Amber BransonMasters of Horror
A quick disclaimer on this one: "Masters of Horror" was a series on Showtime, but it was a series of short films, which have also been released individually on DVD, and were released theatrically in some places. As a result, I consider the episodes movies rather than TV.
Before I review the individual films, I wanted to take a look at the series as a whole.
My introduction to "Masters" was through "Valerie on the Stairs." I was not impressed, and took a rather narrow-minded view, believing the "masters" title was an over inflation to sell movies that were bad, not scary, and lacked the camp and fun of many bad horror movies.
I was wrong.
In the run-up to Halloween, to get into the spirit of the holiday, I flooded myself with horror. "Ghost Adventures," "Paranormal State," "Fear Itself," "Freddy's Nightmares," Paranormal Activity, Saw IV, even some free horror Flash games. When I came across "Masters of Horror" again, I decided to give it another chance.
While some of the one-hour films were unsatisfying (I've never really liked the plot-absent Chainsaw Massacre-types, as seen in "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" and "Pick Me Up"), many were actually very good.
Each installment has the same opening sequence, beginning with an off-white paper stained, drop by drop, with a water "blood." Each drop strikes in time with the first few notes of the opening theme. The music swells as the drops fall faster, saturating the paper, and the camera pulls out to reveal the series logo. The remainder of the opening is a series of standard horror images to prepare you for the coming presentation, although they have nothing to do with the movie itself.
Earning the "Masters" title, each installment is directed by a famous horror director. ("Valerie on the Stairs" was by the series creator Mick Garris, and my favorite, a political satire called "Homecoming," was directed by Joe Dante, director of Gremlins.) The result is a delightful variety providing something for everyone. If mindless gore is not for you, there are plenty of films with strong plots. Or you can stick with the mindless gore, if that's your thing. There is humor, violence, and pointless sex. Sometimes all three can be found in a single film.
I will be reviewing some of the films individually in the future, both some that I liked and some I did not. I will even subject myself to that souring first experience again for your sakes and fr the sake of a fair review based on fresh impressions.
If you have a request, feel free to leave it in the comments. The full list of movies and a brief summary of each can be found on Wikipedia.
Before I review the individual films, I wanted to take a look at the series as a whole.
My introduction to "Masters" was through "Valerie on the Stairs." I was not impressed, and took a rather narrow-minded view, believing the "masters" title was an over inflation to sell movies that were bad, not scary, and lacked the camp and fun of many bad horror movies.
I was wrong.
In the run-up to Halloween, to get into the spirit of the holiday, I flooded myself with horror. "Ghost Adventures," "Paranormal State," "Fear Itself," "Freddy's Nightmares," Paranormal Activity, Saw IV, even some free horror Flash games. When I came across "Masters of Horror" again, I decided to give it another chance.
While some of the one-hour films were unsatisfying (I've never really liked the plot-absent Chainsaw Massacre-types, as seen in "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" and "Pick Me Up"), many were actually very good.
Each installment has the same opening sequence, beginning with an off-white paper stained, drop by drop, with a water "blood." Each drop strikes in time with the first few notes of the opening theme. The music swells as the drops fall faster, saturating the paper, and the camera pulls out to reveal the series logo. The remainder of the opening is a series of standard horror images to prepare you for the coming presentation, although they have nothing to do with the movie itself.
Earning the "Masters" title, each installment is directed by a famous horror director. ("Valerie on the Stairs" was by the series creator Mick Garris, and my favorite, a political satire called "Homecoming," was directed by Joe Dante, director of Gremlins.) The result is a delightful variety providing something for everyone. If mindless gore is not for you, there are plenty of films with strong plots. Or you can stick with the mindless gore, if that's your thing. There is humor, violence, and pointless sex. Sometimes all three can be found in a single film.
I will be reviewing some of the films individually in the future, both some that I liked and some I did not. I will even subject myself to that souring first experience again for your sakes and fr the sake of a fair review based on fresh impressions.
If you have a request, feel free to leave it in the comments. The full list of movies and a brief summary of each can be found on Wikipedia.
