The Damned Thing
The Damned Thing is one of the better installments from the second season of the Masters of Horror anthology, probably because it is actually directed by a true master of horror, Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lifeforce). Hooper continues to shine even when given the modest budget and time of a Masters of Horror episode. It’s odd how such a wonderful director is always mentioned as an afterthought when horror fans talk about the greatest horror directors of all time, partly because of the brutality of Hooper films and partly because the man hardly ever has the funding to make his movies as well as he would with a decent budget.
The Damned Thing is the tale of a mysterious reoccurring event that transforms a small rural town into a madhouse of slaughter and mayhem every 24 years. A sheriff who survived the mad rampage of his father 24 years ago, must figure out the secret behind the mysterious killings and mass hysteria or face losing his wife and his son to the same exact event. The plot isn’t anything special and neither are the answers to the film’s question, but the execution elevates it from a fairly generic story to another prime example of horror cinema.
Tobe Hooper isn’t necessarily at his best with this film, but he is quite a bit better than most of the talentless hacks that have tried their hand at being a “Master of Horror.” Hooper uses his trademark narrative style to let the story unfold with rather pedestrian visuals. However, when the shit hits the fan, Hooper shines and revels in an unabashed appreciation of gore that most horror fans can appreciate. Hooper also does a fantastic job of developing his characters and turning what could have been a fairly two-dimensional project, character-wise, into a horror flick where you actually care about the characters… a lost art form in these days of personality-less remakes.
The acting in the film was surprisingly good. Hooper has always managed to pull quality performances from average actors. Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints, Suicide Kings) turns in the best performance of his career… too bad it’s wasted on a Showtime anthology series. Flanery has been bad enough in the past for me to completely skip some of his movies, and the only performance he has that is of any note is The Boondock Saints… and he wasn’t even that great in it. Flanery’s performance is good, and except for a shitty looking fake limp affected by Flanery, he really seems to be a disturbed sheriff in a small hick town. If Flanery continues to develop his craft and learn his lessons, he may actually find himself in some Hollywood movies somewhere down the road. The rest of the cast is pretty average with the surprising exception of Ted Raimi (Shocker, Candyman) who portrays a priest that goes crazy during the mayhem. Raimi’s bit part is memorable and satisfying… like the first time you see a donkey show.
The gore in The Damned Thing is outstanding and my only complaint would be that there wasn’t enough of it… but sacrificing gore for character development isn’t a completely terrible thing, I guess. There is some CGI in the film, but it is surprisingly effective, unlike most CGI associated with the Masters of Horror series.
The Damned Thing is the reason why people were so excited for the Masters of Horror series. It is a quality short film that brings the gore, brings the quality direction, and begs to be made into a full length film. If all of the episodes were like this one, I would eagerly be awaiting the next season of the series… as it is now, I’m still waiting for someone to put a bullet in the head of the Masters of Horror series, as The Damned Thing is more the exception than the rule.
Final Synopsis: This is a quality flick worth watching… maybe even buying. The story is satisfying, the acting is good, and the gore is delicious. Give it a chance… even though it is a Masters of Horror episode.
Points Lost: -1 for wussing out on some mayhem, -1 for an ending that was kind of weak, -1 for having a bit of a rushed feel, the movie probably could have been a feature
Lesson Learned: Don’t try and win your girlfriend back with a cartoon.
Burning Question: Why wouldn’t you just drive away once you realized the whole town was going crazy?
The Damned Thing
7/10
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