“I know what you want, you want to see the movie.”
Masters of Horror is really a great idea. Creator director Mick Garris got the idea from dinners with other horror directors lamenting the current state of them finding jobs. Garris got the idea to film multiple hour long films and get a Master of Horror to direct them. The particular Master in this case is John Carpenter and the movie turned out to be Cigarette Burns.
A cigarette burn is a small dot or circle that appears in the corner or center of the screen that lets the projectionist know that a reel change is coming. Movie programmer Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus) is given a seemingly impossible task. He’s asked by wealthy, and creepy, film buff Mr. Ballinger (Udo Kier) to find the holy grail of lost films, Le Fin Absolue Du Monde (The Absolute End of the World). Mr. Ballinger has several props from the film, including a living one. Sweetman is in financial trouble and needs the money so he agrees to go on the hunt. It seems that when this movie was originally screened that the entire audience went insane and a homicidal bloodbath resulted and the French government supposedly destroyed the film. As Sweetman continues on the quest, he begins to see cigarette burns followed by disturbing visions. To tell you more would spoil the ride.
Masters of Horror is a really stellar idea. The Masters, at least according to Carpenter, are given pretty much free reign. However, the hour long format affects this particular story. Sweetman’s quest seems a little too easy due to the time constraint. I think this story would’ve benefited from a feature length.
Carpenter, in fact, talks about a scene on his commentary that was cut (Sweetman visits the elderly, blind cinematographer in a Hollywood retirement home – sounded interesting, but it was just scripted) because of the time constraint and even mentions “we’re reaching the ending of the film here, pretty soon” and “we’re racing towards the end.”
Cigarette burns on film
Another thing I think would’ve benefited the film would’ve been casting a stronger actor in the lead. I did not care for Norman Reedus. Whatever my objections, I did find the story intriguing. The film also has a memorable scene where Mr. Ballinger makes a movie and really puts himself into it. Carpenter also wisely shows little of the Le Fin Absolue Du Monde since nothing will live up to the horror hype that each character describes the film having.
Cigarette Burns is presented in widescreen (1.77:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include two commentaries. One is from the master himself John Carpenter and the other is from writers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan. Carpenter is himself and provides another great commentary full of his dry humor. McWeeny and Swan provide some interesting production stories. Several featurettes are also included. First is a 18 minute featurette entitled “Celluloid Apocalypse: An interview with John Carpenter.” The first half is basically spans his career and the second half regards Cigarette Burns. Second is a 19 minute featurette entitled “Working with a Master: John Carpenter.” It interviews Greg Nicotero (makeup on Vampires), actor Sam Neill (In the Mouth of Madness), actor Keith Gordon (Christine), actress Julie Carmen (In the Mouth of Madness), actress P. J. Soles (Halloween), actress Sheryl Lee (Vampires), and actor Keith David (The Thing, They Live) on working with Carpenter.
I get the impression that documentaries similar to this one covering each Master will appear on each of the Master’s DVDs. Third is a 7 minute on set interview with Norman Reedus. Fourth is a 4 minute featurette “making of” that is really just behind the scenes footage. Rounding out the extras are a John Carpenter bio, a still gallery, and DVD-ROM screenplay and screen saver. To wet your appetite there’s also a trailer gallery with trailers for the other Masters’ contributions.
Sweetman and the poster of his quarry
Now Masters of Horror is basically a TV series airing on Showtime. Some people will be elated on the releasing pattern and others will not. Anchor Bay has decided to release each title separately instead of a season set. Fans who only want specific Masters’ work will appreciate this, but fans of the entire run might’ve wanted a season set (which usually saves you a little cash). This does not mean that Anchor Bay might not do a season set one day.
I like the premise behind Masters of Horror, but think that Cigarette Burns would’ve benefited from being feature length. Anchor Bay also includes some career spanning supplements that Carpenter fans will definitely want to look at. Carpenter fans will already have added it to their DVD collections as well as fans of the series, other interested parties might want to give it a rental.
Masters of Horror - John Carpenter - Cigarette Burns is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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