"Masters of Horror" Deer Woman (2005)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Max Landis (writer) &
John Landis (writer)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

9 December 2005 (Season 1, Episode 7)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A harried, burned-out cop believes that a recent string of murders prove that the murderer might be a deer-like creature in the form of a beautiful woman right from a local Native America folklore legend.

Plot Keywords:

Deer | Native American | Police | Windwalker | Tongue In Cheek

Cast

Brian Benben	...	Dwight Faraday
Anthony Griffith	...	Officer Jacob Reed
Cinthia Moura	...	The Deer Woman
Sonja Bennett	...	Dana
Julian Christopher	...	Chief Einhron
Don Thompson	...	Detective Fuches
Alex Zahara	...	Detective Patterson
Walter High	...	Pool Player
Michael P. Northey	...	Peeing Trucker
John B. Destry	...	Trucker Witness (as John Destry)
John Bear Curtis	...	Truckstop Owner
Maxine Miller	...	Dog Lady
John R. Taylor	...	Dead Monkey Man
Edmond Kato Wong	...	Desk Cop (as Edmond Wong)
Steve Archer	...	Business Man

Runtime:

57 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

IDT Entertainment

Trivia:

One of the three men who win the jackpot in the casino is Mick Garris who created the Masters of Horror series.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the episode when Detective Faraday leaves Officer Reed's apartment, he gets into his car which has the red light on top still flashing (as he left it when he arrived). As he enters the car, the red light appears to turn off, only to be back on in the next shot. Minutes later in the woods, Deer Woman kicks his car, which causes the light to fall off the roof and fall to the side while still flashing. Presumably it fell off the car and is lying in the road as we never see it on top of the car or see the red flashing light ever again. However, as Detective Faraday pins Deer Woman to a tree using the car, we can see the reflection of the red flashing light in the windshield on a close-up of Detective Faraday. In the very next show we can still see that the light is not on the car.

Quotes:

Casino Manager: Why does everything have to have a why with you people? You know, it's a woman with deer legs, motive really isn't an issue here.

Movie Connections:

References An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Tongue in cheek horror from John Landis

The Deer Woman is John Landis' episode of the Masters of Horror series. I'm not sure if Landis really can be called a 'master' of the genre - of course, he did make the well revered 'An American Werewolf in London', but other than that his influence over horror cinema has been limited. Still, that hasn't stopped him making the best episode of the series up until this point. Writing a story that harks back to his horror masterpiece was a wise decision, and in this short film he gives a mention to London 1981. The plot follows an old legend about a woman who is also half deer. We follow a cop on the case of a series of murders that see a bunch of aroused men trampled, supposedly by an animal. Landis creates mystery and intrigue well, and while this episode is never really exciting, it's always at least interesting. Best of all is the streak of dark humour that runs throughout the short. There are several witty dialogue exchanges, but the best part for me saw the central character in bed mulling over what may have happened to brutalised victims. The acting is quite good too, with Brian Benben putting in a wry performance in the lead role. On the whole, this is hardly great horror; but considering how disappointing most of the series has been, The Deer Woman is a standout.