Maestros del horror

Okay, so I'm a Lovecraft freak, so what? There's lots of us out there....lurking. Okay, I'll add the Clive Barker episode, too (Haekler's Tale). Well, I personally thought that one was really Lovecraftian, too. Okay, first, Dreams in the Witch House. Not too bad. Pretty typical Stuart Gordon (particularly with changing most of the story). The main character, Ezra Godden seems to be able to hold his own in the acting arena, so I imagine die-hard Combs fans won't die outright. It worked. Since that was such a short story, it all fit into the alloted episode time, without leaving out too much. Overall, it was a pretty good adaption, so all you Lovecraft fans won't be disappointed.

Now, Onto Haekler's Tale. The HPL influence is really strong in some modern writer's material. This is no exception to the rule. The setting was done really well, and the mood, nice and evil.

It's to bad this series was canceled. It was very good for a horror series and there was plenty of good episodes.

It's too bad so many people prefer "Loser TV" (aka reality shows). Get a life, losers! TV is to entertain people, not point and laugh at the misfortune of others. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I for one and very sick of seeing the EXACT SAME THING with different names clogging up channel after channel.

And, yes, this is relevant. Good shows get canceled, because everyone seems to want 5 different versions of American Idol.

While Masters of Horror Season 1 came and went with it's share of criticisms, I personally thought it was a clear hit. Sure not every episode was flat out scary or true horror, but then again most movies that come out aren't either. And there in lies why the series works. Some of the top writers of the horror genre combined with the top directors in the genre to provide a series were each episode had a unique flare. Sure some episodes were better than others, but that just how it goes.

Here's my quick thoughts on the series with the episodes ranked as to how I liked them. If looking for a synopsis of each show, look elsewhere.

1. Jennifer - This was Dario Argento at the top of his game and the best thing he's done in years. Steven Weber did an excellent job in the lead role and as the writer of the teleplay. The episode generally creeped me out and it had truly disgusting scenes. The best show of the first season.

2. Cigarette Burns - Most John Carpenter movies provide the view with a slow build of suspense which leads to a final outcome. This episode is no exception. Again one of the better things Carpenter has done in awhile and I love the story concept. The one flaw was the the search for this extremely rare film seemed a bit rushed. Cant help but think this would have made an even better full length film.

3. Deer Woman - A classic example of horror comedy, done only as John Landis can do it. The lead character was great. Almost everything about the episode just clicked.

4. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road - A clever story based off a Joe Lansdale tale, directed by Don Coscarelli. It's great to see a strong female lead and one that may be more twisted than the serial killer she takes on.

5. The Fair Haired Child - A Lovecraftian type story that really surprised me. The creature in this one was incredible. Directed by William Butler and was far better than the few movies his done.

6. The Pick Me Up - The man who bought us ultra campy horror movies in the 70's & 80's, Larry Cohen puts together a solid episode pitting a girl against two deranged serial killers.

7. Haeckel's Tale - Taken from a story from Clive Barker (which is again very Lovecraftian) and directed by John McNaughton. Definitely some very disturbing scenes but a fairly interesting episode none the less.

8. Dance of the Dead - Tobe Hooper directed this episode, and it really a far cry from what he normally does. Very MTV video style. Nice twist.

9. Dreams in the Witch House - Stuart Gordon does HP Lovecraft as only he can. A twisted little story that updates the story for modern times.

10. Sick Girl - An odd tale by Lucky McKee that loaded with dark humor. A nice concept.

11. The Homecoming - Many great horror movies actually have a lot of political subtext. This episode is a flat out slap at the current War in Iraq and the Presidential regime. This one makes you think a bit.

12. Chocolate - I liked the story behind this Mick Garris episode and though it fell apart a little at the end. Overall it's not that bad.

A friend of mine bought vol 1 of season one and I thought: Hmm, maybe this is something like modern Tales From The Crypt or maybe a modern version of Tales From The Darkside so I decided to see one episode, which was Cigarette Burns. Before I borrowed it, my friend said it contained scenes of extreme gore so I thought it would be another ordinary splatter, but I was so wrong. It turned out to be the scariest thing I have ever seen... The violent and gory scenes weren't scary, but the small clips from the movie: "La Fin Absolude de Monde" scared me to death. I can honestly tell you that Cigarette Burns is John Carpenters finest work.

I find that "Masters of horror" is a good continuation of the style of independent short horror stories that was the trademark of "Tales of the crypt" (among others). They share many similarities, one of which is the very irregular overall quality, with some remarkable episodes that are scary fun to watch many times, and others that are simply embarrassing to watch as episodes of a show that is supposed to bring you the best of horror by many film-makers who earned a reputation in this genre; but still, most have some redeeming quality, be it the irresistible campiness, a good story (though badly developed), or decent acting. There were few episodes which I personally found boring (having said this, I would advise anyone to stay away from "Chocolate").

Some episodes feel a little too long, while others ("Deer woman", remarkably) would have benefited from a good quarter of an hour more of running time. Most have at least some gore, many have varying degrees of dark humor, and there's a good amount of sexy contents, too. What stands out most and links this show to the aforementioned "Tales from the crypt" is that most episodes have this underlying feeling of poetic justice and that the "bad guys" get what they deserve, which is quite refreshing.

Saw Homecoming two weeks ago in Torino (Italy). Mastepiece of political horror, sharp satire, antiwar manifesto and critic to the cynical political engineering of the actual White House. It was the European premiere and Joe Dante got a ten minutes standing ovation. The movie is linked to previous pieces like The Second Civil War and Small Soldiers, and the glance at actual US politics is not optimistic. Still, he has space for witty humor. Shot in Vancouver in only ten days, with a micro budget, excellent actors and Rob Picardo (the best) it is one example of how vision, intelligence and wit can provide more than a mega budget for an empty blockbuster. With committed liberal and brilliant filmmakers like Joe Dante there is still hope.