Masters of Horror ... Treffen der Genre-Großmeister

[McHolsten]

Die erste Episode soll nen ziemlicher Kracher sein; siffiger Backwood-Film....

Die erste Episode IST ein ziemlicher Kracher... (7-8/10)
Coscarelli der alten Schule, sehr sehr stimmig wenn mir auch das Make-Up des Hinterwäldlers nicht sooo gefallen hat.
Aber temporeich erzählt, hochspannend und zudem storytechnisch mal was anders als man sonst von solchen Filmen kennt.

Das Bild aus dem Posting weiter oben habe ich nicht gesehen, aber dafür hat KNB andere schöne Sachen gebastelt. Ob die Folgen für das (US) TV geschnitten sind weiss ich nicht; die Story war hart aber nicht sonderlich graphisch. Trotzdem ein toller Start und wenn das Niveau gehalten wird dann wäre das echt geil. Also die "heisse Luft" bläst einem schon gut ins Gesicht... ;-)

[Graf Zahl]

Geeeeht so - alles in allem nix Neues was da so über den Bildschirm flimmert in dieser Folge  :andy:.
Fands definitiv nicht schlecht :exclaim:, aber hoffe, daß die Serie sich noch ordentlich steigert! Blutleer ist das Ganze ja beileibe nicht *g* Schaun mer mal!

[Graf Zahl]

Pics zu Dario Argento's "Jenifer"






....

Aber auch noch viele weitere auf der offiziellen HP unter Gallery!!!

[StS]

Pics zu Dario Argento's "Jenifer"

Der Argento soll aber echt mies sein (wenn ich mir den (zum Glück schon fast) verdrängten "Card Player" in Erinnerung rufe, glaube ich das ungesehen)...


Masters of Horror: Episode 1.4
Jenifer
3/10 or 1 ½ Skulls

It would be redundant to say that Director Dario Argento is a master of horror in a series titled as such. However, it might be effectively argued that Argento is not truly a horror filmmaker, only that his human stories contain elements of horror, not unlike David Fincher's Se7en of The Game. Perhaps the case should be that the Horror film is not broad enough a consortium to encompass Argento's work. In the same light, one might make the contention that Ingmar Bergman's seminal film ,The Seventh Seal is nothing more or less that the epitome of a bleak surrealist horror movie What I'm trying to get at is that Argento rallies against categorization, even as he embraces every cliché that the genre offers.

With Jenifer, Argento lets loose from his serial killer mentality in an effort to bring a more character oriented horror film to light. Working from an adapted script by actor and star Steven Weber (The Shining), Argento is forced to detail the lives of individuals that he did not create. This is such a rare opportunity for Argento to embrace that it's damn near tragic that it fails in almost every conceivable manner.

Weber portrays Frank, a police officer whom after saving the life of deformed girl finds himself being drawn deeper and deeper in her mysterious and bloodthirsty existence. Adapted by Weber, from a short story by Bruce Jones, Jenifer is simply a variant on two popular mythologies, the succubus and the siren. The men Jenifer possess are inexplicable drawn to her both emotionally and physically despite her outwardly grotesque appearance. Jenifer repays this kindness by destroying their lives, and much like the ancient sirens, ultimately leading them to their doom.

Perhaps because he had no physical relationship to the story, Argento abandons almost all his trademarks, save the superb Claudio Simonetti score, and offers up what is seemingly an amateurish film that could have been directed by any second year film school student. The dialogue is wooden, the tension is nonexistent and the outcome is a foregone conclusion. As Frank, Weber is quite unlikable and prone to acts of stupidity that clearly stretch plausibility. Now, I realize that the goal of the story is to show that the draw of this woman is so fierce that no man could resist her wares. The problem though, is that Weber is so bland, we have absolutely no vested interest in his character whatsoever. The film eventually grows so irritating and long winded that it is likely to leave the ordinary horror fan astounded by the concept that Frank should have listened to his wife. Now seriously, what good is a notion like that!

(Bloody Disgusting)


Masters of Horror: Episode 1.2
Dream in the Witch-House
6/10 or 3 Skulls

Director Stewart Gordon (Re-Animator) treads into familiar territory, adapting H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House for the second episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror. Gordon, who has made a career out of his love for all things Lovecraftian, delivers once again with this wicked little gem.

