Japanes brothel midget looked like DeepRoy from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory? Overall its a mixed bag with obvious strengths and weaknesses, I generously rate this one a 7. But essential viewing for Miike and MOH fans with a strong intestinal fortitude.