kosmasp A really good first season of the Masters of Horror. Even if you could argue if some directors should be called that (some had only made one Horror movie up to that point), you still can see the blueprints of the directors shining through their works. Be it Landis (with a mixture of Comedy/Horror) or Carpenter (with a very strong visual style and an atmosphere that really gets you) or one of the other directors. Some you may like, others you may think are not worthy to be here. But all in all, even if some episodes lack in a few areas (be it acting-, story- or set-design-wise), the complete package is really good.The mixture is what I liked about it and even if I'm not a big fan of Miike, his episode is and will be one of the most talked about. It's crazy and more then surreal, but it won't leave you unaffected (for better or worse). The same can be said, about Argentos episode, who as many have said, has lost his touch (see Hooper for similarities, if you will). For sheer fun factor even his episode has something to offer ... incredible bad performances, bad editing, but also some nice gore and make-up effects.If you like drama and political comments mixed with your Horror movies, you will adore Homecoming. On the other hand, you might think it's the least "Horror" episode of the pack. Whichever way you feel, all seem to agree that Carpenters episode is one of the best of the series. He makes even Udo Kier look menacing (not that easy, considering his accent!) ;o) Pick me up is another episode, that might leave you either bored/annoyed or completely ecstatic (latter would be me). If you are not on the "watching the whole thing" kinda vibe, you might wanna read some reviews of the individual episodes to make up your mind. Generally speaking, most comments will show you, if an episode will hit home with you.

Chipsmannen A friend of mine bought vol 1 of season one and I thought: Hmm, maybe this is something like modern Tales From The Crypt or maybe a modern version of Tales From The Darkside so I decided to see one episode, which was Cigarette Burns. Before I borrowed it, my friend said it contained scenes of extreme gore so I thought it would be another ordinary splatter, but I was so wrong. It turned out to be the scariest thing I have ever seen... The violent and gory scenes weren't scary, but the small clips from the movie: "La Fin Absolude de Monde" scared me to death. I can honestly tell you that Cigarette Burns is John Carpenters finest work.

MJWalker Horror fans (I'm speaking to the over 12's, although if you're under 12 I apologise for what you might deem an insult): In short, if you appreciate having your imagination disturbed by well written, original storytelling, punctuated by unpredictable well planted scares, and delivered via convincing performances, then I can heartily recommend - AVOIDING THESE STEAMERS - made by directors who have apparently long since past their sell by date. It's no accident that almost every episode feels as if it were made in the 1980's. Not to put blame squarely on the shoulders of some of these old boys (or indeed the 80's) because where would we be without certain movies from the likes of Argento, Carpenter, Landis, Dante and Barker (Actually Clive, WTF are you doing in there?! Glad to see Romero had the good sense to give it a miss as I'm sure he was asked to partake...). More perhaps we should point the finger at creator Mick Garris whose credentials include the logic defying and depressingly ill-advised TV remake of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 'The Shining'.Perhaps it is an indication of the state of television today. Are we so starved of good TV horror that we applaud any old sloppy schlock that the networks excrete onto our sets? Sadly, maybe so.Normally I wouldn't see the point of adding a comment that doesn't argue the faults and merits of a production, I'd just rate it accordingly. However, as this series is woefully lacking in any merit (with perhaps the sole exception of the theme tune) I write this as more of a warning than a review: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. If you disagree with me then it's more than likely that you haven't seen enough decent horror. Perhaps the earlier films of some of these directors would be a much better place to start, but if these 'Masters' of Horror were being assessed on these works alone, they'd never have been allowed to graduate with even their Bachelor's degree. Unless of course they were studying for a degree from the University Of S**t.

Randolf Carter Okay, so I'm a Lovecraft freak, so what? There's lots of us out there....lurking. Okay, I'll add the Clive Barker episode, too (Haekler's Tale). Well, I personally thought that one was really Lovecraftian, too. Okay, first, Dreams in the Witch House. Not too bad. Pretty typical Stuart Gordon (particularly with changing most of the story). The main character, Ezra Godden seems to be able to hold his own in the acting arena, so I imagine die-hard Combs fans won't die outright. It worked. Since that was such a short story, it all fit into the alloted episode time, without leaving out too much. Overall, it was a pretty good adaption, so all you Lovecraft fans won't be disappointed.Now, Onto Haekler's Tale. The HPL influence is really strong in some modern writer's material. This is no exception to the rule. The setting was done really well, and the mood, nice and evil.It's to bad this series was canceled. It was very good for a horror series and there was plenty of good episodes.It's too bad so many people prefer "Loser TV" (aka reality shows). Get a life, losers! TV is to entertain people, not point and laugh at the misfortune of others. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I for one and very sick of seeing the EXACT SAME THING with different names clogging up channel after channel.And, yes, this is relevant. Good shows get canceled, because everyone seems to want 5 different versions of American Idol.