Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie Review

Is purchasing this four-pack from Starz a scary proposition?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 9, 2009

"Masters of Horror" may be more aptly titled, "A Few Masters of Horror and Several Random Filmmakers With Some Sort of Horror Credit on Their Resumé." "Masters of Horror" is a show with an excellent concept, providing practically free reign to a director to helm an hour-long tale of thrills, chills, and gore any way they see fit. Of course, cross the line too much and the episode won't make it on-air (see "Imprint"). Unfortunately, the talent assembled for the task ranges from "true master" to "who?" The quality of each episode varies almost as greatly, regardless of the director behind the camera. John Carpenter's entry is one of the weaker in the series (though it boasts perhaps the best concept of the bunch) while Don Coscarelli, whose name is certainly not of the same stature as Carpenter, Argento, or Miike, directs perhaps the best episode, "Incident On and Off A Mountain Road." Directors can do only so much given substandard material, and "Masters of Horror" is proof-positive that a talented director without a great script is like a hockey player without a stick. "Masters of Horror" seems like a Horror fan's dream-come-true, but this collection of scary movies offers just as many tricks as it does treats.

Volume I
Rating: 2.5/5

"Cigarette Burns"

Norman Reedus plays Kirby, a film aficionado and small movie theater owner with a troubled past. He is deep in debt, a recovering drug addict, and his girlfriend has committed suicide. He has a knack for tracking down copies of obscure movies, and he is hired by an eccentric, wealthy film collector named Bellinger (Udo Kier) to find perhaps the most infamous film of all time-- La Fin Absolue Du Monde (The Absolute End of the World). Screened only once publicly, the film drove its audience insane. Four people died in the mayhem that followed and rumor has it that the only copy of the film has been destroyed by the government. Bellinger, of course, believes otherwise. Seeing a solution to his financial troubles, Kirby agrees to track down the film. His life begins to unravel as he closes in on the truth behind the film.

With John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York) at the helm, one cannot help but to have high hopes for this episode. Unfortunately, although it is watchable, it is an overall disappointment, thanks to poor execution, among other things. The pace is extremely slow, and for an episode that clocks in at just under an hour, that’s a bad sign. Udo Kier delivers a solid performance, as does Julius Chapelle who plays Henri, a French film archivist. Reedus' performance as Kirby seems severely lacking, however, sometimes poor enough so as to detract from the flow of the story. He often seems to be reciting his lines without giving any thought to their meaning and place in the story. There are several genuinely scary moments throughout, and the episode is particularly graphic and gory. Fans of extreme gore will no doubt love this one.

"Dreams in the Witch House"

H.P. Lovecraft is an icon of horror literature, and director Stuart Gordon has made a career with his film adaptations of the author’s work, including the popular Re-Animator (starring Jeffrey Combs of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" fame). Returning to direct yet another Lovecraft yarn, Gordon's Dreams in the Witch House adds to the "Masters of Horror" collection. This episode stars Ezra Godden as Walter Gilman, a graduate student studying the possibility that alternate universes have an intersect point, and where they cross, travel between the two universes is theoretically possible. As luck would have it (or misfortune from Walter’s perspective), this point of intersection is in the corner of his bedroom. A witch and a rat (with a human face) come through this portal bent on sacrificing his neighbor’s infant son. Walter must protect the child and fight the witch’s powerful spell that is befalling him, a spell that makes him want to do the evil deed himself.

There seems to be a trend in the first two episodes -- a man must battle powerful, surreal entities while trying to keep his wits and sanity about him. Ezra Godden fares much better than Norman Reedus at emoting the terror one would likely feel while being confronted by the unknown. This is certainly a more twisted and complex tale than "Cigarette Burns", though the plot contrivances in this episode are a bit too obvious. Technically, the episode is on par with "Cigarette Burns." One key special effect near the end of the episode looks laughably bad. While distracting, it doesn't completely take audiences out of the intensity of the scene. The gore is very much toned down here, especially comparing it to the very graphic "Cigarette Burns."

