Masters
Of Horror – John Landis’ Deer Woman/Lucky McKee’s Sick Girl
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras:
B- Episodes: C each
When the Masters Of Horror series
was announced as a big cable event, a wide majority of Horror fans though we
would finally get a return to basics and an unforgettable show since so many
key directors were participating. The
genre has been in such trouble for a long time, it needs al the help in can get
in a sea of stupid pictures and especially stupid remakes. Instead, it now far surpasses Amazing
Stories as the most overblown package deal anthology show of all time.
The two lousy installments here are from
fallen director John Landis and B-movie director Lucky McKee. Both awkwardly cross women and other living
creatures and both are more comfortably smug in their would-be humor than
offering anything truly scary. Deer
Woman is Landis’ entry about a woman who seduces than hooves people to
death. (I know, don’t laugh. I kid you not). Sick Girl crosses women, insects and lesbianism, at least
male-created thought police lesbianism.
I could not believe how pedestrian and silly these were. The lack of innovation, energy and true fun
is the only shocking thing about these entries. If you are going to start anywhere with the series, these are not
the volumes to begin with.
Like
the previous volumes, the picture quality for both episodes being covered here
is average for 1.78 X 1 anamorphically enhanced widescreen, but clean. Also, despite being framed in a theatrical
aspect ratio, it's somehow difficult to shrug off the made for TV look of the
shows. There's something shallow about
the feel and look of these, but the transfers seem to be done well so it likely
all stems directly from when these were shot.
Is it too much digital work? The
sound quality is decent, and the episodes are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1
surround sound that isn't bad. Nothing
extraordinary, but it gets the job done well enough.
Extras
on the Landis volume include six featurettes, audio commentary, vintage Landis
interview, stills, trailers, text bio on Landis and DVD-ROM printable
teleplay. Extras on the McKee volume
include six featurettes, audio commentary, stills, trailers, text bio on McKee
and DVD-ROM printable teleplay. Both
come with a trading card in the DVD case.
In all, these are not as good as the Coscarelli & Garris
episodes, and they were not all that hot, so maybe they should just rename the
series “Masters Of Gross Comedy” or the like.
- Nicholas Sheffo