Erza Godden (Dagon) plays Gilman, a PHD candidate in theoretical physics, who displays shades of a young Jeffery Combs as he attempts to prove the existence of cross-dimensional portholes. Little does for Gilman realize, but his new digs are the unlikely key to proving his thesis. Unfortunately, as Gilman soon discovers, this porthole opens his room up to a world of evil witches, man-faced rats and ritual infant sacrifice. Gilman must now fight not only to save his own soul, but also that of an innocent child.


As I mentioned before, no one does Lovecraft like Stewart Gordon. He seems to have an inherent understanding about what made the man tick, and while Gordon takes license with some of Lovecraft's ideas, he always delivers an entertaining and maliciously unexpected product.

The highest praise should be heaped on Godden, who does a tremendous job as our protagonist. Over the course of 58 minutes, Godden gives a tour de force performance that runs the gamut from science geek to schizophrenic lunatic, with side steps into romantic leading man and day-saving-hero. I'll tell you what; the dude wore me out just watching.

Some of the effects aren't as spectacular as one might hope. Most notably, the Disneyesque make-up job done on ratman lends an unintentional comical element to the film. With that in mind though, I never felt that it was detrimental to the story. The opening and closing shots which also bookend the feature nicely, leave the viewer with the understanding that Gilman's story is not the first, and will certainly not be the last to inhabit the walls of Witch-House.

(Bloody Disgusting)

[StS]

'Masters of Horror' Season 2 Begins Prepping

Mick Garris' Showtime hit the Masters of Horror is going along quite smoothly with about a handful more episodes still yet to air. Four episodes into the first season Mick is already at work planning season 2, which has some new interests from people like Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, Devil's Rejects), David J. Schow and more. Read on for a stack of details that just hit the web...

It's never too soon to start talking about season 2 of IDT Entertainment's Masters of Horror, and we've been hearing rumblings as to who may or may not be involved.  Rumors have staked their claim on the web.  Names have circulated.  Newcomers like Eli Roth (Hostel) and Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs) have been mentioned, and when we spoke with Rob Zombie last week, it appeared The Devil's Rejects writer/director may get his chance to participate.

"I had dinner with Mick and Tobe [Hooper] the other night about season two," Zombie tells THC's Dread Central.  "Mick talked to me forever about season one, but the shooting schedule conflicted with my tour dates.  We're talking about season two; it's just a matter of fitting it in."

Currently, Zombie's efforts are being projected onto his new album, which we may see as soon as early March.

In other Masters season 2 news, we've learned that David J. Schow is adapting the John Farris short story, I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream for the series.  Schow's contribution to season 1 is Pick Me Up directed by Larry Cohen.

And finally, Fangoria got their own scoop today.  Author Graham Masterson revealed that his short tale Anti-Claus has been selected for season 2 as well. 

(Horrorchanel.com)

[StS]

Streaming video of "We are One" for all your readers to enjoy. "We Are One" is the first single from the MASTERS OF HORROR soundtrack and was created by the twisted minds of Buckethead and System of a Down's Serj Tankian. (Gorezone.net)
http://www.redmusic.com/video/Buckethead/WeAreOne_high.ram

[Moonshade]

Ich weiß nicht, ob es schon mal erwähnt wurde, aber inzwischen ist auch ein "Masters of Science-Fiction" -Reihe in der Mache, in der berühmte Kurzgeschichten zu TV-Ehren kommen sollen.
Riecht zwar nach "Outer-Limits"-Kram, aber in den perfekten Händen ein reizvolles Thema!

[StS]

Ich weiß nicht, ob es schon mal erwähnt wurde, aber inzwischen ist auch ein "Masters of Science-Fiction" -Reihe in der Mache, in der berühmte Kurzgeschichten zu TV-Ehren kommen sollen.
Riecht zwar nach "Outer-Limits"-Kram, aber in den perfekten Händen ein reizvolles Thema!

Wußte ich nicht - könnte aber tatsächlich reizvoll sein!
Bin aber erst einmal auf "MoH"-Gespannt, da die Kritiken über die einzelnen Folgen starkt polarisiert ausfielen. Daß Argento Schrott abgeliefert hat, glaube ich ja ungesehen, aber bei den anderen Regisseuren bin ich ja etwas am Zweifeln ... na ja, mal abwarten. 