"The Fair-Haired Child"

Tara (Lindsay Pulsipher) is a shy, picked-on high school student who is drugged and taken away in the back of a van after school. When she wakes, she is told she is in a hospital several hundred miles away from her home. Tara soon enough realizes she is not where she was led to believe, and quickly finds herself locked in the basement of a secluded mansion with Johnny, a suicidal, weary, and mute young man. Tara and Johnny discover ominous warning signs scribbled on the walls, including "beware the fair-haired child." The identity of the fair-haired child is soon revealed and Tara and Johnny must face the nightmare together.

This episode is arguably the most entertaining of the three, though quite a bit of it is over-the-top. The identity of the fair-haired child came as no surprise, and unfortunately his reveal feels lackluster in presentation. He's certainly a scary-looking creature (with night vision eyes), but a scarier reveal may have been much more effective. The episode's director, William Malone, has several box office clunkers under his belt (the Alien rip-off Creature and FeardotCom) and this episode proves he isn't likely to break through as a director anytime soon. This episode, like "Cigarette Burns," could have been much better than it was. The concept is intriguing, and one wonders what could have been had the filmmakers been given a bigger budget and more time to flesh out the details of the episode.






Volume II
Rating: 3.5/5

"Jenifer"

Dario Argento (Two Evil Eyes) is one of the definitive icons of horror movie history and a great influence on the genre as it is known today. He also supervised the European release of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (known as Zombi in Europe). He has the credentials to be called a true "master of horror" and he has delivered "Jenifer" for Showtime's "Masters of Horror" series. Jenifer stars Steven Weber (who wrote the teleplay based on a short story by Bruce Jones) as Frank, a detective who, while on stakeout, saves a hideously deformed woman, Jenifer (Carrie Anne Fleming), from being brutally murdered. Frank feels for her and rather than see her in an asylum, he brings her into his home, much to the disgust of his wife. After Jennifer eats the family cat, Frank's wife and son leave. Frank becomes obsessed even further with protecting and providing for Jenifer, so much so that he tolerates her inhuman, malicious actions. The only question that remains is how far Jenifer will go, and how far Frank will allow her to go before turning on her.

Be forewarned, this is a disturbing and very graphic entry into the "Masters of Horror" series. It's more brutal than "Cigarette Burns" but infinitely better in terms of story, character development, and, most importantly, sheer terror. "Jenifer," at first, seems to be aiming more for a shock-fest, but instead the tale develops into a well-crafted story with solid acting, direction, and writing. One element that greatly adds to the horror of the story is the unknown. Argento leaves many questions unanswered. What has happened to Jenifer? Why does she do what she does? Despite leaving audiences hanging, "Jenifer" is one of the best episodes of the "Masters of Horror" series.

"Sick Girl"

"Sick Girl," directed by Lucky McKee (2002's May), stars Angela Bettis and Erin Brown as Ida and Misty, two girls who have fallen in love and moved in together. Ida is an entomologist with an apartment full of bugs she keeps as pets, much to the dismay of her landlord. She is a hopeless romantic and finally meets Misty, an artist who draws pictures of fairies in the lobby of Ida's workplace. Ida has received a rare bug in the mail from Brazil. The bug manages to get loose at the same time that Ida and Misty's relationship begins to undergo "changes." The story soon shares a secret from Misty's past and reveals why the bug was delivered to Ida and who sent it to her.

For everything that "Jenifer" gets right, "Sick Girl" gets horribly wrong. The story is ludicrous, the acting terrible (Ida's character is downright painful to watch and listen to), and there is absolutely nothing scary about this episode, except how bad it is. Gore fans will be disappointed, too, with this installment. There is practically no gore and only one splattering of blood near the end. No scares, no gore, no redeeming quality at all. This is easily the worst episode of "Masters of Horror."

