On DVD: Masters of Horror The V Word

Directed By Ernest Dickerson

Starring Michael Ironside

In concept I've been a huge supporter of the Masters of Horror series.  In reality, other than Takeshi Miike's entry I don't think the series has lived up to the mission.  Now that doesn't mean that Imprint is the only good episode because it most definitely is not, but it is the edgiest of the episodes.  Now we've finally come to it, the final episode of season two.

The Movie

Let me start by saying I really like Michael Ironside.  He's one of the genre standard actors that's actually a really good actor.  He's been in tons of films and television series but I first noticed him in Total Recall.  Seeing his name in the opening credits of this episode made me hopeful that I was in for something really great.

So we get two guys that are videogame addicted.  One night they actually want to get away from their games and do something more interesting.  They go to a local mortuary in hopes of seeing a real dead body.  What they find is a particularly violent vampire.

There's a real attempt to make the two leads hip by wedging in tons of videogame references.  The result rings false and feels forced.  To contrast that Ironside's vampire is very modern in his level of violence but his dialogue and mannerisms attempts to create a classic Universal style version of Dracula that just doesn't mesh with what is being done with the other characters.  The result is more amusing than scary, sometimes unintentionally so.

The episode features a few interesting moments but overall it just doesn't work.  Fans that watch Masters of Horror to see something "horror" will appreciate the ripped out necks but not much else.

3/10

The Video

The anamorphic widescreen transfer for The V Word features lifelike flesh tones, solid black levels, and good detail.  There is just a bit of grain in darker scenes and overall the episode feels soft.  It's better than most television series transfers we see but not a demo disc by any means.

8/10

The Audio

There are two mixes available on the disc, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and a standard Dolby 2.0.  In the 5.1 mix most of the episode is a front loaded affair with all the audio coming from the center or front speakers but in a few important scenes the rear speakers kick in making those scenes feel much more immersive and effective.  Either mix offers solid balance and distortion free dialogue with the score, effects, and dialogue all well mixed.

7.5/10

Packaging and Bonus Features

The single disc release comes in a standard amaray case with a slipcover featuring the same artwork as the case.  The artwork is actually pretty good and it actually successfully reflects the episode, for better or worse.

First up for extras is a feature commentary with series producer Mick Garris and director Ernest Dickerson.  The two seem to be fairly proud of the episode but the commentary flows a little flat and often uninteresting.  That could be due to the fact that I so vehemently disagree with their assessment of the proceedings though.

Next up are two fairly brief featurettes; Feeding Frenzy: The Making of The V Word and Bite Me: Mastering the Neck Wound.  The first featurette is your standard making of featurette containing interviews with the cast and crew cut around scenes from the episode.  They all talk about how good the episode is and they share their thoughts on their characters, nothing deep or interesting.  The second featurette is a bit more interesting focusing on the fx of the episode.

Other than that there's a photo gallery and a DVD-ROM script.  Looking at these bonus features I mourn the potential of what could have been.  The first several DVD's from season one featured looks at not only the episode but also at the filmmakers, covering their lives, influences, and their body of work.  What happened? 

5/10

The V Word is shot well and the fx are strong but the story just never enthralls. 

Overall (Not an Average) 5/10

The Movie 3/10

The Video 8/10

The Audio 7.5/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 5/10

-Stephen Lackey