[McHolsten]

Die zweite die ich gesehen habe (Episode 5 - Argento) hat mir auch recht passabel gefallen. 6/10 sind sicher. Etwas ungewohnt für Argento hatte aber durchaus seine Reize. Zwar war die Folge bisher die blutigste, aber leider ist das Ende etwas vorhersehbar - die Geschichte selber nicht immer logisch aber interessant. Vermissen tut man aber schon wo Argentos typischen Stil, wenn es auch ein paar schöne Weitwinkelaufnahmen gibt. Das der Soundtrack von Simonetti etwas an das Kinderlied aus "Sleepless" erinnert nicht weiter schlimm, gefallen tut er. Zwar nicht der Bringer aber insgesamt doch unterhaltsam.

[McHolsten]

So und nun die echte Zweite - von Stuart Godon nach einer Geschichte von H.P. Lovecraft und Musik Richard Band!  :icon_biggrin:
Die Geschichte um einen Astrophysikstudenten von der Miskatonic U. ( :icon_wink:) der in einem 300 Jahre alten Haus auf eine blutrünstigen Hexe aus einer anderen Dimension (was sich z.B. in "unmöglichen" Ecken seines Zimmers zeichnet) begenet ist ziemlich gut, wenn nicht das Highlight der Serie! Recht stimungsvoll und gut durchdacht. So kommt das Ende schön dicke und gemein und was wäre nicht Gordon wenn es nicht ein paar recht heftige Effekte geben würde. Aber das Hauptaugenmerk liegt auf phantasievollen Geschichte in der auch das Necronomicon auftauchen darf. Stimmig, 8/10.

[Necromancer]

Dreams in the Witch-House muss ebenfalls wie Teil 1 ein richtiger Burner sein.
Allein die Masters of Horror Website überzeugt vom Design.
Und da ich so gerne die Tales from the Crypt liebe, dann ist für mich auch Masters of Horror eine Selbstverständlichkeit ;)

[the_Agent]

Hallo,

ich hab jetzt die ersten 5 Folgen der Serie gesehen und dachte ich schreib mal ein paar Worte.


1: Incident On and Off A Mountain Road

Sehr müde Wiederverwertung des ewigen "Frau hat Autounfall und wird von verrückten Mörder
durch den Wald gejagt" Themas. Das haben wir schon 100 x gesehen, oft auch besser.

2: Dreams in the Witch House

Kommt am Anfang sehr langsam in die Gänge, gewinnt am Schluß aber an Spannung. Wirklicher
Horror ist das aber auch nicht und ein Lovecraft Feeling will sich leider so gar nicht einstellen.

3: Dance of the Dead

Ein total irrer Drogenrausch durch ein Endzeitszenario. Der Freddy Krueger Darsteller (weiß jetzt
den Namen leider nicht) ist klasse. Zwar direkt kein Horrorfilm aber absolut abgefahrene Bilder.
bis jetzt der beste der ersten 5.

4: Jenifer

Die Hauptdarstellerin ist irgendwie gruselig. Leider ist das Ende schon nach 25 Minuten abzusehen,
was der Folge irgendwie den Reiz nimmt. Wird aber Splatterfans zufrieden stellen da sehr blutig.

5: Chocolate

Gähnend langweilig, ich glaub da hätten 20 Minuten gerreicht. Das war echt der Tiefpunkt bis
jetzt. Kein Horror und fast kein Blut, eigentlich mehr ein Thriller, der auch auf RTL so laufen könnte.


Alles in allem enttäuscht das ganze bis jetzt eigentlich ehr. Ich bin ja wirklich kein reiner Splatter und
Horrorfreak aber von so ner gehypten Serie hätte ich mir etwas mehr Innovationen gewünscht. Ich
hoffe auf die Takeshi Miike Folge, da ich großer Fan von ihm bin.

the_Agent

[StS]

"Homecoming" by Joe Dante
Episode 1.6
Reviewed By Tex Massacre
1/10 or ½ Skulls

I can't say that I'm totally shocked that director Joe Dante has provided Masters of Horror with its first truly unwatchable episode. Dante has been heading down hill ever since the release of his seminal 1984 camp fest Gremlins. Over the years Dante has managed to drop a decent flick into the barrel about twice a decade but the last time I can remember watching something he directed and actually enjoying the experience was way back in 1993 when he lampooned the atomic age while releasing Matinee on the world. Now it appears that 12 years later Dante has nothing new to say and nothing left to show an audience.

