An Anchor Bay release is always a huge treat and doubly so with a massive release like the Masters of Horror Season two boxed set.
Wait! Did I say boxed?
It actually comes suitably in a very cool skull that packs all 13 DVDs inside very comfortably.
The series once again features episodes written and directed by some of the legendary names in horror including Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Dario Argento, John Landis, Bentley Little, F. Paul Wilson, and Edgar Allan Poe.
The series leads off with an adaptation of Ambrose Bierce’s classic tale”The Damned Thing” starring Sean Patrick Flannery as the sheriff of a small Texas town whose family has been forever plagued by a monstrous force.
In “The V Word” two teenage boys break into an old mortuary for some rowdy fun only to encounter a real-life vampire played by Michael Ironside. Written by Mick Garris
“The Black Cat” is an adaptation of Poe’s renowned story and Jeffrey Combs turns in a remarkable performance as Poe himself, capturing the tortured writer’s look and mannerisms. It’s quite uncanny and his descent into madness is one of the true highlights of the set.
“We All Scream for Ice Cream” is rather pretentious but loads of fun. Years earlier, a local group of kids pulled a prank on a poor neighborhood ice cream truck driver, resulting in his death. Years later, with the kids all grown into adults, the ice cream man, Buster, has come back for revenge.
“The Washingtonians” is a perhaps the strangest episode of the season. A tongue-in-cheek story that is funny yet exceedingly gory. A man and his family inherit his grandmother’s home and find a letter written by George Washington himself. The letter seems to imply that Washington, and many of our other founding fathers, were cannibals!
That’s just a few of the better episodes. Overall the season rates as a 7 out of 10. The set is loaded with extras too many to list. Each episode comes with an audio commentary, still gallery, as well as selected featurettes.
The set lists for around $87.00 but you can find it 20% cheaper at places like Amazon.com and $70 bucks for 13 DVDs is not a bad deal at all.
