Masters of Horror: The V Word starts late one night in the American town of Collingswood as Justin (Branden Nadon) convinces his best friend Kerry (Arjay Smith) that it would be fun to drop in on his cousin James who works at a funeral home & look at a 'real' dead body, hell that sounds like a whole load of fun to me. Once there they break in & are shocked to discover James body, they are then brutally attacked by guy (Michael Ironside) who tears Kerry's throat out as Justin manages to escape through a window. Later that night Justin hears a knock on his front door & is surprised to see Kerry standing there covered in blood, Kerry dies in front of Justin & returns as a Vampire. Will their friendship be enough to save Justin from ending up with the same fate?
This Canadian American co-production was episode 3 from season 2 of the Masters of Horror TV series, directed by Ernest R. Dickerson this is an alright Masters of Horror episode but nothing overly special. The script by the show's regular producer Mick Garris is the first time this show tackled the overused theme of Vampirism, it starts off quite promisingly but soon descends in a sickly sentimental drama about two friends & their unusual relationship a bit like The Lost Boys (1987) only not as good. I must admit I liked the way Michael Ironside portrayed the initial Vampire as some faceless, brutal, primitive killer with no emotion or regard for mind games but during the second half of The V Word drops this initial impression of him & goes into standard villain mode complete with bad dialogue. I didn't like how the two main teenage leads were written & the way they're character's developed either, do people really call each other 'dudes' these days? At 60 odd minutes this feels strangely boring at times & a tad dull as well, it just doesn't have much pace & the lacklustre storytelling doesn't help matters. This is alright I suppose but overall it's a touch forgettable.
Director Dickerson does OK, I think a lot of it's a little dark at times & it's not scary or exciting either. There are a few homages to other Vampire & horror films including the original Dracula (1931), Salem's Lot (1979) & Night of the Living dead (1968). There are a few good moments though mostly courtesy of some more top notch special make-up effects by the boys at KNB effects, there are a couple of torn out blood spurting throats, someone has their eyes punctured with a needle, a bloody leg, a scene when Kerry tries to drink some water after he had been bitten & the water literally pour out of his ripped open throat & a gory decapitation by medical saw.
Technically this is well made with good production values although it's a little flat & bland to look at without much in the way of style. The acting is alright, I never really cared for anyone to be honest & it totally wastes the fantastic Michael Ironside.
The V Word is a perfectly watchable 60 odd minutes with some good gore but there wasn't much here that stood out, I don't know but while this isn't the worst Masters of Horror episode it's certainly not the best either. Still worth a watch especially if your a fan of the series or horror in general.
This Canadian American co-production was episode 3 from season 2 of the Masters of Horror TV series, directed by Ernest R. Dickerson this is an alright Masters of Horror episode but nothing overly special. The script by the show's regular producer Mick Garris is the first time this show tackled the overused theme of Vampirism, it starts off quite promisingly but soon descends in a sickly sentimental drama about two friends & their unusual relationship a bit like The Lost Boys (1987) only not as good. I must admit I liked the way Michael Ironside portrayed the initial Vampire as some faceless, brutal, primitive killer with no emotion or regard for mind games but during the second half of The V Word drops this initial impression of him & goes into standard villain mode complete with bad dialogue. I didn't like how the two main teenage leads were written & the way they're character's developed either, do people really call each other 'dudes' these days? At 60 odd minutes this feels strangely boring at times & a tad dull as well, it just doesn't have much pace & the lacklustre storytelling doesn't help matters. This is alright I suppose but overall it's a touch forgettable.
Director Dickerson does OK, I think a lot of it's a little dark at times & it's not scary or exciting either. There are a few homages to other Vampire & horror films including the original Dracula (1931), Salem's Lot (1979) & Night of the Living dead (1968). There are a few good moments though mostly courtesy of some more top notch special make-up effects by the boys at KNB effects, there are a couple of torn out blood spurting throats, someone has their eyes punctured with a needle, a bloody leg, a scene when Kerry tries to drink some water after he had been bitten & the water literally pour out of his ripped open throat & a gory decapitation by medical saw.
Technically this is well made with good production values although it's a little flat & bland to look at without much in the way of style. The acting is alright, I never really cared for anyone to be honest & it totally wastes the fantastic Michael Ironside.
The V Word is a perfectly watchable 60 odd minutes with some good gore but there wasn't much here that stood out, I don't know but while this isn't the worst Masters of Horror episode it's certainly not the best either. Still worth a watch especially if your a fan of the series or horror in general.