Homecoming follows the saga of a high-powered campaign consultant who while conducting a television interview defending America's war on Iraq, wishes that the soldiers that died serving our country could return to tell us that the cause was worth the cost. To make a long story short, they do return, but not to herald the great sacrifice they made. They have returned to bring down the administration and their culture of lies.

Dante would have you believe that Homecoming is a political satire under the guise of a horror film. I submit that Homecoming fails as both and stands as one of the most horrendous pieces of partisan propaganda ever perpetrated on film, and this comes from a critic who stood in line for the first showing of Fahrenheit 9/11 and applauded as the credits rolled. As I watched Homecoming, I was awestruck at its blatant tactlessness. In less than 1 hour, Dante manages to offend some 99% of the country and step all over the point by propagating such a nasty piece of celluloid.

Dante's political vision may have clouded his judgment and in times of war that might be overlooked, but his failure as a filmmaker in allowing a dull, pointless, humorous and grotesquely ridiculous feature out into the world is purely unforgivable. Simply put, Dante has abused his audience's trust and sullied the bloody name of horror. With an increasingly sporadic output, Homecoming may wind up being the death kneel for the one time master of horror-comedy, and I for one will be glad to see him go.

(Bloody Disgusting)

[Deadite]

LOL. Das war ja schon irgendwie klar, dass vielen Amis so ein Inhalt nicht gefällt. Interessant an diesem "Review" ist allerdings, dass sich der Autor hauptsächlich über die Taktlosigkeit beschwert (Satire darf meiner Meinung nach aber alles, also auch taktlos sein) und die Geschichte als Propaganda bezeichnet (komischerweise gefällt ihm aber ausgerechnet "Fahrenheit 9/11", was ja der Inbegriff von subjektiver Propaganda in den letzten Jahren sein dürfte). Weder auf die darstellerischen Leistungen, noch die Regie, Musik oder sonst einen wirklich wichtigen Aspekt, der mich als durchschnittlichen Zuschauer interessieren würde, wird eingangen. Meiner Meinung nach ist sowas als Review also nicht zu gebrauchen. Bin auch mal gespannt, was dieser Tex Massacre erst schreibt, wenn der 4. Teil von "Re-Animator" kommt, welcher ja ebenfalls satirisch in Richtung Regierung angehaucht sein soll.

Ich habe zwar die Folge bisher nicht gesehen, aber mich hingegen schon darüber halb totgelacht als Roger Corman im Webcast bei DVD Talk erzählt hat, worum sich die Handlung dreht. Auf die DVD-Veröffentlichung im Februar oder März freue ich mich immer noch trotz schwankender Meinungen.

Übrigens konnte Corman anscheinend seine Folge nicht drehen, weil er krank war, und so hofft er, dann bei der 2. Staffel mitwirken zu können.

mfg Deadite

[Graf Zahl]

Na ich bin ja mal gespannt, obs dann wieder ne unrated-extended-banned-for-TV-plus-ultrasecret-bonusfolge-Edition gibt im Anschluss *g*

[Deadite]

Wie ich mir gedacht habe bei "Homecoming" von Joe Dante: Die Meinungen gehen stark außeinander. Fangoria hat ihn z. B. wirklich gut bewertet (4 Schädel von soweit mir bekannt 5 möglichen): http://www.fangoria.com/ghastly_review.php?id=5157

mfg Deadite

[StS]

Episode 1.7: John Landis' 'Deer Woman'
Reviewed By: Tex Massacre
4/10 or 2 Skulls

It would be almost impossible to critique this week's episode of Masters of Horror without qualifying one simple fact. John Landis is not a horror filmmaker. Regardless of American Werewolf in London and Innocent Blood, both of which while brilliant films, were not the least bit terrifying. John Landis makes comedies. Specifically, some damn fine comedies, specifically An American Werewolf in London, and I dare you to deny it is comedy. But, over the past several years the well has begun to run a bit dry for "Dear John". How many of you can really tell me that Oscar and The Stupids are quality works of cinematic art. Anyway, it seems that Masters of Horror isn't fazed by John's pedigree and so, Landis rings in with our latest installment of the increasingly erratic series with his film, Deer Woman.

