{"id":230,"date":"2006-01-01T02:13:16","date_gmt":"2006-01-01T09:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.afterhell.com\/news\/?p=230"},"modified":"2017-09-13T20:36:23","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T03:36:23","slug":"masters-of-horror-marathon-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.afterhell.com\/news\/?p=230","title":{"rendered":"Masters of Horror marathon tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every other channel on the dial does a TV show marathon of some kind around New Year’s. Twilight Zone<\/a> marathons seem to be the popular…even when the episodes get chopped to bits.<\/p>\n

Showtime is doing one of its own, running the first eight installments of the 13-part Masters of Horror<\/a> series.\u00c2\u00a0 Later, around March 2006, episodes will be released on DVD<\/a> individually and in low-priced bundles.<\/p>\n

So here am I, providing what could be called a public service, putting my two cents on the episodes to date.\u00c2\u00a0 If you have Showtime and feel like ringing out the year with a fright-fest, you’ll get a better idea of what to expect.\u00c2\u00a0 If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re curious about the DVD’s or individual episodes, maybe I can help point out the ones you might want to spend your money on.\u00c2\u00a0 Ain’t I helpful?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Incident On and Off A Mountain Road\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe series opener is a real gem courtesy of director Don Coscarelli (of Phantasm <\/a>and Bubba Ho-Tep<\/a> fame) and award-winning writer Joe R. Lansdale<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a bloody, disturbing tale about a woman lost in the woods and fighting for her life on several levels.\u00c2\u00a0 A great start.<\/p>\n

“Dreams in the Witch-House”
\nDirector Stuart Gordon brought in a new adaptation of a classic H.P. Lovecraft<\/a> tale, something he has done several times in the past.\u00c2\u00a0 Like his earlier films Re-Animator<\/a> and From Beyond<\/a>, this installment bears little resemblance to the source<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 Gordon skips the existential dread and delivers instead some gore with a side order of T & A…in other words, what he usually does.\u00c2\u00a0 The result is entertaining and predictable, just not compelling.<\/p>\n

“Dance of the Dead”
\nTobe Hooper, the man who brought you Poltergeist<\/a> and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/a>, puts the series back on track.\u00c2\u00a0 Richard Christian Matheson<\/a> adapted this post-apocalyptic rocker from his ingenious father<\/a>‘s works.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a keeper, a sinuous creepshow which, I suspect, contains a parable about pimping flesh.\u00c2\u00a0 Not for the faint of heart.<\/p>\n

“Jenifer”
\nDirector Dario Argento<\/a> of Suspiria<\/a> fame helmed this sleeper to shore.\u00c2\u00a0 This ep is gory, surprisingly predictable story about a clueless cop and the female creature he rescues, brings into his home, and eventually regrets ever doing either.\u00c2\u00a0 I tried to like this one.\u00c2\u00a0 Never a good sign, is it?<\/p>\n

“Chocolate”
\nSeries creator Mick Garris adapted one of his own stories<\/a> for this ep.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s intended as a sexy, eerie thriller about a man who experiences a beautiful woman’s life through her five senses.\u00c2\u00a0 Henry Thomas and Matt Frewer give it their all.\u00c2\u00a0 And yet the show falls flat.\u00c2\u00a0 Credit could be given to Mick Garris for adapting a basically internal story to the screen, but it lacked personality.\u00c2\u00a0 Matt Frewer’s supporting role had more definition than even the main characters.\u00c2\u00a0 And for such an intimate tale, that’s a mistake.<\/p>\n

“Homecoming”
\nThe series bounces back with an incisive political satire<\/a> courtesy of director Joe Dante (Gremlins<\/span>, The Howling<\/a>) and screenwriter Sam Hamm (the 1989 Batman<\/a>).\u00c2\u00a0 Soldiers killed in the war return undead and trigger controversy for the pro-Bush set.\u00c2\u00a0 In a brilliant fashion, this one turns the whole zombie idea on its head.\u00c2\u00a0 Some blood, but no gore to speak of.\u00c2\u00a0 Actually this is the most accessible to mainstream audiences.\u00c2\u00a0 But then what if you put on a satire and nobody came?<\/p>\n

“Deer Woman”
\nDirector John Landis (An American Werewolf in London<\/span>) submits for our approval a moody, off-the-wall supernatural thriller featuring a down ‘n’ out cop and a series of impossible murders in a small town.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I still have issues<\/a> with the director, so I didn’t expect to like this ep.\u00c2\u00a0 But it’s a deft mix of comedy, horror, and painful memories.\u00c2\u00a0 Landis works in references to his own work, verging on the edge of sheer corn, teetering on self-recrimination.\u00c2\u00a0 If the result isn’t gold, it’s at least a smoky gem.<\/p>\n

“Cigarette Burns”
\nThis is a Grand Guignol treasure directed by John Carpenter<\/a> (Halloween), written by Scott Swan and Drew McWeeny (aka Moriarty of Ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t It Cool News<\/a>).\u00c2\u00a0 A broken-hearted movie expert is hired to find an obscure art film whose only public showing ended in bloody violence.\u00c2\u00a0 Horrifying.\u00c2\u00a0 Thought-provoking.\u00c2\u00a0 Easily, a high point in the series.\u00c2\u00a0 Not for the weak.<\/p>\n

If you collect or rent the DVDs to come, I recommend:<\/p>\n