Customer Reviews

Masters of Horror - Mick Garris - Chocolate

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I actually enjoyed watching this movie. It was well-casted and TRULY ORIGINAL! The plot is a little sketchy and there are only a few scares worth noticing. It is more of a psychological thriller, based on our views of other people in the outside world. It shows that you can fall in love with someone without knowing who they really are. It also shows the unpredictabilty of the unknown.
I did enjoy watching this movie, but DON'T make the mistake of comparing any single Masters of Horror entry to another. They aren't pieces of a puzzle to be put together, they are all original.
If you're looking for a decent thriller with some good twists, I suggest picking this one up.

I usually only write positive reviews for movies that I like. Normally I feel it is a waste of my time to write something negative but this time I would like to save anyone thinking of buying this a little money. If you MUST own all the Masters of Horror then buy this otherwise don't waste your time, it is an hour of your life that you will never get back. I am hard put to understand why the other MOH directors would even consider this poor offering from Mick Garris in the same league as the other stories if for no other reason that this "story" makes all the others seem that much better. It is poorly written (by Mr. Garris) and is overall incredibly empty. The only thing anyone watching this can be left to wonder at the end of the "movie" is WHY? Maybe the true horror here is in the idea that people will actually sit through an entire viewing of this garbage...now that is frightning!! This can't even be catagorized as so bad it's good. What a shame because there are other neglected directors out there that could have put forth a much better effort. The taste left in my mouth after viewing this was not that of chocolate...

I normally never write reviews, but in this case I've decided to make an exception. This is hands down the worst episode so far in the disappointing Masters of Horror series. There are so many things bad about this film Garris would have to be either stupid or just jaded to think that there is anything redeeming about this film. The casting is horrible, the acting worse, and the story is overdone to the point that its laughable. What is usually my favorite part of the Dvds, the interview with the directors, really gives insight on what a complete rube that Garris is. Master of Horror? Hardly.

Hands down the worst episode of the Masters Of Horror television show. It's dull, boring, and not scary. It will leave you scratching your head saying "that's all?"

Don't even bother with this dvd. It's a waste of your precious time.

Mick Garris created Masters of Horror, and since the horror anthology's inception, it has had it's share of good and bad. Garris himself, who also directed the TV adaptations of Stephen King's The Shining, The Stand, Desperation, and Riding the Bullet, makes his MOH directorial debut with Chocolate, and as a previous reviewer so excellently stated, the taste in your mouth that Chocolate leaves doesn't live up to it's namesake. Henry Thomas plays a man who begins to experience the sensations of a woman (Stacy Grant) in Canada, and he looks to track her down. What follows is much less an exercise in horror and instead pure boredom with zilch in the way of any thrills. Now I admire what Garris has done with Masters of Horror and many of the directors (John Carpenter, Don Coscarelli, Tobe Hooper, Joe Dante, John Landis, Lucky McKee, Larry Cohen, Takishi Miike, and more) he has enlisted, but as a screenwriter and director, he frequently fumbles. Chocolate is no different, and it is an ultimate failure on every level, and may very well be the worst episode of Masters of Horror to see the light of day. Avoid, no matter how much you love horror or the series.

Mick Garris created the Showtime "Masters of Horror" series, so it is quite a surprise to discover that his first contribution to the show could not be properly called "horror" at all, let alone "masterful."

Mick has made a living out of adapting Stephen King novels for the screen (and we all know how those usually turn out), so it's no wonder that this little vignette plays like a short story with all the good parts cut out. Jamie (played by a mealy-mouthed Henry Thomas) is lonely, divorced, and living on old toast when he begins to experience all of the sensations of a beautiful Canadian woman. He smells what she smells, sees what she sees, feels what she feels. (In true "Masters of Horror" fashion, many of these shared sensations involve sex and nudity.) Ever more obsessed, Jamie tracks this woman down, only to discover her HORRIFYING SECRET!

What is her horrifying secret? I'll tell you!

[SPOILER ALERT]
She is not a very nice person. Also, for some reason, she keeps a gun under her couch. I'm not joking.
[END OF SPOILERS]

But seriously, this is just very, very bad entertainment. In fact, the most creative part of the entire show is little more than a lame inside joke. At one point, we catch a glimpse of a Stephen King novel, "Desperation," on Jamie's nightstand. Ho ho! Garris directed the TV adaptation of "Desperation," which just so happened to star both Thomas and Matt Frewer (who, in "Chocolate," has the only interesting character: Jamie's co-worker, Wally -- scientist-by-day, mohawked rock-n-roller by night).