Co-written with his son Max, Deer Woman recounts the Native American myth of a half-woman, half-deer that seduces men to their ultimate demise. Landis sets this story against the tale of Dwight Faraday (Brian Benben), a burnt out cop who spends his days jockeying a desk while working the uneventful "animal attacks beat". Uneventful, until the day that Faraday gets a call about a strange murder. It seems that the body was crushed into an unrecognizable pulp by what may or may not have been an animal. As the strange cases continue and the beaten bloodied bodies begin to pile up, the only link between the victims appears to be the presence of a beautiful Native American woman that no once seems fully able to identify. With time running short, Faraday, using what's left of his sanity, must find the woman and solve a mystery that has engulfed this small town for over 100 years.

Now with a premise like that, one would hardly imagine this episode to be a laugh riot, but in the deft hands of Landis this installment has more than its share of laugh out loud moments, specifically, several scenes where Faraday is theorizing in his mind as to how a trucker could be mauled by a deer while seducing a beautiful woman. This scene along with a side splitting attempted mugging, show what could have happened if this episode had more time to set up the plot.

The performances overall were fairly decent, including Benben's go around as Detective Faraday. Landis and Benben worked previously on the short lived HBO sitcom Dream On, which much like the scene where Faraday conjures up the outcome of the Trucker, was filled with momentary lapses of narrative in order to check out the inner workings of Benben's brain. The other notable performance comes from Sonja Bennett (The Fog), whose turn as a punky medical examiner trying to assist Faraday's efforts in identifying the killer is both refreshing and fun.

Deer Woman illustrates one of the major pitfalls of a finite running time and Landis suffers from the truncation. Never having the opportunity to delve into the back-story, the actual myth of the Deer Woman is simple tossed off to the detective over drinks at one of the Reservation Casino's. So, by default, the focus of the film is completely based inside the realm of Detective Faraday. This works against the nature of the horror, since it forsakes all sense of suspense and turns the entire show into low rent version of Law & Order, ultimately making for yet another unsatisfying episode of what at one time promised to be the savior of horror television.

[StS]

Masters of Horror coming to a DVD near you!

Here is some pretty sweet news if I do say so myself, it looks like the first episodes of Masters of Horror are coming to DVD.

Davis DVD is reporting that the first two episodes to come home are John Carpenter's 'Cigarette Burns' and Stuart Gordon's 'Dreams in the Witch House' now here is the really wicked news they are available individually for $16.95 each or you can get them in a two pack for $29.95. Why would you not want to go for the two pack is beyond me, the street date has been set for March 28th, plenty of time to save up your pennies and endulge in some sweet sweet horror.

(Bloody Disgusting.com)

[natas9]

Auf der offiziellen Seite gibt's jetzt den Trailer zur Carpenter-Folge. Sieht zunächst mal nicht schlecht aus.

[Deadite]

Das mit den DVDs finde ich aber jetzt wieder nicht so prickelnd. Da soll man für eine Folge, die etwas über 50 Minuten dauert gleich 16,95 Dollar hinlegen? Die sollen gefälligst eine Season-Box veröffentlichen. Falls da nicht wirklich sowas kommen sollte, werde ich verzichten. Entweder alle oder gar keine. Wenn die schon einzeln veröffentlicht werden, dann müssten die zumindest die Preise kräftig runterschrauben.

mfg Deadite

[StS]

Es wird unter Garantie ne Season-Box geben ... Du kennst ja die Vertriebspolitik  :icon_wink:

[natas9]

Ich finde es eigentlich gut, dass es die Gordon- und die Carpenter-Folge in einem Doppelpack geben wird. Das werden wahrscheinlich sowieso die einzigen Folgen sein, die gut sind.  :icon_biggrin:

[StS]

Sehr merkwürdige Veröffentlichungspolitik:

