Well, I'd seen more than a few of these from the their TV debut and was seduced by the packaging, exclusives and price to get the "Mausoleum" box and now that I've seen the last of them, I'm going to declare this a success for me. Okay, I acknowledge they don't all work and they go for the gory wow-factor over substance but let's face it there's a lot of fun to be had with this set. The only episodes I didn't like at all (and maybe I just need to re-watch them in a better frame of mind) are CHOCOLATE and DANCE OF THE DEAD. Another disappointment was IMPRINT. Although I'm a big Miike fan, I concur that his episode was let down by some awful diction and a sleepwalking Drago. Favourites in no particular order include HOMECOMING, DREAMS.., PICK UP, JENIFER, INCIDENT ON AND OFF.., DEER WOMAN and HAECKEL'S TALE.

The last one I screened was SICK GIRL and it was great fun - I'd forgotten "Misty Mundae" was in this one - with some gleefully wicked humour and a couple great scare moments. One of the arguments I've noted was the fact that few of the episodes are overtly horrific and deserving of the series' title. However, I'd counter that the series is called "MASTERS" of horror and not "MASTERPIECES" of horror.

If anyone is on the fence about this one, I'd like to say the set is terrific value. The packaging is pretty quirky and the whole box has a nice solid feel to it. Extras are in abundance although any of the interviews I've screened are a bit lightweight. Commentaries and Behind the Scenes pieces are the real clincher here.

I haven't seen a single SERIES TWO episode and the word isn't good. A cursory glance at episodic reviews indicate a drop in quality but it still sounds very interesting to me. I'd certainly buy another $50 box set if it's as comprehensive as the first but I figure I'd better find someone who's recorded some of the episodes from TV and borrow a handful.

Victor

Season 2 was indeed rough. But I do highly recommend John Landis' FAMILY and Stuart Gordon's THE BLACK CAT.

For you, maybe. Angela Bettis' Lilith Crane impersonation began to grate after, oh, five or six minutes.

But that's about when the Miss Missy goodness kicks in, so...

To each his own. I found her character to be endearing. I was quite taken with Angela actually and now I've gotta see MAY which has been on my wants list for quite some time - There's a "Tales of the Macabre" on R2 which adds KING OF THE ANTS and LOVE OBJECT at quite a good price. ANTS is also on my "must watch" list.

I haven't seen any of Misty Mundae's soft-core shennanigans so some recommendations would be welcome. SICK GIRL prompted me to look up the lead actors resumes on IMDB and I noticed with amusement that she noted for her "naturalistic" approach. Certainly, she oozed confidence on the screen and I'm quite sure we've got the makings of a pretty good star here, as long as she can stay on the straight and narrow.

Victor

I can't watch those things, but dig up an interview or two with her online - she's a pretty neato girl.

I've seen all of season one, and only 1 or 2 episodes of season 2... I agree with the recommendation of the season 2 Landis episode; better than his first, which I also thought was fun. I'm looking forward to that Stuart Gordon one. Has there been any more word on what's up with season 3, either on Showtime or as a network show? I'm really looking forward to the House of Re-Animator, in whatever form it takes.

I'm surprised to see the praise of the acting in Sick Girl, though. To me it was the worst element of all the episodes... I had to pause it and take breaks just to get get through the whole thing. I guess they were going for some kind of arch inhuman parody-type thing I wasn't getting (the ep was clearly going for humor... I guess)?

I don't think I'd buy any box sets, but I did buy the Anchor Bay special editions of my favorite episodes (they're nice and loaded... nice retrospective documentaries on the directors and some cool vintage interviews; as well as the more standard episode-related stuff - plus they're cheaper than a regular movie)... hopefully I'll find one or two more from season two ones I'll want to add to my collection. B)

Showtime passed on Season 3. Garris shopped it around (with Lionsgate stepping in to help) and it morphed into the series FEAR ITSELF for NBC. Stuart Gordon has stated he will be involved but the word is that RE-ANIMATOR 4 is D.O.A.

Better administer the re-agent - stat!

I enjoyed SICK GIRL...but was bowled over when the director's commentary cited THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP as his inspiration for the look of the episode, as it's totally there but hadn't occurred to me at all. I'm going to have to watch again with that in mind...

Aww, man. :(

I've seen only a handful of Season 2 eps, with Family being the best of them by far (still need to see The Black Cat). For me, the big disappointment was John Carpenter's Pro-Life. I loved his S1 entry and still count it as my favorite episode of this series, but this one felt like a TV movie, in both directing and acting. I know it is directed for TV, but with such a cinematic director, it is a shame. There were enough S1 eps that I liked, so one day I may get the box set. My favorite S1 episodes were Cigarette Burns, Deer Woman, Imprint (even with the miles over the top Drago performance), Homecoming and Pick Me Up. I even liked Chocolate and Dance of the Dead. The only episode I totally disliked was Incident On And Off A Mountain Road which was absolutely dreadful. The actors had no chemistry, there was bad CG, it was poorly written and directed and the ending was blatantly obvious.

Just saw The Black Cat, and I have to agree with everybody else - definitely one of the series' highlights. Recommended.
...And while I'm here, I'll just reiterate how disappointed I am about House of Re-Animator not happening. I was really looking forward to that. :(