Customer Reviews

Masters of Horror - John Carpenter & Stuart Gordon

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Cigarette Burns" is directed by horror legend John Carpenter, the creator of HALLOWEEN. "LA FIN ABSOLUE DU MONDE" (The Absolute end of the World)is the title of the most sought after horror movie in history. One man's obsession with finding the movie may become his demise.
This movie was very well done, and very inventive.
NOT MANY full length films are even close to the quality of this.
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"Dreams in the Witch House", Gordon's movie, isn't as good, but puts a strange perspective on a new age ghost story. A man rents a cheap apartment so he can study, but he doesnt do much of that. He discovers evidence of a dimensional shift in his room.
Very bloody and caught me off guard.

The DVD combo pack is absolutly worth the time to watch...a horror fans' delight.

"Cigarette Burns" and
"Dreams In The Witch House"
is a truly great double feature
of mind-numbing horror.

Warning: extremely nasty and creepy.
Do not watch if you are pregnant
or have a weak heart.

These are not sadism or mysteries
masquerading as horror,
but authentic horror, that is,
not only scary, but regarding
things that are out of this world
coming into this world in a most
unfriendly way.
No happy endings here,
other than total gratification
for the horror movie fan.

As of this review,
I have only seen three of the
Masters Of Horror film series,
these two and "the Fair-Haired Child"
(also excellent).
If these films are representative,
then I am greatly looking forward
to seeing the rest of them. I think.

[I'll try "Jenifer" (Dario Argento!) next]

They are not only original and well-plotted,
they are brilliantly implemented as well.
Masters of horror indeed.
This series was a great idea.
The element of competition may have
brought out the best in the participants.

Note Bene: The musical score for both films
are excellent, particularly John Carpenter's
"Cigarette Burns".

"Dreams In The Witch House" is an excellent
adaptation of H.P Lovecraft's universe(s)
by Stuart Gordon (see "Dagon" for another;
you will not be disappointed).

Note bene II: This product description
describes a 2-disc set, which I would
have preferred, but the one that I
received was a single disc with both films.

Finally, a Stuart Gordon sighting! However, the short film he presents here, yet again based on a H.P. Lovecraft short story, is completely eclipsed by John Carpenter's sojourn into absolute horror. Stuart Gordon, his best works being "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond" (you have to go out of your way to see the latter, more obscure film) which are both entertaining and hilarious, goes all serious here and what remains is a story that looks and feels low-budget and is ultimately forgettable. However, John Carpenter shows us all once again that a large budget is completely unnecessary to scare people. This is the first film, albeit a short film, in a long time to actually crawl under my skin and give me a complex afterwards. While the last John Carpenter feature I enjoyed was "In the Mouth of Madness", it really didn't come across so much as creepy but more surreal. In this short film the story is both creepy and surreal, with a gory investigation that leads to a truly enthralling climactic ending. Get the John Carpenter short film, at least, as it is sold individually for half the price, to see a true, legendary Master of Horror.

Masters of Horror is one of those series that comes along every 10 to 15 years. More Tales from the Crypt than Twlight Zone, This series gives you horror tales directed by some of the greatest horror movie directors of the big screen. My only gripe is that its not a boxed set of the whole season. This might be the route to go if you watched the whole series on Showtime and only want to get the few episodes you really liked. True Horror fans will most likely wait for the boxed set of the series.