TV Shows on DVD reports, "IDT Entertainment produces the Showtime series Masters of Horror (all reviews), a series of "1-hour movies" from some of the best-known directors of scary stuff. So it's no surprise that IDT-owned Anchor Bay is releasing the DVDs of this show. What might surprise you, though, is that they plan to release 1 hour-long episode/"movie" per DVD, at a cost of $16.98 SRP per release or 2-packs (and in one case, a 3-pack) for $29.98 SRP. Wow, with discounted street prices on the single-disc releases around $12-ish, for just an hour's worth of content (bonus material notwithstanding), this proves to be one of the priciest propositions in recent times for TV-DVDs! But at least all 13 episodes will come out on the various DVDs, right? Uh...so far Anchor Bay has only announced DVDs for 6 of the installments. Oh, and they're not in order...they are just all over the place."

So far this is what was reported via TV Shows on DVD:

March 28th
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - John Carpenter: Cigarette Burns (Ep. # 8)
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Stuart Gordon: Dreams in the Witch House (Ep. # 2)
($29.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Carpenter/Gordon 2-pack

May 9th
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Don Coscarelli: Incident On and Off A Mountain Road (Ep. # 1)
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Mick Garris: Chocolate (Ep. # 5)
($29.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Coscarelli/Garris 2-pack

June 27th
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - John Landis: Deer Woman (Ep. # 7)
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Lucky McKee: Sick Girl (Ep. # 11)
($29.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Landis/McKee 2-pack

July 18th
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Larry Cohen: Pick Me Up (Ep. # 9)
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Joe Dante: Homecoming (Ep. # 6)
($16.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - John McNaughton: Haeckel's Tale (Ep. # 13)
($29.98 SRP) Masters of Horror - Cohen/Dante/McNaughton 3-pack

Commentary tracks will be found on the Masters of Horror - John Carpenter: Cigarette Burns DVD by story writers Scott Swan and Drew McWeeny. We don't know yet whether or not there's also a commentary track by director John Carpenter, which of course would be the commentary that viewers would actually be jonesing for.

Source: TV Shows on DVD

[McHolsten]

Totale Banane diese VÖ Politik. Also wenn dann kaufe ich mir sicher EINE Box wo alle drin sind und nicht diese Abzockgeschichte. Und bsi die kommt reichen mir die TV-Ausstrahlungen.

[StS]

Episode 1.8: John Carpenter´s "Cigarette Burns"
8/10 or 4 Skulls
Reviewed By: Tex Massacre (Bloody Disgusting)

For most horror fans the name John Carpenter is whispered with a quiet reverence. The man that created Michael Myers, the man that placed our future in the hands of Snake Pliskin is also the man responsible for some of the truly great disappointments of recent years. Although some might suggest, in those same subdued tones, that Carpenter has lost his edge, he is still one of the very few filmmakers whose name commands a presence above the title. The designation "John Carpenter Presents" is as much an icon of terror as the man behind the lens is.

Cigarette Burns are the round circular flashes that appear in the upper left hand portion of a theatrical release indicating to the projectionist the point at which the reels of the film are changing. Carpenter's film follows the tale of Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus) a theater owner with a dark past who is also a recognized expert in locating rare films. Sweetman is hired by reclusive collector Udo Kier to locate the most rare of films. "Le Fin Absolute du Monde" is the ominous lost masterpiece of a director whose determination to press the boundaries of cinema lead to a celluloid massacre. Desperately in need of the cash to save his failing theater and regain his life from his debtors, Sweetman will learn a vicious lesson as the aura of Le Fin Absolute du Monde will test the very limits of his sanity, bending the borders of reality and sending his soul into a nightmarish frenzy of self-realization.

Call it derivative, sure you can, I can name a half dozen films at minimum that echo the journey, not the least of which are Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate, Hideo Nakata's Ringu, the early 90's schlock-fest Popcorn and Carpenter's own In the Mouth of Madness. Regardless of the films source material, Carpenter owns the final product, churning out the best episode Masters of Horror has seen yet and frankly showcasing Carpenters finest work in the past 10 years.

