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Masters Of Horror - Series 2 Vol 2 [2006]


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Better Late Than Never
Review date: 2008-07-12 Rating: 6 out of 10

After the ploughing through the rest,MoH Series 2 Vol 2 is surprisingly decent and more consistent.
The entries are as follows:

We All Scream For Ice Cream(Dir Tom Holland)
Stephen King rip off about a man who returns to his hometown bringing with him the ice cream selling clown of his youth who intends to exact revenge on a group of childhood friends for a prank that misfired.Okay but terribly unoriginal.

Sounds Alike (Dir Brad Anderson)
More like it as Anderson,director of Session 9 and the excellent The Machinist,sets out a creepy tale about a grieving father Chris Bauer whose hearing intensifies to all most unbearable level and sends the poor chap over the edge.Genuinely atmospheric with a haunting final shot.

The Washingtonians(Dir Peter Medak)
Veteran Medak does well here with a creepy,logical and good story about a group of "cannibals"dedicated to preserving George Washington's legacy and ensuring that no-one finds out about his apparent taste for human flesh.When Jonathon Schaech and family stumble upon proof the Washingtonians spring into action.Slightly comical at the end when it should be creepy and Saul Rubinek is awful but at least some wit and imagination on display here for a change.

The Damned Thing(Dir Tobe Hooper)
Save for a nasty,cynical ending,Hooper's entry is pretty good throughout.
Sheriff Reddle,estranged from his family begins to suspect that a force which compelled his father to murder his mother and try to kill him as a child is back and it wants him.Decent tension,comical undertones and some good solid gore makes The Damned Thing one of the best entries in the series.

Dream Cruise(Dir Norio Tsuruta)
Extended length okay Japanese entry about an American attorney Daniel Gillies living in Japan and haunted by a childhood tragedy at sea who is forced to play a deadly game of cat and mouse with his lover's husband aboard his yacht.Basically Dark Water at sea with the usual "ringu" set pieces and thus inherently derivative.

The v Word(Dir Ernest Dickerson)
Final entry has two video game obssessed friends getting more that they bargained for from a late night visit to a funeral home.Michael Ironside plays it up as the resident vampire and the whole thing belts along with
heavy doses of gore and jolts.Not bad at all.

Certainly better than other sets and much more consistent in tone and quality,MoH nevertheless falls well short of its aspirations.



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Reviews


Good but not quite up to volume 1 standards
Review date: 2008-03-15 Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a great collection of tales but in my opinion it just falls short of the first volume of season two.
The first "We All Scream For Ice-Cream" (Tom Holland) is Ok as a tale of revenge from beyond the grave, and I did like the double twist at the end but it fell a little short.
The second is a real slow burner "Sounds Like" (Brad Anderson) this is a great tale of a man's descent into madness as his hearing becomes so acute the slightest noise drives him mad.
Next up "The Washingtonians" (Peter Medak) a nice example of US iconoclasm as one of America's most revered figures, George Washington, is found to have had a particularly gruesome secret. I love the reactions to the new image on the dollar bill at the end.
"The Damned Thing" by Tobe Hooper is an adaptation of an old Ambrose Bierce tale and it also works very well, I love the downbeat ending.
The weakest tale is "Dream Cruise" (Norio Tsuruta) which is a tale of revenge and redemption largely set at sea. The thing that did not work for me was the spectral image of the villain's wife. There are some nods to the Ring movies, Tsuruta directed Ringu 0 (the worst of that series), with the appearance of the ghost and some of the sound effects, fans will recognise them. It's not bad, it's just in comparison to some of the other tales here it does not fare well.
The closer "The V Word" (Ernest Dickerson) where two youngsters break into a funeral parlour and come across a vampire, played by cult favourite Michael Ironside. Well done Dickerson for some originality by reversing the roles and having the guy who would have been killed in most other movies survive.
The extras again are plentiful, there's commentaries, screenplays (on DVD-ROM) and documentaries, what more do you want?
The Masters of Horror series was a great idea, and in the main was a success with some truly great stories, many thanks to Mick Garris for this superb idea.

Masters of Horror Rocks/ Best horror series on TV !
Review date: 2008-02-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

Third season will be released under Lionsgate company. Mick Garris and Lionsgate have signed a 13-episode deal to create Fear Itself for NBC, a horror/fantasy-anthology series to air this summer. (Keep the gore coming).

Final Instalment
Review date: 2008-02-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

Final part of the Horror anthology series. Not quite as good as Series 1, or series 2 part 1, but still well worth watching, and a whole lot better than most US TV offerings. Sadly the series was cancelled after season 2, as was its sister show "Masters of Science Fiction" after just a few episodes. Unfortunately the viewing figures in the U.S dictate what stays and what goes, and theses shows didn't rate highly enough (too challenging for trailer folk perhaps??!!)

Product Details/Specifications


Director(s):

Recording label: Starz Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Starz Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060020626531
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2008-02-18
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 345 minutes
Language: Spanish (Original Language)

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