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MASTERS OF HORROR: JOHN CARPENTER
When I first heard about the Showtime series MASTERS OF HORROR and who they had lined up I was thrilled. Enough so that I considered getting Showtime. But then I realized that these short films would find there way to DVD soon enough that I’d get the chance to see them that way and not have to deal with repetitive showings of the same movies over and over again. The wait was worth it.
Taking stories yet untold in film and handing them over to the top horror film directors of the past few decades is a great idea. Each has the opportunity to take on these tales of terror and make them their own. And fans of the genre as well as of these specific directors get a chance to revel in what they have to offer.
Who best to begin this series off with than the man who made horror legitimate again back in the 70s and continued in the genre afterwards: John Carpenter. Known mostly for his work in horror, Carpenter has dabbled successfully in other genres as well. But he remains tagged as a horror director. Which thankfully he doesn’t mind.
Carpenter’s tale is called “Cigarette Burns”, a name that refers to the circular images in the corner of the screen that flash by letting you know something is going to happen or that a reel is about to change. But the tale itself deals more with film than it does its technical make up.
Norman Reedus plays Kirby Sweetman, a young man who runs a classic film theater while at the same time locating hard to find movies for collectors. One such collector is Mr. Ballinger (Udo Kier) who has summoned Kirby and put upon him the task of locating the infamous film, Le Fin Absolue Du Monde.
This film is legendary, one of the most difficult to find due to the history behind it. The film is said to have been shown only once. And during that screening, the entire audience went mad, tearing each other to shreds leaving a theatre drenched in blood.
For his role in finding the film, Kirby will receive the chance to run the film for 2 weeks as well as $200,000 a tidy sum that Kirby needs as the man who loaned him the money to start the theater is set to collect within a week. That same man happens to be the father of the woman Kirby loved, a woman he let down who committed suicide. And her father holds Kirby responsible.
As Kirby moves into his search for the film, the film begins to have an effect on him before he gets anywhere close. Flashes of burning rings appear before his eyes. Memories flood his mind. Blackouts begin to happen. There is more to this film than even Kirby is willing to admit. Every person Kirby comes into contact with that knows something about this movie tries to warn him to stay away. But he is relentless, in dire need of the money for his freedom as well as his own sense of curiosity about the film.
What he finds in the end is more than he bargained for. He does succeed in his quest, but at what cost in the end? What final effect does the film have on Mr. Ballinger, on Kirby and on those who chance to get a glimpse of it? Watch and see in this movie that keeps you interested from start to finish.
In my mind, a great director is one who leaves his stamp on what he produces while at the same time never making it overtly apparent that the film is uniquely his. Carpenter is a master at this. Each film bears his stamp and at the same time not in such a way as to make it noticeable. He truly IS a master and deserves to be in this series.