Masters of Horror

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.

I really recommend this series for all horror fans who are tired of the new ghost films era, this is old school baby!!!! blood , violence , interesting plots and an excellent camera work in the two episodes i have seen. I was really glad that we can enjoy new works from this old masters... for all of you who enjoyed re-animator, Friday the 13, Texas chainsaw (the old one), Halloween, etc etc... But remember, this is old school , so if your kind of horror is the ring and stuff like that, try ghost whisperer or medium. I cant wait to see the works of Carpenter, Argento and Miike , their are my favorite ones. Mckee too, cause May is one of my favorite films.

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."

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.

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.