RainDogJr When I began watching the MASTERS OF HORROR episodes years ago (back in 2007-2008 to be exact), I was kind of an elitist, only getting on DVD the ones made by directors I already knew and admired (like John Carpenter, Dario Argento and Takashi Miike). Out of the thirteen episodes from the first season only five had directors I didn't know at the time; so I didn't pay much attention to this ones: "Chocolate" (Mick Garris), "Fair Haired Child" (William Malone), "Pick Me Up" (Larry Cohen, who now I know thanks to a couple of films -BONE and HELL UP IN HARLEM- that I haven't' seen yet but that are on my DVD shelf), "Haeckel's Tale" (John McNaughton) and "Sick Girl" (Lucky McKee). Recently I got the second Blu-Ray of season one; it contains two familiar ones (Argento's "Jennifer" and John Landis' "Deer Woman") and only one that I had yet to see; this one, of course. Filmmaker Lucky McKee has only two directing credits prior to his contribution to MASTERS OF HORROR, but he did a very nice, classic kind of thing, with "Sick Girl"; and after this I'll try to watch his 2002 film MAY, by the way. McKee's episode has a really strange tone thanks to its main character Ida (played by Angela Bettis). She's like the ultimate shy and weird young woman. And this is a love story, actually. It's the classic one in which we all are hoping that our main character can do it just fine when she, after a failed romance, goes out on a new first date - I must add that Ida isn't into guys, at all… so yes, "Sick Girl" has some of that irresistible-for-dudes lesbian material. Much of the reason why I gave to this a very high rating is its ending. The whole trip is enjoyable but that final scene is the thing that really makes it pure and great horror. *Watched it today

Max Quin To say the least 'Sick Girl' by Lucky McKee was one of the episodes in the series that caught me by surprise it was down-to-earth, gripping and at all times fun to watch.The Story of this episode is based around Ida (Angela Bettis), Ida is a secluded and weird lesbian, who has a big interest in all nature of bugs, she works at the McNaughton Museum of National History with a young colleague and close friend Max (Jesse Hlubik) On return home one night Ida receives an anonymous package containing a weird bug she has never seen before, the bug is at first a huge interest of Ida's however this critter takes a backseat to the love relationship between Ida and her newly found love interest Misty (Misty Mundae) during this time the bug breaks free, escapes and infects Misty. It soon becomes apparent to the viewer that something is off with Misty, and finally the bug infected Misty makes herself known in a big reveal towards the ending. The characters were for the most part very likable while Ida created some awkward tension I still genuinely liked her, and cared considerably about the relationship between Ida and Misty, all along I was routing for things to go fine between them as a couple. You couldn't help but like both characters and find intrigue in all there nature's of weirdness, which made the episode very interesting itself to watch. The acting for the most part was really good; Angela Bettis played a perfect Ida and the beautiful and unknown actor Misty Mundae done a really good job for someone I've never seen before. Even the secondary roles of the likes of Jesse Hlubik were played decently. Sadly there were some issues, at times it felt like the characters had way to many strange quirks and odd circumstances that detracted from the nature of the episode, we had a main character who was a lesbian, also was completely unsocial, and into bugs who was in a relationship with well you get the idea, it kind of lost the plot down strange avenue at some point.The Bug is clearly a main part of the episode. We learn about this creepy critter from a few minutes in and we know even from then on in something's not right about this creature we know it's there and the director makes us constantly aware of that, not only by the degrading nature of Misty as a result of her infection but constantly hearing insect like sounds (scurrying etc.). At times the director cleverly makes us forget the bugs existent but always throws in a scene or event to always keep us on our toes and uncertain as to what might happen next.The whole thing came to a brilliant ending revealing Misty, transforming into an insect and in a quite horrific manner (arms sprouting out of shoulders, insect like eyes) this completely contrasted the otherwise slow and consistent build up, and light creepy frights throughout the episode, making it all the more shocking and all the more creepy. We end up seeing a character (Max) killed off in such a quick gory manner; I myself and actually personally liked Jesse Hlubik as Max, to seem him used as fodder at the end just for that quick kill off scene was pretty annoying and predictable to say the least. Still it was so unlike the rest of the episode that it heightened the whole experience. We also got a little view of Misty and Ida impregnated by the bug and also infected by the bugs mind control which was a quite a light-hearted (though creepy) way to throwback the ending.The whole episode is enjoyable and entertaining, scary and strange and at all times the director maintains a tongue-in-cheek attitude that assures that you never take things to seriously I wouldn't exactly consider it Black-Comedy. It reminded me a lot of old monster flicks from the 60's and the like, but it also fondly reminded me of John Carpenter's "The Thing" and David Cronenberg's "The Fly. I really have high hopes for this director his previous works "May" seems to have a same image of a strange and bizarre girl but still maintains a completely different approach and structure, both are quite unique and original in there composition. While I wouldn't at first consider Lucky McKee a "Master of Horror" after seeing this episode I completely do now.

MARIO GAUCI This is surely one of the oddest, yet most entertaining, entries in the "Masters Of Horror" series – despite a rather lame title. It's very much a black comedy with unexpected lesbian overtones: the latter, however, comes as no surprise when realizing that one of the two leads – appearing under her real name of Erin Brown – is really softcore exponent Misty Mundae (the character is actually called Misty)! The other actress, then, is Angela Bettis who had starred in director McKee's cultish low-budget horror MAY (2002); incidentally, this episode was reportedly intended for Roger Corman but I wonder what he would have made of the inherent sensuality (though it is not particularly explicit by contemporary standards). Anyway, entomologist Bettis is prodded by her leering male colleague to approach the teenage artist who likes to hang out at their workplace; when the two girls finally meet, it transpires that Brown had been infatuated with Bettis for a long time – but the latter keeps her obsession with insects hidden from the former…until Brown reveals to Bettis that she is the daughter of a renowned former teacher of hers, who has actually just sent the scientist a most unusual specimen. The comedy element involves Bettis' troubled relationship with the elderly and conservative landlady (whose grand-daughter actually idolizes the young woman!) – which grows even worse with the arrival of the uninhibited and confrontational Brown. The horror themes come into play only gradually: Brown – pricked by the very insect Dad mailed to Bettis, as it turns out, to harm her so as to 'cure' his own daughter's 'unnatural' instincts – finds herself pregnant and eventually turns into a full-scale creepy-crawly!; the 'happy' ending, then, is quite amusing. As I said, the film proves a likeably oddball entry in the series which works mainly due to Mundae's beguiling doe-eyed features, supplying just the right mix of genuine charm and giddy naughtiness.

twilightseer "Sick Girl" was the second episode of "Masters Of Horror" that I saw (after the average "Pick Me Up") and, after watching it, I'm not sure I'm going to bother with the other episodes if they're that bad. Honestly, this was pretty lame.Let's put things straight: "Sick Girl" is not a horror movie (it isn't the slightest bit frightening). It's just a Z-grade erotic movie argument stretched over an hour. The writer and director just came up with a really poor excuse to film two girls making out in just about every scene. What's the point of shooting this as part of a series called "Masters Of Horror"? I mean, the director should have been honest and made an erotic or porn film, period. Or made a movie dealing with the relationship between these two girls (this could have been much more interesting). No need to cover it up with that stupid "evil bug" nonsense. It's almost insulting.It's a shame for Bettis, who appears like an interesting actress and does an okay job. But really, she's been exploited here. The other girl, Erin Brown (who, I just discovered, is apparently a star of low-budget erotic films under the moniker Misty Mundae) is not bad either. But again, except for watching these two make out extendedly (if that's what you're looking for), there is no reason why anyone would want to inflict this drivel on themselves.