Masters of Horror, Serial 01

Yes, we watched some bad episodes, but we were rewarded with some masterpieces that will be often revisited. Cigarette burns, Deer woman, Jenifer, Fair-haired child and Imprint will, for sure, take place in my DVD collection. Those "bad" episodes are not so bad at all, but are no match to these top 5. After all, here is my complete, MOH Serial 01 top list:

1. Cigarette burns (episode 08) - Carpenter's little masterpiece. 5-
2. Deer woman (episode 07) - I cannot say that this one will be loved by horror fans cause there's no much horror in it, but did you like "American Werewolf in London"? Well, Landis is back! 4
3. Jenifer (episode 04) - Argento's fans will NOT find Argento in it. Sure, it's " sexually-charged", it's "form over content", it's mysterious, there are some marvelous shots, but one could never guess that there is a master of giallo behind it. However, don't expect Argento and you'll watch a great episode. 4
4. Fair-haired child (episode 09) - Many reviewers find this episode the best one. I will not object to that. Interesting story meets a not widely known director, and in the aftermath, he turns to be a Master of Horror. 4-
5. Imprint (episode 13) - It has many flaws (I've already written about it, see: Imprinted?), but you will NOT forget it: It's the most disturbing of all. 4-
6. Haeckels tale (episode 12) - Dark atmosphere of classical horror literature. Costumes, erotica, suspense. Very good. 3 +
7. Pick me up (episode 11) - Two killers competing each other is a good base to start with, but Larry Cohen is NOT a Master. 3
8. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road (episode 01) - You'll remember bits and pieces. You'll remember the ending. That's all there is to it. 3
9. Dreams in the which house (episode 02) - I couldn't believe that Stuart Gordon can fail with HP Lovecraft. 3
10. Chocolate (episode 05) - This is a mystery, GOOD one, but it's not A Horror. 2+
11. Sick girl (episode 10) - When it ends, you'll forget all about it. I hope so. 2
12. Homecoming (episode 06) - Political satire with zombies. This episode is awarded, loved by most reviewers, but "not my cup of tea". 1
13. Dance of the dead (episode 03) - What happened here? Where is the story? Too many questions. 1-

Imprinted?

Takashi Mike's Imprint was probably the most anticipated episode of MASTERS OF HORROR serial. After some rumors about extreme graphic scenes, episode 12 wasn't shown to Showtime's TV audience. Instead, it was announced as a "straight to DVD" project. Mick Garris (series creator) told the New York Times: "It's definitely the most disturbing film I've ever seen." Those words (surprise, surprise!) started the anticipation, planned to last until Anchor Bay's DVD release in the Fall. On April 7th, UK channel Bravo aired Imprint as episode 13.

It IS very graphic, it IS the most disturbing episode, it WILL be imprinted in your mind for some time, but it's NOT the best. Far from it.

As was expected, Imprint was shot in English, and that turns to be a huge drawback. Japanese cast was struggling with it, choking on it, but just couldn't pronounce it right. In some scenes, I didn't understand a word. The story is a good one. It's not only one shocking (incest, abortion, torture) story. Some narrative twist are very good, but dialogue exposes a non-English screenwriter. It sounds like badly translated kung-fu movie script. Billy Drago's performance is another flaw. I decided to use unconvincing rather than bad, cause it IS hard to performe lousy lines. Nevertheless, one couldn't say that it is an example of bad casting: He was, obviously, picked out for his looks, and Imprint is all about looks.

It has Miike written all over it. Wierd looking characters, great make-up, extremely graphic scenes of torture, beautiful colors, flawless editing and many more "good little things" made Imprint enjoyable little movie for fans of great Takashi Miike.