On DVD: Masters of Horror Pro-Life

Directed by John Carpenter

Starring Ron Pearlmen

The concept of "Masters of Horror", giving the masters of horror films a million bucks each to do whatever they wanted was an exciting one. it turned out that they were still under the same constraints and censorship that they've always been subjected too but at least we were getting an hour long horror film from the likes of John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper each week.

The Movie

John Carpenter brought us one of the best films of season one of Masters of Horror with his installment, Cigarette Burns. So, when I heard Carpenter was partnering with the same writers of that film for this new one for season two I was intrigued. Conceptually this film should be fantastic, in final execution it's not.

A young girl runs from a wooded area and is almost run down by two employees of an abortion clinic on their way to work. They scoop the girl up and take her to the office with them to check her out and make sure she isn't hurt. While there she tells them that she must have an abortion. When asked about the specifics of the pregnancy she tells them that it just happened a week ago, which is impossible because she is already showing.

Outside an ominous red van pulls up to the gates of the clinic and the girls father Dwayne, played by Ron Pearlman demands that his daughter be released to him. Employees of the clinic know this man as someone they've had trouble with before because he is radically against what they do.

This leads to a standoff between the man and his two sons and the security guard and the employees of the clinic. I enjoyed this part of the film, and the subsequent invasion of the clinic because it is very reminiscent of another Carpenter film Assault on Precinct 13. It's actually shot slicker than that film but the pacing and chirography of it all just feels nostalgic.

The true father of the baby is coming and Dwayne knows this so he's frantic to get his daughter back and stop the abortion, but once inside he ahs no problem pausing the mission to commit a surprisingly violent act on the head of the clinic. The reveal of the father of the baby, and the baby when it's born are very much akin to Carpenter's The Thing, so of course this made me happy too.

In the end there's a lot to like about Pro-Life, but the story misses the mark by getting to bogged down in heavy handed representation of the politics surrounding abortions in the Untied States. The politics are given a front seat too often in place of much needed character development. The writers should really have checked out some classic George Romero, or even some of Carpenter's films they are homaging here to learn how to do social commentary without making it sit like a lead balloon on top of the plot of the film. It's a fun watch because it just feels so Carpenter, but it's a disappointing watch because it could've been so much better than it is.

6/10

The Video

The anamorphic transfer features good color and solid detail with very little grain. The film does however feel more compressed and comes off a little soft overall. This is a very solid transfer of a television series, not mind blowing, but as good or even a little better than most other TV transfers we've seen.

7/10

The Audio

There are two mixes available, a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a Dolby Digital 2.0. Obviously the 5.1 mix is the way to go if you have the set up. The mix feels pretty basic overall with good balance of score, dialogue, and music but the difference is in the surround mix in some of the more action heavy scenes there is some fun use of immersive audio from the rear speakers.

7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

I really liked the classy packaging of this series when they first started hitting DVD. The single discs came in standard amaray cases with a textured and glossy slip cover. Well, for some reason, part way through last year the packaging was downgraded a bit. Pro-Life is packaged similarly to last years lesser releases with a standard amaray case housing the signal disc a basic slipcover featuring the same artwork as that of the case. I do like the artwork though. I think it makes a statement about the film that's pretty obvious and effecting.

My favorite thing about al of last year's releases was the abundance of bonus features included on each disc. There was a filmmaker retrospective, multiple making of documentaries, and more. The extras on this disc are meager in comparison to season one.

The best feature on the disc is the audio commentary with director John Carpenter and the writers. Carpenter starts the commentary off asking the writers questions about why they wanted to write the story that they wrote. Then they segue into casting, effects, and the environment on the set. Carpenter has given some of the best commentaries on any DVD and while this one doesn't rank with his best it's still better than most you'll hear.

Final Delivery is a making of featurette that feels weak compared to the making of from previous seasons. It only runs a little over 15 minutes and feels more like an EPK than an actual documentary. It features interviews with the cast and crew and the filmmakers that spend most of their time slapping each others backs. There's a little behind the scenes footage mixed with the interviews and film clips.

Baby Steps is an extremely short featurette covering one of the key special effects scenes.

Other than that there's a text bio of Carpenter and a still gallery. I know they've already done a career retrospective on Carpenter on the season one film but there are plenty of opportunities for deeper coverage of his career. How about going to a convention with him and talking to fans? They should let me do the bonus features for these DVD's!

5.5/10

Pro-Life isn't a complete failure of a film, in fact there's a lot to like about it. The problem is that it could have been, and should have been, much better than it is. Carpenter fans will love this one though for it's true Carpenter feel.

Overall ( Not an Average) 6.5/10

Stephen Lackey

The Movie 6/10

The Video 7/10

The Audio 7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 5.5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 6.5/10