"Deer Woman"

"Deer Woman" is an enjoyable hour-long romp that is a parody of schlock horror and buddy cop movies. It is directed by John Landis who has brought horror fans An American Werewolf in London as well as some of the greatest comedies of all time, including Animal House and The Blues Brothers. This episode stars Brian Benben as Dwight Faraday, a once-respected detective that has been demoted to investigating animal attacks after an unfortunate incident while in the line of duty. A series of brutal murders that leave victims mutilated almost beyond recognition leads Faraday and his sidekick, Officer Jacob Reed (Anthony Griffith), to believe that the killer may be a real-life Native American legend, that of the "Deer Woman," a beautiful woman with the legs of a deer.

This is a fine episode despite its ridiculous premise. Though it suffers from some of the same flaws as "Sick Girl," such as bad acting and an absurd story that just isn't scary and doesn't live up to its "Horror" billing, "Deer Woman" doesn't take itself seriously and allows viewers to go on the case with Faraday and Reed and revel in the fun and foolishness of the whole affair. There is a moderate amount of gore here, mostly of already-mutilated bodies, and what's here is over-the-top and doesn't churn the stomach as much as gore in more serious, straightforward horror precisely because the episode is so much fun and isn't meant to shock audiences.






Volume III
Rating: 3.5/5

"Incident On and Off a Mountain Road"

It was a dark and stormy night. Really! Ellen (Bree Turner) crashes her car on a desolate mountain road during a horrific thunderstorm. She wakes in a daze, noticing a blood trail leading from her car to the side of the road. She approaches cautiously and is suddenly confronted by Moonface (John De Santis), a large, crazed, and pale-skinned killer who captures young women, returns them to his home, removes their eyes with a drill press, crucifies them, and displays the remains of his victims in his yard. Sarah must rely on the teachings of her husband Bruce (Ethan Embry) to survive. Bruce is a survivalist, an expert in weapons of all types, and is an especially skilled marksman with his 1911-style pistol. Through a series of flashbacks, viewers see his influence on Ellen as he attempts to teach her self-reliance, survival skills, and discipline. Ellen is largely turned off by the constant barrage of criticism and hard work Bruce puts her through, but she soon realizes the value of the training as she uses it to fight against Moonface and for her freedom.

This episode is more of a 50 minute action sequence with Horror elements mixed in rather than playing as straight Horror, and it is easily the best "Masters of Horror" episode to be found in the first two Blu-ray collections. Director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep) has crafted a tense, riveting, and action-packed episode with a good life lesson on the value of self-reliance and discipline mixed in. "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was the premier episode of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" series, and it's an odd choice for such a distinction. It's a fabulous episode but not pure Horror, possibly disappointing hardcore fans of the genre. Coscarelli is a good director, but one would think that leading off the series with an episode from a bigger-name horror director such as John Carpenter or Dario Argento would have made more sense. Someone at Showtime, however, obviously saw that this episode stands toe-to-toe with the best the series has to offer and recognized the high quality of the episode from the directing, the acting, and the story. It's a fine episode, worthy of repeat viewings, and a great way to kick off Volume III of the series.

"Dance of the Dead"

The setting for "Dance of the Dead" is a post-apocalyptic America where nine million people have died as a result of war and terrorism. This is a world where drugged-out and mean-spirited teenagers rob elderly couples not of money or jewels but of their very life source -- blood. The blood is sold to "The M.C." (Robert Englund of Nightmare on Elm Street fame), the owner of the hard rock night club "The Doom Room," who injects the blood into the corpses of terror victims of "the Blizz." The methodology is a bit complicated, but suffice to say that injecting these victims with fresh blood causes them to dance when provoked to do so by an electric shock.

Peggy (Jessica Lowndes) is a 17-year-old waitress whose sister and father have both fallen victim to the ravages of war and terror. She meets Jak (Jonathan Tucker), one of the misguided youths who steal the blood. He's much more level-headed and caring than his friends, a quality Peggy instantly recognizes. She goes out with him and ends up at "The Doom Room" along with Jak's friend Boxx (Ryan McDonald) where she soon discovers a terrible secret about one of the unfortunate souls forced to perform the "dance of the dead." In a mad scramble to reveal the truth, Peggy and Jak must come to terms with issues from their past and confront them head-on in the present.