The story of "Chocolate" is told in flashback by Jamie, who is sitting in a dark room, under a lamp, covered in blood. He is being questioned by a cop, and his dull, pointless story unfolds as he answers each inquiry. At the very end, when the cop has heard every, last, mind-numbing detail, the cop gives the penultimate line of the show: "That's a hard story to sell."

You're right, Unnamed Cop. It's a REALLY hard story to sell, especially when the salesmanship is this bad.

I heard that Mick Garris is the creator of Masters of Horror. Then why not have a trully terrifying film presented to us. I am tired of watching movies that claim to be horror and are more of a suspense film. This would have been a perfect film for the "Twilight Zone", but not for "Masters of Horror". If you are expecting to be scared or are looking for something dark and dreary don't look here. I wouldn't want to waste your time expecting to see anything that resembles horror here. I have been disappointed so far by the "Masters of Horror" films. I was expecting more and was completly disappointed. If your going to claim to be a master of horror then please present us something that resembles horror at least. Look at the "GhostHouse Underground collection", or "8 films to die for collection". These films at least resemble horror films. Not all are great, but at least they are what they claim to be. Horror Movies.

I'm not quite sure why so many people hated this episode, but it is definitely not the worst in the series. In fact, it was one of my favorites. Much of the Master of Horror series is filled with gore for no apparent reason. After watching the behind-the-scenes material, it seems that they just let the special effects and make-up people have their way with a number of the episodes. If you like gore, don't buy this episode. This is one of the few that had an interesting story. This was the first episode I saw, and after watching it, I started buying others. Actually, I would give it four stars, but am giving it five to balance out the unwarranted negative reviews.

A divorced man, Jamie (Henry Thomas) has his life turned upside down when he becomes psychically linked to a mysterious woman and begins to witness and experience her life through his senses. He begins to feel what she feels, see what she sees, taste what she tastes etc. Those around him begin to question his irrational behavior but little does he care because he becomes obsessed with this women plaguing his mind and sets off to Canada to locate her. The woman in question is a bombshell with a murderous streak and the love struck Jamie's feelings towards her reaches a dangerous level of infatuation.

I am somewhat surprised at the beating this episode has received from the viewers. I agree that as a horror short, it falls flat as there is nothing remotely scary in the story or execution. It is a thriller at best and the story is intriguing. When compared to other entries of the series, "Chocolate" is rather tame despite a few scenes of bare breasted babes. I think this may have worked better as a "Twilight Zone" episode once upon a time (minus the nudity, shower scene of course) but I do find this a refreshing change of tone from the rest of the series. Many of which are loud, gory displays of excess. This installment does not go for the jugular and takes a much more milder approach. I was also impressed with Henry Thomas' performance. He plays his part with subtlety and despite scenes of outrageousness (the shower scene, the intercourse scene), he doesn't over-do it. It is true that his character is one note. There really isn't much to work with until he starts receiving these sensory/mental signals from afar, but once he's totally immersed into this woman's life, his performance is believable and his recounting of the events is well done.

Despite the negative reviews, "Chocolate" is one of the more intriguing episodes of the MOH series. The performances are good and the story is interesting enough to hold your interest. Where this fails, is in its unfulfilling climax and execution. Garris could have made this one truly frightening by throwing in some other twists and/or more tension filled scenes. Other than the mystery of the origins of this stranger plaguing Jamie's fantasies/reality, there is very little suspense here. There are no moments of dread so once you reach the final act; you may be left wanting more. What you get may leave you short but the overall experience may make it worthwhile. "Chocolate" is an acquired taste but it is nowhere near as bad as some will lead you to believe.

This one attempts to be a hefty psycho/charater study piece, but when all is said and done comes up pretty shallow. While I admire Garris for coming up with the Masters of Horror series (which I say overall has been great), I don't think anything he's done makes him a 'Master of Horror.'

Chocolate is watchable, and sort of equates to an okay but forgettable Twilght Zone episode. The main character played by Henry Thomas in no way solicits sympathy nor any strong emotional attachment for that matter. The film leaves questions unanswered and offers up little in the way of brain candy, excitement or character development.

Certainly one of the weaker installments, but again, if you have the time and desire then know what you're getting into.