"Masters of Horror" Chocolate (2005)

Director:

Mick Garris

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Mick Garris (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

25 November 2005 (Season 1, Episode 5)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

In Chicago, the lonely Jamie works in the food laboratory of a company developing flavors with his best friend Wally...

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Murder | Psychic | Clairvoyant | Masters Of Horror

Cast

Henry Thomas	...	Jamie
Matt Frewer	...	Wally
Stacy Grant	...	Vanessa
Jake D. Smith	...	Booth (as Jake Smith)
Michael Curtola	...	Band Member
Katharine Horsman	...	Sue
Paul Wu	...	Hooper
Leah Graham	...	Elaine
Lucie Laurier	...	Catherine
Ali Staseson	...	Young Girl
Peter Bryant	...	Detective #1
Ken Dresen	...	Detective #2 (as Ken Dressen)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 (TV rating) (self applied) (2008) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (self applied) (2007) | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

British Columbia Production Tax Credit

Trivia:

When Jamie is in his bed, he takes the book "Desperation" by Stephen King off his night stand. Director Mick Garris directed the TV version of Desperation (2006) (TV), in which Henry Thomas also stars.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The camera operator is reflected in the shower head.

Quotes:

Wally: Who knows, you might meet a rock 'n roll nymphomaniac.

Soundtrack:

Welcome

strong series entry by the underrated Garris

I just submitted a comment for the "Masters of Horror" episode 'Incident on and Off a Mountain Road,' in which I claimed that the series' central problem was restricting filmmakers to 60-minute TV restraints. However, to rebut some of the negative comments on "Chocolate" (by the way, how on EARTH can you call Eli Roth a 'master' of ANYTHING?), I will also say that the series deserves a bit of leeway--in comparison to the directors' feature films, of course these TV episodes are going to come up short by default, and shouldn't be assessed with the criteria one attaches to a film. Thus far, I have found each entry (released to DVD) passable, stylish entertainment that carries the signature of each director. "Chocolate," from series creator Mick Garris, is no exception; at this point, it's the best entry I've seen, perhaps because Garris is more familiar with the parameters of television. His story follows a divorced, artificial-flavoring creator named Jamie (Henry Thomas), who begins to have visions of a mysterious femme fatale; the episode follows his quest to locate the woman, who has committed murder and might not be altogether right in the head. While the thriller aspect is strong (even inspiring some comparisons to 2005's 'remote viewing' tale, "Suspect Zero"), Garris brings romantic as well as darkly humorous elements to the mix. Even if the denouement leaves a bit to be desired, "Chocolate" is a strong entry nonetheless.

6.5 out of 10