Films set in a post-apocalyptic world are always intriguing. From excellent films like The Road Warrior and Miracle Mile to the bad-yet-fun Cyborg, such films generally draw in and entertain viewers, but Dance of the Dead fails to impress. It's dull and in many ways predictable. There aren't many scares and very little gore. What gore the episode offers appears fake, a problem at times with post-production CGI. Director Tobe Hooper is somewhat of an enigma. He burst onto the horror scene with his classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but has done little since to realize the potential demonstrated in that film. This film is no different. It is short on scares, slow on pace, and absent of replay value. This is not the worst of the series, but it is certainly near the bottom. Robert Englund, as expected, is the lone bright spot of the show and serves as its primary redeeming quality.

"Pick Me Up"

As the story begins, a bus with only a few passengers breaks down in the middle of nowhere. A trucker named Wheeler (Michael Moriarty) pulls over to help out and offers to take some of the stranded passengers to "The Trading Post" several miles down the road where, they assume, all will be well. Someone ought to remind them that they are in a Horror picture! Wheeler's modus operandi is simple: kill anyone who hitches a ride with him. The bus driver remains behind and is murdered by a drifter/hitchhiker named, aptly, Walker (Warren Kole), whose M.O. is to kill anyone who picks him up. The trucker and drifter are in competition with one another, seemingly at odds over who should kill their latest victim, Stacia (Fairuza Balk). The trio end up at a motel, at first unbeknownst to one another, where the killers face off. This leads to their final confrontation at the end of the film when Wheeler picks up Walker with Stacia already in the cab of the truck. The episode ends with a spectacularly good, out-of-left-field ending.

Neither spine-tingling scary nor gratuitously violent (though this is the goriest entry on this disc based solely on one sequence), "Pick Me Up" is a dark comedy that is over-the-top in its acting and storytelling, and is a fun ride from beginning to end. Director Larry Cohen is one of the lesser "masters of Horror." Nevertheless, this is a good entry into the series and showcases Cohen's natural ability as a storyteller, and will likely leave viewers yearning to discover more of his work when the credits role.






Volume IV
Rating: 2.5/5

"Imprint"

Takashi Miike's "Imprint" is the story of an American named Christopher (Billy Drago, The Hills Have Eyes) on a journey to find a woman named Komomo (Michie Itô in her film debut) whom he once met and promised to return to take her to the United States. Upon arrival to an island inhabited by prostitutes, Christopher is told by a mysterious and unnamed woman (Youki Kudoh, Rush Hour 3) that Komomo is dead. A dejected Christopher asks the woman to tell him exactly what happened to Komomo. She recounts a harrowing tale of Komomo's torture over a stolen ring that belonged to the madam ruling over her women (Japanese actress Toshie Negishi). Christopher is not convinced by the woman's story, believing there to be more to the tale. He pushes the woman to reveal the truth, and as she does, she unravels a harrowing and horrifying tale that will end with Christopher learning the woman's dark secret about herself, the ring, and Komomo.

This is the episode that never aired on Showtime; executives deemed it too disturbing to show to their viewers. Does it live up to its reputation as something so horrifying that it was never aired on television? Yes and no. The torture scenes are more gut-wrenching and stomach-churning than they are graphic. Audiences see Komomo having her armpits burned and needles stuck under her fingernails and gums. Also to be seen are aborted fetuses, some gore, and a fairly disturbing "thing" that relates to the woman's secret. The most cringe-worthy aspect of "Imprint" was that it became more and more ridiculous as it moved along. Not only is Billy Drago's acting horrendous, but the Japanese women speaking English is a turn-off, too. Their English sounds forced and phony, making it difficult to take seriously. The story, especially after the woman's "secret" is revealed, comes off as completely ludicrous, aiming more for shock value than a taut story line. This one is still worth a watch, however. It's not overly disturbing, visually, but any intellectually stimulating aspect the episode may have garnered partway through is lost by the end.