The film's unsettling nature focuses on its main characters sense of impending doom. Kirby Sweetman has lost control of his life, even after fighting so hard in his past to regain control, the future still resonates with his haunting mistakes. Carpenter does well to imply the horrors that Sweetman endures in his quest, leaving it up to the viewer to determine the source of the films horror. Even as the credits begin to roll, we know what it is that we have witnessed but the implication is so provoking that, with the ultimate answers left ambiguous, we are forced to reevaluate who or what was the tragedy of Cigarette Burns.

It is a rare filmmaker that can achieve a subtle blend of both abstraction and realism in their work. As Carpenter proved with In the Mouth of Madness and further illustrated with Cigarette Burns he may still have one last go around as not only a master of horror but as a true master of cinematic subtext as well...assuming he stops making sequels, cannibalizing originals and greenlighting remakes of his previous successes.

[Tomalak]

Hab mir nun auch die ersten Folgen angeschaut und von Enttäuschung ist nichts zu spüren. Da hier das Genre nicht neu erfunden wird, düfte vorher klar gewesen sein. Die meisten Regisseure bleiben ihrem Stil natürlich treu, was nun nicht zum Nachteil gereicht werden sollte.

Incident On and Off A Mountain Road von Coscarelli hat mich aufgrund der vorigen Arbeiten von ihm eher psoitiv überrascht. Eine klassische Hinterwäldler-Story im Stil von Wrong turn oder TCM, aber düster, gut inszeniert und gespielt und soviel kann man verraten:

Spoiler: zeige

einem kleinen Storytwist am Ende

Dreams in the Witch House ist auch ein klassischer Gordon: athmosphärisch sehr dicht, ab und an bleibt die Spannung auf der Strecke, hier bekommt er aber die Kurve.

Deer Woman: grossartige Scheisse, typischer John Landis Humor. Die Story ist im allerbestenfalle grusilg, vielleicht nicht mal das, dafür obskur und ironisch inszeniert. Schön auch mal wieder Brian Benben zu sehen.

Cigarette Burns: John Carpenter halt. Grossartige Story, gut gespielt , leider kommt die "Bedrohung" nicht immer ganz zum Vorschein, da fehlt ab und an die letzte Konsequenz. Trotzdem sehr sehenswert.

[StS]

Masters of Horror: Episode 1.9
The Fair Haired Child (von William Mallone)
Reviewed by: Tex Massacre (Bloody Disgusting)
3 Skulls or 6/10

There are two issues that demand addressing before the dissection of this latest episode in Showtime's now ubiquitous serial anthology. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have serious reservations about Mick Garris' objectivity when selecting his buddies for plum jobs on this series. He did it before when he let Steven Weber write Argento's episode and he does it again tonight hiring old T.V. pal William Malone to direct. Calling William Malone whose only two feature films were the execrable House on Haunted Hill remake and FearDotCom a Master of Horror is an insult to the dozens of more established and more talented filmmakers working in the genre today.

So, what might you ask could possibly top my distain for the cinematic oeuvre of Mr. Malone? Well, that brings us right to point number two. Calling the Masters of Horror episodes original movies is starting to strain credibility. For the most part, the episodes have been adaptations of short stories and comics or riffs on established legends but tonight's episode, credited to writer Matt Greenberg (Halloween H20) is the first one to blatantly sponge off another film. I suspect the vast majority of hooked in horror fans have seen the work of experimental filmmaker/illustrator/FX artist Chris Cunningham. Even if the name is unfamiliar to you, no doubt you will recognize and perhaps cringe at the sight of his most infamous creation, precious little mutant shape shifter Rubber Johnny, star of one of the creepiest and most disturbing short films to ever flood the cyberworld. Well friends, it looks as though little Johnny has made the leap from the LCD to the CRT. So, if I lost you for a minute there, lets take a moment to tackle the plot of this week's show.

A great disaster befell musicians Anton and Judith Ruric (William Samples and Lori Petty). Their only son Johnny (Jesse Haddock) drowned on the afternoon of his 15th birthday. While his distraught parent's futile attempts to save him fell tragically short, they are given a second opportunity to breath life back into the limp body of their lost child. This gift is not without sacrifice, as Anton and Judith must offer up the lives of 12 children to the mysterious force that promises resurrection for their dear Johnny. So far their plan has proceeded without incident, that is, until the last of the sacrifices is procured. Kidnapped and forced into the basement, Tara (Lindsey Pulsipher), a young high school girl, soon befriends our fair-haired Johnny causing a severe complication just as time draws nigh for the rituals' conclusion.

