"Masters of Horror" Haeckel's Tale (2006)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

John McNaughton

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Mick Garris (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

27 January 2006 (Season 1, Episode 12)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

While on his way to see his sick father, a man takes shelter with an elderly man and his young wife but soon discovers their horrible secret.

Plot Keywords:

Necromancer | Cemetery | Sex With The Dead | Storytelling | Decay

Cast

Derek Cecil	...	Ernst Haeckel
Leela Savasta	...	Elise Wolfram
Tom McBeath	...	Wolfram
Steve Bacic	...	John Ralston
Gerard Plunkett	...	Dr. Hauser (as Gerrard Plunkett)
Micki Maunsell	...	Miz Carnation
Jon Polito	...	Montesquino
Pablo Coffey	...	Chester
Warren Kimmel	...	Faron
Jill Morrison	...	Rachel
Elizabeth McQuade	...	Young Woman
Christopher DeLisle	...	Elise's Dead Husband

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Germany:18 | Argentina:16 | Italy:VM14

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

British Columbia Production Tax Credit

Trivia:

George A. Romero was originally going to direct, but couldn't fit it in his schedule. Then Roger Corman was approached to helm the episode, but health issues came up and he was then replaced by John McNaughton.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wolfram brings Haeckel to the cabin for the first time, it's clear that there are no other cabins next to it. However, when Haeckel walks to the cabin in the morning after waking up in the graveyard, there is now a big rustic cabin next to Wolfram and Elisa's cabin in the background.

Most of this was pretty good ...

The first 2/3 of this movie is really well done. It plays out like any solid fantasy/horror movie would. When it has to wrap things up, it starts to falter. Given the state of horror movies these days, however, having a good first 40 minutes seems like a significant accomplishment.

The story is about a man who goes to an old woman (a "necromancer") in an effort to raise his recently deceased wife. She warns him that before she does so, she must hear a story about a medical student named Haeckel from many years ago. The movie then picks up with the story of Haeckel.

Everything is done really well - the atmosphere, acting, storyline, etc. Unfortunately, in the last 20 minutes the story tries to inject more horror elements. It doesn't work and the story gets progressively worst and the characters less believable. (In fairness to Clive Barker, I'm willing to believe story probably worked well in print).

Many horror fans will find this step above most horror movies because of the nice setup - see it if that is good enough for you.