"Homecoming"

"Homecoming" stars Robert Picardo of Star Trek: Voyager fame. It combines elements of the War and Zombie genres, which would seem to make for a winning combination. Wrong! "Homecoming" is one of the most politically-charged shows around, surpassing even "Weeds" in its blatant commentary. David Murch (John Tenney, The Closer) is a campaign speechwriter and Jane Cleaver (Thea Gill, Seed) is an author who has written a book about the left taking over cable news, her character portrayed as an Ann Coulter type. Appearing together on a television talk show, David says that if the deceased soldiers fighting overseas could come back from the dead, they would say that the war is a good thing. The problem is, the dead soldiers really are coming back to life! Instead of coming back and saying that they died for a good cause, the dead soldiers are returning to vote against the President and the war.

Joe Dante, Master or Horror? His horror credentials, like several of the other "masters" of Horror, are suspect at best. He's got Gremlins, that film Horror-light at best. Dante' biggest hits include Small Soldiers, Innerspace, and Matinee. He does have a couple of lesser-known horror flicks to slap onto his resumé, including Piranha and The Howling. Not only is his episode a dull, overlong mess with sloppy direction, poor pacing, and bad writing, but it also fails as political satire and as political message because it's just too blatantly obvious that the entire point was to berate those persons and events that Dante disapproves of in real life. A more subdued message with strong underlying tones rather than an overt rant may have been more effective in communicating his criticism of present-day events. The "beat the viewer over the head" approach of the episode completely fails to engender any sort of critical thinking, resulting only in a "here we go again" general groan as the episode plays out.

"Haeckel’s Tale"

"Haeckel’s Tale" is a twisted story of love's enduring power. When a man wants his late wife resurrected, he visits a necromancer for help in performing the ritual that will bring her back. She agrees to raise his wife from the dead on one condition: he must hear a tale of a previous raising of the dead and decide if he still wants the dark magic performed at the end of the story. The bulk of the episode is the telling of this tale, a tale of a man named Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil, Pasadena), a heathen medical student who claims to be able to resurrect the dead. He fails to raise the corpse of a woman before an audience of his classmates and professor. Haeckel sets out to prove his theory correct and eventually meets "The Great Montesquino," a man who claims to be able to raise the dead, performing the act on a dog for crowds and offering his services for pay to raise the dead for his clientele. Haeckel eventually meets Walter Wolfram (Tom McBeath, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) and his wife Elise (Leela Savasta, Black Christmas), with whom he spends the night. Haeckel begins to fall in love with Elise, but a very dark and horrific secret will validate his theories on reanimation, confirm Montesquino's powers and, ultimately, lead him towards a fate that he may not be able to escape.

This is yet another tale of the dead rising, but, unlike "Homecoming," it makes for a very enjoyable watch. This is perhaps the most bizarre episode of "Masters of Horror," but it is both intriguing and fast-paced. The episode engenders an odd sense of fascination with what transpires. Some may find it romantic, others may find it horrifically disgusting, but regardless, there is no denying that what happens in "Haeckel's Tale" is unique in film. It's bold, risqué, and mostly shocking, but the end of the episode plays out rather predictably. Still, a solid effort here, and one of the best of the first season of the show.

"Chocolate"

Jamie (Henry Thomas, Fire in the Sky) is a man who creates artificial flavorings for the food industry. Despite working around tasty foods, Jamie only eats "rabbit food" until he meets a woman at the supermarket. The two spend the night together and overeat on junk food. Jamie soon begins tasting chocolate in his mouth, despite not having consumed any. He shrugs the odd sensation off, but when he begins to see another person's life through his own eyes and feeling what she feels, he begins to lose his sanity and starts a desperate search for the person whose life he is witnessing. The search intensifies when he witnesses a murder committed by this individual, and he ultimately confronts her, resulting in a life-and-death struggle for the truth about who she is and why Jamie is seeing her life before his eyes.

