Synopsis
Includes:
Masters of Horror: Homecoming (2005)
Masters of Horror: Chocolate (2005)
Imprint (2006)
Masters of Horror: Haeckel's Tale (2006)
Masters of Horror: Homecoming
Director Joe Dante stirred up a great deal of interest in Showtime's Masters of Horror series with his bluntly anti-Operation Iraqi Freedom political satire, Homecoming, scripted by Sam Hamm. An unnamed president is running for reelection during a divisive war, and one of his speechwriters, David Murch (Jon Tenney), goes on TV to speak with talk show host Marty Clark (Terry David Mulligan) and strident right-wing sexpot Jane Cleaver (Thea Gill of Queer as Folk). Another guest is Janet Hofstader (Beverly Breuer), the Cindy Sheehan-like mother of a fallen soldier, who demands to know what her son died for. Murch gets a bit teary-eyed and explains that he lost his older brother in Vietnam. "Believe me," he tells the grieving mom, "if I had one wish, I would wish for your son to come back, because I know he would tell us how important this struggle is." Cleaver is so impressed with Murch's handling of the situation that she takes him out for a drink later, picks his brain, and eventually seduces him. The Karl Rove-like Kurt Rand (Robert Picardo) interrupts their tryst, calling to let Murch know that the president plans to make his line part of his stump speech. Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Soon, the soldiers killed in the war do start returning from the dead, and it doesn't go the way Murch predicted. They're not back to feast on the living, but unhappily for the president and his supporters, they just want a chance to vote in the upcoming election. "We'll vote for anyone who ends this war," one explains. The spin machine goes into overdrive, but the dead are determined to make their voice heard. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Masters of Horror: Chocolate
Executive producer Mick Garris, the driving force behind the Masters of Horror series on Showtime, writes and directs this episode, Chocolate. Garris is best known for directing several Stephen King adaptations, including the made-for-TV versions of The Stand and The Shining, but here he is working from his own short story. Henry Thomas stars as Jamie, a repressed, recently divorced lab technician. At work in the lab with his aging rocker co-worker, Wally (Matt Frewer), Jamie designs artificial flavorings to simulate the foods he craves, but won't allow himself to eat. One night, he has what seems to be a powerful hallucination, in which he tastes expensive fine chocolate. He goes to see Wally's band play, and seems to temporarily lose his hearing. While driving home, he has a vivid visual episode that almost results in a car wreck. He picks up a girl (Leah Graham) at the supermarket, and they really hit it off, but he has another episode at the most inopportune time, ruining their budding romance. As these episodes increase in their frequency and duration, Jamie begins to realize that he's sharing the experiences of Catherine (Lucie Laurier), a beautiful young woman who lives in another city. Jamie believes there must be a reason for his connection to Catherine, and after witnessing a particularly violent and disturbing scene, he decides to track her down. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Imprint
An American journalist in search of the love he once left behind travels to a mysterious Japanese island where the past is best left forgotten in the one installment of Showtime's Masters of Horror series that was too controversial for American television. It was long ago that Christopher (Billy Drago) met the mysterious prostitute who captured his heart, but their grim fate was forever sealed when he left the island with only a promise to return one day in the future. Unlike many of the insincere souls who promise to spirit the prostitutes away from the dark and infernal island, Christopher actually made good on his word. However, life is cheap on this bewitched island where the local brothel is the sole refuge for weary souls, and though he ultimately proved to be a rare exception to the rule, Christopher has taken far too long to fulfill his promise. Now, as he shares his woeful tale with a horribly scarred whore (Youki Kudoh) whose knowledge of his long lost love's true fate may prove more of a curse than a blessing, Christopher is about to discover that there are times when death can be the kindest release of all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Masters of Horror: Haeckel's Tale
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer director John McNaughton adapts horror icon Clive Barker's tale about a headstrong medical student who discovers, much to his chagrin, that not everything in the mortal realm can be explained through science. Overconfident young medical student Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) believes he has the power to restore life to the dead, but after an embarassing failure he is forced to seek the advice of traveling Necromancer Montesquino (Jon Polito) - who is rumored to use black magic as a means of resurrecting the recently departed. When Haeckel requests that Montesquino share his powerful secrets and the impatient Necromancer refuses, the young medical student Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) sets out on the road to visit his dying father. As a storm sweeps though the New England countryside, a mysterious stranger offers Haeckel shelter from the rain in his nearby cabin. Spellbound by the elderly farmer's etherial young wife, Haeckel watches as the young beauty ventures out into the darkness, and money changes hands between his shaken host and the mysterious Montesquino. Though he is explicitly instructed by the frightened farmer not to venture outside of the cabin at any cost, the heartrending cries of an endangered infant coupled with the guttural moans of an unseen entity soon compel the horrified Haeckel to venture out into the darkened wilderness, where he is soon confronted with sickening orgy of the undead. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
