MASTERS OF HORROR - FINAL THREE EPISODES OF THE 1ST SEASON

MASTERS OF HORROR - FINAL THREE EPISODES OF THE 1ST SEASON
By Ken Leicht

MASTERS OF HORROR was supposed to be 13 episodes but Showtime wussed on showing the Miike episode. So instead, the first season numbers twelve until the DVD set comes out.

#1.10 “Sick Girl” features the reunion of Angela Bettis with her MAY director Lucky McKee. Angela was funny and Misty Mundae fared pretty okay. The story was pretty much of the TALES FOR THE CRYPT variety minus the wacky intro and outro from the Crypt keeper. More wacky than scary. But at least there was some lesbo action and insect rape…of which there’s a scarcity on screen these days.

#1.11 “Pick Me Up” This one’s my favorite of the season. More a dark comedy along the lines of Grosse Pointe Blank than a horror entry, this one is definitely the first season high mark. Faruza Balk is the unlucky hitchhiker caught between Michael Moriarty, a maniac trucker who kills hitchhikers he picks up and Warren Cole , a maniac hitchhiker who kills people who pick him up. The two maniacs are having a bit of a disagreement over who has the right to this back wood stretch of road.

Deftly directed and nicely underplayed, the episode is just fantastic. My only issue is the wacky coda but I guess I can let it slide given the rest is so great.

#1.12 “Haeckel’s Tale” is an adaptation of a Clive Barker story. I’m pretty sure I read the story once but I don’t remember it. I’m sure it was scarier than this adaptation. Clive has the same problem Steven King has when his work is brought to the screen. What is scary on the page inevitably plays as stupid. And again with the brightly lit night scenes!
Will anyone ever really show us how dark the dark is?