super marauder
When I found out this was a Clive Barker story I expected a lot of sex and gore, so I was prepared. What I wasn't prepared for was a good story.It takes place in the late 1700s or early 1800s in a non-specific place in early America. A grieving gentleman speaking old English very well comes to a house to see a woman who is rumored to be a necromancer. He begs her to bring back his wife from the dead, but she tells him to be sure that's what he really wants. After he says yes, she agrees if he would sit down and listen to her story about Ernst Haeckel.Ernst is a physician who believes in science above all else. Not only does he want to save lives, he wants to bring people back from the dead. (There is a great Frankenstien reference here!). After hearing that his father is dying, he begins a journey to be by his side. He spends the night at an older gentleman's cottage only to find that he has a beautiful younger wife.I'm skipping some broad strokes here because this because I feel this a very warm story about true love with a horror element.As a movie it is very well acted, the costumes and sets give it that old world feel. And yes! There is sex in it but I myself don't feel it's trashy and done only for shock value. It has a point.In the end, for me it's an old fashioned campfire story that that I enjoy. And coming from the mind of Clive Barker, I'm very surprised! There is a good story here.
jrock14
I just want to say that Haekel's Tale starts off like the classiest of all the Masters of Horror leading you to believe that Haekel will have a Frankensteinish encounter in his lust for control over necromancy that would ultimately be his undoing, however it completely goes to the gutter when Clive Barker got bored and started writing up sick stuff. (In fact Haekel is undone at the hands of a zombie baby which just made me grimace in disgust when this easily could have been one of the best MOH episodes)You can pretty much time line this out to how it was written: At 10 O'clock he wrote the first half of the story, at 11 O'clock he started looking at pornographic material, at 12 O'clock he finished writing the story.
LoneWolfAndCub
George A. Romero was originally meant to direct this episode of Masters of Horror and I really think he should have. The undead is his area of expertise and I think this episode would have been one of the best if he had been behind the camera. Unfortunately he dropped out and was replaced by John McNaughton, who I thought would be able to direct a rather disturbing little movie (as he did the controversial horror Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer). Unfortunately this episode was quite boring up until the final 20 or so minutes where it gets quite interesting and weird. But the first 40 minutes are quite boring with not a lot happening although I never completely lost interest. It was rather disappointing that this episode never reached its full potential as the plot was extremely interesting.2/5.
OttoJg14
Unlike the other reviewer I don't really care about framing techniques; special effects critiques and such; I bought this DVD because I think in terms of the Horror genre in general..it pushes the boundaries! This I think is pretty much the main emphasis in all of the 'Masters of Horror' pieces! I think (listen to the commentary) that a lot of the humorous moments in the film,like the Frankenstein homage, were done on purpose; there's also an Frankenstein homage in the other 'Master's of Horror' piece "Jenifer", see my review! I personally thought, as in 'Jenifer' by Dario Argento, that the eerie combination of horror mixed with sensuality is a delightful combination; exactly what's needed given the current torrent of teen horror flicks that are awash in the marketplace! Leela Savasta is one of the most gorgeous and perfectly constructed women I've ever seen; my Frankenstein homage...and lends the piece it's sensuality. A must have if you enjoy your horror mixed with sensuality and what something new an/or different!!
AD
