Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Why is this just being released now? **Conflicted review** Season 1 Episode Guide, box set features, and synopsis's below., August 7, 2007
4.5 Stars for the show:
I personally liked a lot of Showtime's Masters of Horror series. What a great idea a bunch of influential directors in the horror genre doing one hour films. Some were great and some not so great but every Sunday while the seasons played you'd have the opportunity to see something new in horror.
These discs were originally released individually and someone could've easily payed twice as much as this set is worth, for those people, the people who probably followed the show the closest, were it's biggest supporters contributing ratings, and contributed money for their monthly Showtime subscriptions it sucks this wasn't released at first.
For the people that liked the show but never picked any up this is a great deal.
From a marketing and business side i guess this was smart to get more money out of people.
Episode Guide Season 1
Haeckel's Tale - "Haeckel's Tale" is about a man who takes shelter in a cabin in the woods of New England, and once inside is told not to leave---no matter what sounds he hears on the outside. Based on a Clive Barker short story and directed by John McNaughton. Steve Bacic.
Pick Me Up - "Pick Me Up" pits a serial killer (Michael Moriarty) who targets hitchhikers against a serial-killer hitchhiker, with a young woman caught in the middle. Directed by Larry Cohen ("It's Alive").
Sick Girl - "Sick Girl" is a comedy thriller about an insect scientist (Angela Bettis) and the fly in the ointment that threatens her lesbian love affair. Erin Brown. Directed by Lucky McKee and written by Sean Hood.
Fair Haired Child - In "Fair Haired Child," an odd couple kidnap a teenage outcast (Lindsay Pulsipher) and lock her in a basement with their 13-year-old son, who harbors a dark secret. Lori Petty. Directed by William Malone and written by Matt Greenberg.
Cigarette Burns - "Cigarette Burns" is the story of a young man (Norman Reedus) searching for a print of a rare film that purportedly, upon viewing, sent its audience into a crazed and violent frenzy. Directed by John Carpenter ("Halloween"). Udo Kier, Gary Hetherington.
Deer Woman - A cynical cop (Brian Benben) suspects that a fabled Native American creature called "Deer Woman" may actually be real. Cinthia Moura, Anthony Griffith. Directed by John Landis, who co-wrote the script with his son Max.
Homecoming - In "Homecoming," directed by Joe Dante ("Gremlins"), the nation discovers that the latest presidential election was intentionally tainted---by zombies. Jon Tenney, Robert Picardo. Sam Hamm wrote the screenplay, based on Dale Bailey's short story "Death & Suffrage."
Chocolate - In "Chocolate," a divorced man (Henry Thomas) experiences life through the senses of a mysterious woman with whom he falls in love. Written and directed by Mick Garris ("The Stand").
Jenifer - A modern-day Lolita named "Jenifer" turns out to be bad news for the police officer (Steven Weber) who saves her life and brings her to live in his home. Carrie Anne Fleming, Brenda James. Directed by Dario Argento ("Suspiria") from a script by Weber, who adapted the classic Bruce Jones comic book.
Dance of the Dead - "Dance of the Dead" is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a young woman (Jessica Lowndes) visits an entertainment venue where reanimated corpses perform for the survivors of a nuclear holocaust. Directed by Tobe Hooper, written by Richard Christian Matheson, who adapted the short story by his father, Richard Matheson.
Dreams in the Witch-House - "Dreams in the Witch-House" is an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story about a college student (Ezra Godden) who rents a New England flat, where he has nightmares that involve a witch, a rodent and the devil himself. Directed by Stuart Gordon ("Re-Animator"), who co-wrote the script with Dennis Paoli.
Incident on and off a Mountain Road - Featured: "Incident on and off a Mountain Road," about a deformed serial killer terrorizing a resourceful young woman (Bree Turner), who proves to be quite the survivalist. Angus Scrimm, Ethan Embry. Directed by Don Coscarelli, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Romano.
Imprint - Directed by Takashi Miike (Audition) The version that did not play on Showtime because of it's subject matter, I'll let you discover that one yourself.
Box Set Features
Masters of Horror Director's Dinner at L.A.'s famed Magic Castle Restaurant - a round-table discussion of horror by the Masters themselves!
Series creator Mick Garris interviews horror and Hollywood's elite
Deleted Scenes
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29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection, BUT..., August 29, 2007
...the packaging is quite cheesy/cheap. I don't know what I expected for $55, but it wasn't the chintzy cardboard mausoleum NOR the cardboard slipcovers for each disc (that's correct, these discs are not held in keep cases or even slim cases, they are in cardboard slipcovers, in a slotted plastic insert).
I DO enjoy the Masters of Horror series (some good episodes, some bad, none great), but I'm a horror fanatic and not particularly discriminating. I love the fact that some of the greatest horror film directors are involved with this and, though these short films are not anyone's best work by a long shot, as I said I do enjoy this series nonetheless.
So--those who purchased these DVDs individually actually have one up on those of us who waited for the boxed set: at least your discs are housed appropriately in long-lasting plastic!!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of blood + Almost no suspense + Some Scary Scenes + Quite a few original plots = Worth renting, April 13, 2008
Most of the shows of this series contain gory scenes. The majority of the plots are original to me. For example in "Home Coming", soldier zombies got out of their coffins to cast votes against the Iraq War! It's entertaining but not scary or suspenseful.
There are 2 bad things listed below.
1. There are only about 3 suspensful and scary scenes in all 20 shows!
For example in "The Right to Die", the male character was in the bath tub by himself. Suddenly, he saw his wife appeared right in front of him. What happened next was very scary to me.
2. All of the shows have many extremely logical holes that make them ridiculous. It's really disappointing.
In short, they're worth renting but not buying. I prefer Tales from the Crypt. They're more suspenseful even though their special effects are below par.
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