Expectations are high for "Chocolate." The episode is directed by the creator of "Masters of Horror," Mick Garris. Unfortunately, this is rather average stuff, and labeling it as "Horror" is a stretch at best. Perhaps "Psychological Thriller" would be the proper classification. Though difficult to embrace, it's certainly not the worst the series has to offer, but it fails to live up to its billing as "Horror." Not once is it scary, gory, or tense. "Chocolate" never really offers anything of note, leaving viewers shrugging it off with a "so what?" "Chocolate" is neither sweet nor tasty, but it's certainly a cavity in this series.

Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Volume I
Rating: 2.5/5

Starz presents "Masters of Horror" in 1080i high definition, the same way the show aired on Showtime. "Cigarette Burns" fares the worst of the trio found on the first disc. Flesh tones are on the wrong side of orange. A very small amount of noise is noticeable throughout. Much of the image appears overly soft. Black levels are fine, however, and some of the brighter daytime scenes look good. Skin tones fare much better in the other two episodes. "The Fair-Haired Child," taking place in a mostly dark and drab basement with grays, blacks, and blues as the primary hues, looks solid enough. All three episodes are very dark in nature and they are given a passable presentation on Blu-ray, but there is certainly room for improvement should Starz ever revisit this series in the future.

Volume II
Rating: 3.5/5

Overall, video quality surpassed that of the first volume of "Masters of Horror." Again presented in 1080i, Volume II still comes nowhere close to being rated among the best of Blu-ray, but two of the three episodes in this set look sufficiently good overall. Sadly, the one that is lacking is the best episode, "Jenifer." This episode has the same problems that plagued the episodes in Volume I, namely a soft, at times slightly blurred image with loads of speckles visible onscreen, especially in outdoor scenes. The image appears somewhat uneven. Flesh tones look very natural one minute and display much less color or too much the next. They never appear overly orange, as was seen in "Cigarette Burns" from Volume I, but this isn't a marked improvement either. "Sick Girl" and "Deer Woman" fare the best on this disc and certainly look better than all three episodes from Volume I. Everything, including black levels, are solid but not extraordinary. Fans of the show should be pleased enough with this transfer.

Volume III
Rating: 3.5/5

Starz presents yet another disc in the "Masters of Horror" series in 1080i. The image across the three episodes, as a whole, fares better than its two predecessors. "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" impresses a great deal. Luscious greens permeate some of the daylight outdoor scenes, and the nighttime and darker scenes are excellent. Black levels appear to be spot-on throughout this and the other two episodes. One problem that was evident in the first two volumes -- skin tones -- rears its ugly head once again here, and "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" is the primary victim. Skin tones look more natural as the disc progresses, with "Pick Me Up" looking the best in this regard. Like "Incident," "Dance of the Dead" is an overly dark episode with very few daylight scenes. The episode handles the challenges such a look presents as well as one may expect for a 1080i television program. Noise is a minor issue in each episode, but only in the most challenging of scenes. Overall, this is a pleasant transfer that will satisfy most viewers.

Volume IV
Rating: 4/5

This is yet another compilation of "Masters of Horror" presented in 1080i high definition. Fortunately, this is the best-looking disc of the bunch. The image is much more detail-oriented. Skin tones are surprisingly accurate in appearance. The image is sharp with a clarity, depth, and three-dimensional appearance that was lacking in the first three discs. The transfer also sports rich, vibrant colors along with excellent black level reproduction; blacks only waver ever-so-slightly to the too dark or too light sides of the scale but a handful of times. The detail is astounding, even in areas where less detail would be expected and probably accepted (read: more than just close-ups of faces). Noise is evident here and there, but it's never distracting. This is a solid effort from Starz.

Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Volume I
Rating: 3/5

Anchor Bay has included both a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and a PCM 5.1 uncompressed track for this release. Like the video quality, audio fares better on the final two episodes. "Cigarette Burns" sounds fairly drab. Low Frequency effects are clean with no distortion. Surround usage is virtually nonexistent. "Dreams in the Witch House" sounds much better. Surrounds are active and used to great effect in several scenes. Sound moves effectively across the front of the soundstage as well, making for a very enveloping soundtrack. "The Fair-Haired Child" offers the most average listen amongst the three tracks. It delivers crisp highs, good bass, and decent use of the surrounds. The best sonic aspect of the disc comes from the main menu and the title sequence at the beginning of each episode. It's a very good score and sounds great on Blu-ray.

Volume II
Rating: 2.5/5

As with Volume I, Volume II of "Masters of Horror" features both a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and a PCM Uncompressed 5.1 track. As with Volume I, this is a less-than-stellar soundtrack. Again, surrounds are rarely employed. Scenes where one may reasonably expect to be enveloped by multi-directional sound, like a scene featuring fast and heavy traffic in "Jenifer," feature virtually nothing coming from the rear. Listeners will enjoy some great use of distinct multi-channel sound across the front soundstage, particularly in "Deer Woman," and some decent low frequency effects. Overall, this track is adequate. Nothing more, nothing less.

Volume III
Rating: 3.5/5

Starz has included both a Dolby Digital 5.1 track alongside a PCM uncompressed 5.1 offering for this release. Once again, the opening credits score sounds terrific. Not only does it drown the room in a chilling sonic experience, it's a well-written piece that fits in perfectly with the theme of the series. There are some good sound effects to be heard throughout each episode. "Incident" sounds the best, if only because there is more activity and ambience to be heard in the episode. Falling rain, thunder, and overlaid popular music sound great, the latter emanating primarily from the right and left front speakers. "Pick Me Up" features quite a bit of good, distortion-free bass, as do the club scenes in "Dance of the Dead." Dialogue is never an issue throughout the disc, and surrounds are more active than they have been in any of the other volumes of this series. This is the best sonic experience yet on any "Masters of Horror" Blu-ray discs and rates as respectable.

Volume IV
Rating: 3.5/5

This collection of "Masters of Horror" episodes is presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1 lossless audio. Dialogue is reproduced with clarity and it never becomes lost amongst music or effects. There are subtle details in the sound, such as rushing water, creeks in floorboards, and echoes, that are all reproduced faithfully to an extent that leaves the listener feeling like he or she is standing in the raging waters, walking on the floorboards, or hearing a real-life echo. Gunshots in "Homecoming" sound powerful, really kicking in the LFE to add a bit of impact that one would expect to feel during scenes featuring the discharging of firearms. Like the video, these audio tracks rate as the best of the first season's discs.

Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Volume I
Rating: 2.5/5

Starz provides four audio commentary tracks on this disc, including two for "Cigarette Burns." The first is a feature commentary by Director John Carpenter. His track is rather drab, unfortunately, rarely providing meaningful insight into the production. The second track features Writers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan. The duo was ecstatic to have worked with the legendary Carpenter, and they had a genuinely good time making the episode and recording this track. "Dreams in the Witch House" features commentary by Writer/Director Stuart Gordon, Actor Ezra Godden, and DVD Producer Perry Martin. The director and actor talk about the influence of Lovecraft in their work, updating the story for today's medium, and working on the set. Director William Malone and Writer Matt Greenburg appear on the track for "The Fair-Haired Child." Talk of budget restrictions and run-of-the-mill casting info dominate this track. It's rather mundane and only worth a listen for those that loved the episode.

Volume II
Rating: 2/5

Starz offers viewers three commentary tracks as the only bonus features on Volume II. They have again chosen to eschew all of the other supplements found on the standard DVD release. The track for "Jenifer" features Steven Weber and DVD Producer Perry Martin. This is a solid track, the highlight being a discussion about Carrie Anne Fleming's enthusiasm to play the role of Jenifer. Particularly of note was her initial reaction of doubt over the way she ended up looking and finally embracing the look and working in her raw emotions regarding the transformation into the role. The track for "Sick Girl" includes Director Lucky McKee, Composer Jaye Barnes Luckett, and Actors Angela Bettis and Jesse Hlubik. Discussions include themes and metaphors in the episode. It's a fun track and much better than the episode itself. Finally, Brian Benben and Anthony Griffith discuss life, Canada, corn bread, and some amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes in the commentary track for "Deer Woman," easily the finest of the trio of commentaries found in this volume.