Even if you discount the fact that the child of the cellar is named Johnny, it would be impossible to ignore the fact that the demon monster bound inside of his body is anything other than a direct replication of Cunningham's crude creation. Whether or not the filmmakers were aware of this fact, and it would seem very nearly impossible that they would not be, it still does not justify the appropriation of the character without offering some type of credit. Now, I feel as though I've said my peace regarding usurpation of Rubber Johnny and the anemic career of Malone. So, lets at least try to look at the film in an objective manner.

While the cards stacked against it would seem insurmountable, as great humor would have it, The Fair Haired Child is actually a solid entry in the anthology. The performances from Petty, Sample and Haddock are textured and often emotionally resonant which more than makes up for the often histrionic characterization by Pulsipher. The storyline suits itself perfectly for the tight reins of television, and that has been, in the past, one of the great shortcomings of the Master of Horror series. Additionally, this is the first episode of the series that I felt really paid some tribute to the great genre programs of the past. The film had the appropriate amounts of blood and gore for our modern sensibilities but the struggles and the sentiments expressed in the episode along with the wickedly appropriate ending and the Lovecraftian flash back sequences, harkened back to the Night Gallery/Tales from the Darkside/Crypt episodes that blazed the trails of the great horror anthologies.

So it would seem that even with his past sins and his questionable current intentions, director William Malone has managed to pull of something off a rarity with his entry into the Masters of Horror compendium, a wholly entertaining episode, albeit one that owes a massive amount of gratitude and respect to Chris Cunningham.

[StS]

Die ersten UK DVDs kommen am 13.März, dann jeden Monat eine weitere Edition...  :icon_wink:


** MASTERS OF HORROR: Anchor Bay have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of MASTERS OF HORROR Volume 1 for 13th March 2006 priced at £19.99. Representing a major television event in the US when it began broadcasting on Showtime in October 2005, the MASTERS OF HORROR series is the brainchild of director Mick Garris. Scheduled to be released on a monthly basis beginning in March 2006, each volume will be a two-disc edition featuring two films from the series, both packed with a host of exclusive extra features including interviews with the directors, audio commentaries, behind the scenes featurettes and much more.

The first MASTERS OF HORROR release will include John Carpenter's CIGARETTE BURNS, a supernatural chiller that looks at the dark power and influence of cinema, and Stuart Gordon's DREAM IN THE WITCH HOUSE, a diabolical tale of madness based on a short story by legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. (thanks to DVDTimes.co.uk)

[StS]

Irgendetwas stimmt nicht mit Miikes Episode - nicht mehr ein Teil der Serie?

It isn't one hundred percent confirmed, but the rumblings are that Takashi Miike's Imprint has been dropped from Showtime's Masters of Horror. I've had a pair of emails about this today and a bit of poking around seems to bear it out.

The entire series is currently in the midst of screening at the Vancouver International Film Centre - with a handful of special guests, so if you can go you really should - but the Vancouver folks have dropped Miike's entry from their lineup. According to the official VIFC website the Miike screening was cancelled due to copyright issues. This is more than a little puzzling considering that the copyright would be held entirely by Showtime, just as the rest of the series is, so this really doesn't seem to wash. How can screening the rest of the episodes - even the ones that haven't yet aired - be okay and screening the Miike not be? Odd.

A quick scan of the TV Guide website turns up more bad news ... while they still have some skeletal information on the episode - little more than acknowledgement that it exists, really - it is the only episode in the series to not have an air date listed, meaning that there currently isn't an airing scheduled.

And while Showtime has their website regionally blocked - you can't read it without a US based IP address - I'm told that their page for the series has removed any mentions of Miike and Imprint entirely.

So what's the story? Has Miike gone far enough to offend a cable network, is it simply not very good, or is there some other explanation?

Source: Twitch Film

[Neo]

es scheint wohl Rechtsunstimmigkeiten zu geben - was aber nichts endgültiges heißt. Entweder wird die Folge später gesendet oder erscheint halt auf DVD. Hoffen wir mal, das sie nur "zu hart" fürs TV ist  :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen:

Neo