Maestros del horror

When I learned of this series, I was thrilled. I'm a big follower of some of the directors involved, such as Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter or Dario Argento, and the idea that they would be given freedom and resources to direct one-hour self-contained horror stories made me shiver with anticipation.

The results, however, are a mixed bag. Don't take me wrong, most of the directors involved seem to be in good shape, and the stories have potential, but the writing and the acting are, with some notable exceptions, just by the numbers.

Anyway, if you like horror you won't mind spending a few hours with the lesser episodes. They're still above average, and the series has enough hidden gems to keep you wanting more.

My favorite episodes were, in no particular order: "Incident on and off a road mountain" (Don Coscarelli), "Cigarette Burns" (John Carpenter), "Deer Woman" (John Landis)and "Sick Girl", directed by Lucky McKee.

I just heard the series has been renewed for another season. All I can say is that I will keep watching it.

Persistence paid off-- I was eagerly looking forward to this series. I have been a fan of horror as a genre for most of my adult life. The genre is so diverse-- ranging from low-brow slasher films to the deeply disturbing and the sublime. This one episode will shake you for a long time. It does have a few shocks which will scare you-- even in the comfort and safety of your own living room. But it also is deeply intense and disturbing in a sinister and cerebral way. Carpenter is a great director who, even when lending his talents to more colloquial fare (such as "Vampires"), still is able to deliver a satisfying film. This chapter in the series is phenomenal. It would not surprise me if this is the reason the series is remembered decades from now. A great horror short film and finally redeems the series and makes its premise true: Carpenter is a master of horror.

Watch this episode. In my area it is available "on demand."

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.

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.

When I saw "Cigarette Burns" it felt as though I was watching a great horror feature film.

This was definitely the best "Masters of Horror" episode. Just when I thought John Carpenter had "lost his eye" for the genre. This one is a classic.

I was totally creep-ed out by this one. The story was very involving and Udo Kier was fantastic as usual.

Thanks to Showtime for keeping this series going. I hope that it continues on with new episodes later this year. They've done a great job in getting the best horror directors and writers for the series.