Volume III
Rating: 3/5

This disc sports five audio commentaries, two each for "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" and "Dance of the Dead" and one for "Pick Me Up." First up is a track for "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" featuring Don Coscarelli, Writer Stephen Romano, and DVD Producer Perry Martin. The trio goes very in-depth about the background of securing the rights to Joe Lansdale's original story, the director's fondness for Lansdale's work, working as part of the "Masters of Horror" team, and basic stories behind the making of the episode. The second track features Coscarelli with Author Joe R. Lansdale. They discuss the author's roots, changes made to the story for the film, and thoughts about the meaning of some of the more thought-provoking aspects of the film. Both are fine commentaries and compliment a great episode well.

Tobe Hooper and Perry Martin appear on the first track featured on "Dance of the Dead." Hooper discusses how he and other "masters of Horror" came together to come up with the idea of the series, working in an anthology, and sharing their thoughts regarding the possibility of a future such as the one depicted in the film becoming a reality. Hooper is rather dull, but he provides some good information that his fans will enjoy. The second track features writer Richard Christian Matheson, who penned the teleplay for this film. Matheson dives right into the track, discussing his rewrites to make the story flow better and make more sense. He also breaks the story down and sometimes falls into the trap of discussing the happenings on-screen.

The final commentary track on the disc features Director Larry Cohen discussing "Pick Me Up." He seems a little nervous, but he's very passionate about his film. Interestingly, this is the first film he has directed that he did not himself write. Cohen discusses the cast and crew and some fun anecdotes behind the making of the episode. This is a good listen.

Volume IV
Rating: 2.5/5

As usual, the only supplements to be found volume IV of "Masters of Horror" are commentary tracks. This time, there are four tracks, one for each episode. The track accompanying "Imprint" features Author, Musician, and American Cinematheque Programer Chris D. and Writer Wyatt Doyle of NewTexture.com. This pair clearly know their stuff when it comes to cinema history and lore, and they both come across as intelligent and articulate. This is a fantastic commentary track and well worth a listen regardless of how one feels towards the episode. The track for "Homecoming" features Writer Sam Hamm. Hamm admits he and Joe Dante set out to make a politically-motivated episode as they are both self-proclaimed "news junkies." Joe Dante has said that this is really a Horror movie because "all of the characters are Republicans." He claims any resemblance to real people is coincidental. Hamm allows dead air to pop up here and there, but he nevertheless provides some good background about the story, motivations, and making the show.

Director John McNaughton is the lone participant on "Haeckel's Tale." This is a very basic nuts-and-bolts track with too much dead air in between descriptions of the action on-screen and anecdotes about casting, the origins of the story, costuming, and the like, in all, well worth a pass, worth listening to only when one is terribly bored with everything else in life. Writer/Director Mick Garris and DVD Producer and frequent Starz Commentator Perry Martin provide the commentary for "Chocolate." It's no surprise that the two discuss the series more than the episode, but that's fine. Since every disc lacks any sort of extras rather than scene-specific commentary tracks, it's a welcome addition to finally learn some real background information on the entirety of the production.

Masters of Horror: The Complete Season 1, Vols. 1-4 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Masters of Horror" presents a brilliant concept with only ho-hum execution and results. Scattered amongst the 13-episode season are a few hidden gems that are lost under what is mostly a collection of mediocre-to-bad hour-long films. Most all of the episodes, however, offer some sort of redeeming quality, and genre fans should not be hesitant to give each of them a go. This Blu-ray collection features the entire first season spread across four discs with results that range from average to good. The picture quality is never strikingly good, but it's never standard-definition bad, either. The lossless soundtracks are acceptable, and each episode offers up at least one scene-specific commentary track. This four-disc "Masters of Horror" bundle is recommended to fans of the series.