Deer Woman

I'm quickly becoming a massive fan of the "Masters of Horror"-series, despite this only being the third episode that I've watched. What can I say? So far, they all delivered a good story, a fair amount of tension and plenty of gory situations and hence I see absolutely no reason to be negative about this TV-initiative...This installment was directed and co-written by John Landis; a filmmaker who already deserves to be called a "master" in the genre if it were only for that one immortal classic "An American Werewolf in London". Landis also directed the very adequate "Innocent Blood" and "Shlock", but those are lesser known movies and belong more in the cult section. "Deer Woman" is a very nifty variation on the premise of urban legends/campfire tales/mythological stories that turn out frighteningly real and revolves on a stunning Indian beauty who seduces random guys and then tramples them to death with her deer legs. It takes quite a few dead bodies before fatigue police detective Faraday and officer Reed unofficially discover that the murders are committed exactly like it's described in an ancient Native American myth. The characters in "Deer Woman" are likable and there seems to be a much deeper story behind each and every one of them. The 60 minutes screenplay also preserves more than enough time for humor, witty dialogues and a truly priceless reference to the aforementioned "American Werewolf". Brian Benben is very adequate in his role of tormented copper and the unknown Cinthia Moura (the deer woman herself) is magnificent eye-candy. She hasn't got any lines but her natural charisma and gorgeous smile definitely did the job. Recommended!

Of the "Masters of Horror" episodes released on DVD thus far, John Landis' 'Deer Woman' is by far the best (putting the incredibly overrated 'Cigarette Burns' to shame), and not due to the scare factor (of which there is next to none). No, 'Deer Woman' succeeds because of its relentless--often knee-slapping--brand of smart-ass humor. As this is an element that has been lacking in the episodes previously released to DVD, Landis infuses this ridiculous tale (about a Native American woman who transforms into the murderous title creature after seducing hapless males) with all the jokes and jabs it can contain without bursting under the pressure. The very funny Brian Benben plays a disgraced cop now taking calls for 'animal accidents,' when several corpses stomped into hamburger cross his radar; all leads wind up dead ends (and are encapsulated in a side-splitting 'what if?'-montage), until an Indian casino employee unspools the myth of the Deer Woman. Like I said before--anyone looking for horror (in spite of a decent ration of gore) will be disappointed; those seeking a fast-paced comic romp with mild horror overtones will be ecstatic.

7.5 out of 10

When the body of a truck driver is found trampled in his truck, the burnt-out detective Dwight Faraday (Brian Benben) is assigned for the bizarre case. He arrives to the crime scene in a parking area with Officer Jacob Reed (Anthony Griffith) and their investigation discloses that the victim had left a tavern with a gorgeous woman and apparently had been trampled by a heavy animal in the truck cabin. Later, two other bodies of men arrive in the morgue in the same conditions, and the coroner Dana (Sonja Bennett) notes that all of them had erection in the moment of death, and Dwight notes hooves in the body. Dana investigates further and finds deer footprints and hair in the corpses. When Dwight and Reed talks to an Indian descendant in a casino, they unravel a Pohancan legend about a deer woman, half woman but having deer hooves and trampling men after seducing them. Without any other lead, they begin to believe that every legend is based on facts.

"Deer Woman" is a good episode of "Masters of Horror", with a funny story mixing humor and horror but also a very disappointing conclusion. The Brazilian Cynthia Moura is extremely gorgeous, actually one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, but she has no lines along the whole story. Brian Benben has good performance in the role of a cynical detective that sees the chance to motivate his career again. There is a great homage to "An American Werewolf in London", with the reference to a mysterious murder case caused by a wolf in Piccadilly Circus in 1981. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Lenda Assassina" ("Assassin Legend")

It's campy and sort of lame, but I was entertained, and that's all I could ask for! Made me laugh a few times too! And the lead actress is just drop dead gorgeous! Stunningly so! Fun aside, Landis references at least two of his other films - "An American Werewolf in London" and also "The Blues Brothers", specifically Murph and the Magic Tones!

John Landis has a fair amount of comedy credits to his name; Blues Brothers, Animal House, Kentucky Fried Movie. But his horror credits are kind of limited, mostly the video for Thriller, and An American Werewolf In London. This sums up the way that this episode runs. Deer Woman deals with a cop and his new partner working on a case involving a few guys who have been killed in a very violent trampling manner. They eventually learn that it's a half deer-half woman creature, a Native American myth.

The entire movie runs exactly like an episode of The X-Files. Rather, any of the funny episodes of The X-Files. It's very fun, but it's not very horrific. I think there was one good jump scare, but it was mostly just a lot of good quips. Very little else to say about it.