Masters Of Horror: The Fair-Haired Child (William Malone)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Episode: C-
The
somewhat hit cable TV series Masters Of
Horror continues to be a disappointment, but when a show like The Fair-Haired Child (2005) begins so
idiotically (a goofy man (William Samples) abducts a young teen (Lindsay
Pulsipher) for another crazy purpose) it cannot redeem itself, is even worse
when there might have been a story somewhere if the show could just get over
its tendency for cheap sensationalism.
When Lori
Petty shows up in the next scene after the abduction as the teen’s nurse, we
know besides the crazy circumstances that it is a fake hospital and when she
meets a young man (Jesse Hadock) who cannot even speak any language in the basement
her captures throw her in, we know it is a trap and trick. That is the lame level in which this goofy
installment from writer Matt Greenberg telegraphs everything before it happens. The ending is phony and stupid, not to
mention implausible, and there is so much unresolved that this never works on
any level.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 x 1 image is weaker like most of the DVD releases
in this series with poor Video Black and definition issues. This one is barely more colorful than
usual. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix has
active surrounds, but is again nothing special.
Extras include trailers, stills, seven featurette bits, DVD-ROM
screensaver, DVD-ROM Screenplay, text bio on Malone, behind the scenes piece,
scenes from Malone’s first short film and alternate audio commentary on the
episode by Malone and Greenberg.
- Nicholas Sheffo