Haeckel's Tale

In the nineteen century, a man seeks help with a necromancer, asking her to revive his beloved wife. The woman advises him that the process could be dangerous, since she can bring the body back, but not necessarily the spirit and proposes him to listen to Haeckel's story to help in his decision. Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) is a cocky medical student fascinated with resuscitation. When the illness of his father becomes terminal, he travels to visit him and in his journey he meets the necromancer Montesquino (Jon Polito), who claims to have the ability to bring the dead back to life. While preparing to spend the night nearby a cemetery, the old man Wolfram (Tom McBeath) offers him shelter in his home, telling him that it would be very dangerous to stay near the necropolis. Haeckel accepts the invitation and meets his young wife Elise Wolfram (Leela Savasta). He feels seduced by the sexy woman, and sooner he finds her eternal love for her deceased husband.

"Haeckel's Tale" is a great erotic zombie tale and one of the best episodes of "Masters of Horror". The atmosphere is creepy, and the Canadian is one of the sexiest actresses I have ever seen. Her sensual "zombie gang bang" is morbidly fascinating and absolutely original, but not for conservative and bigoted audiences. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Terrível História de Haeckel" ("The Terrible Story of Haeckel")

'Haeckel's Tale,' one of the last "Masters of Horror" episodes to be released on DVD, is a strange concoction of contradiction. Plot-wise, the film begins on a serious note but dives further and further into B-level silliness; visually, the costumes and sets run the gamut from impressive accuracy to jaw-dropping cheapness; the FX have a slapdash obviousness (the puppet-dog in the basket to the 'budget zombies'); and finally, it doesn't seem typical of any party involved (which, in this case, really isn't a good thing). John McNaughton, pinch-hitting for George Romero, directs a script by Mick Garris, based on a short story by Clive Barker...it's hard to imagine where such a fine teaming would go wrong, but it does. After the introduction of a poorly conceived (and unnecessary) framing device, we focus on Ernest Haeckel, a young upstart med student with delusions of Frankenstein-ian grandeur; on the way to see his ailing father, he comes across an old man and his attractive bride, who has a strange fixation with the residents of the local cemetery. Even for a 60-minute episode, the plot feels stretched, and the twists and revelations run the gamut from dumb to simply insulting (the ending being the worst offense). While the faux-Hammer period setting and costumes would have made this one of MOH's more ambitious episodes, McNaughton and Garris ultimately transform a promising premise into the type of Saturday-afternoon cheese-fest Vampira would be right at home hosting.

The first 2/3 of this movie is really well done. It plays out like any solid fantasy/horror movie would. When it has to wrap things up, it starts to falter. Given the state of horror movies these days, however, having a good first 40 minutes seems like a significant accomplishment.

The story is about a man who goes to an old woman (a "necromancer") in an effort to raise his recently deceased wife. She warns him that before she does so, she must hear a story about a medical student named Haeckel from many years ago. The movie then picks up with the story of Haeckel.

Everything is done really well - the atmosphere, acting, storyline, etc. Unfortunately, in the last 20 minutes the story tries to inject more horror elements. It doesn't work and the story gets progressively worst and the characters less believable. (In fairness to Clive Barker, I'm willing to believe story probably worked well in print).

Many horror fans will find this step above most horror movies because of the nice setup - see it if that is good enough for you.

Young Haeckel (Derek Cecil) wants to bring corpses back to life after studying the notes of German doctor Victor Frankenstein. He fails in his early attempts, and then sets out to discredit the necromancer Montesquino (Jon Polito, who co-starred with Cecil in "Push, Nevada") who can accomplish the task with magic rather than science.

We start with a short story written by Clive Barker, who has made himself a living legend by writing "Hellraiser", among other things. Add a "bookend" story from Mick Garris, and you have a film. Not surprisingly, the part from Garris is weaker than the Barker core, but it is hard to blame him for trying to make this story fit into a nice package.

George A. Romero was set to direct, but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts. The opening credits still say this was "in association with" Romero, but his involvement seems minimal and what he added is unclear. Stepping into his shoes is John McNaughton, who had previously worked the horror scene with "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "The Borrower". (McNaughton may be a "master of horror", but he has never defined himself so narrowly, working regularly in cop thrillers and comedies, as well.)

McNaughton probably brought us some aspects Romero would have shied away from. Both have no qualms with gore, but McNaughton is more associated with sensuality than Romero, and that aspect of the film is a key aspect of the plot in the latter half. We know that McNaughton took over very early on, enough that he was taking part in the casting process. He also had direct input in the imagery, which was inspired by the artist Hieronymus Bosch and his "deadly orgies of skeletons".

Of course, he cannot take full responsibility for the success or failure of the picture. McNaughton says "the crew was like a locomotive", and although he was only on set for ten days, they had been working on the series for months and knew how to maximize their resources. There was not even time for rehearsals beyond a table read, so casting known variables was key.

Upon first seeing this film, viewers might feel that it is one of the weakest installments in the Masters of Horror series, due to the episode offering little excitement until the last ten minutes... which is then followed up by a "twist" ending that the audience should have seen coming halfway through the film. Repeat viewings might make viewers find something more. While it is true that the first half of the film relies heavily on retelling the Frankenstein story, which is well-established in other movies and not very innovative, the departure point is critical and the introduction of necromancy makes the film unique.

The acting is fine, even if Jon Polito goes a bit over the top. McNaughton personally cast Polito, a regular in his work, knowing what he was able to bring to the role. The costumes and scenery are very nice. The effort put into getting period-appropriate outfits is noticeable and commendable. There is also great work from special effects wizard Howard Berger, particularly the dead dog puppet. Berger has few equals.

For those looking deeper, you may find some interesting ideas touched upon, albeit briefly. There is discussion of bringing the soul back from the dead, and the declaration that animals have no soul. Haeckel finds this unusual, which seems out of character -- what use does a man without God have for a soul? And the idea certainly was not new. Many philosophers and theologians have declared animals soulless. George Hegel, in 1821, wrote, "An animal too has impulses, desires, inclinations, but it has no will and must obey its impulse if nothing external deters it." Haeckel also calls to mind the difference between religion and science, a "playing God" attitude that was largely absent in the "Frankenstein" story, at least in such a direct and blatant exposition.

The features of the DVD are impressive, with plenty of interviews and featurettes. Someone could dismiss the Masters of Horror series as a television show, but the DVD proves these are films in their own right. Sadly, the commentary from McNaughton is sparse, and there are too many minutes of silence. But he still adds enough information to make a listen worthwhile.

Haeckel's Tale is not directed by Takashi Miike as reviewed. It is John McNaughton who brought us Wild Things that did it. Haeckel's Tale, by the way, is based on a short story written by Clive Barker of the same title. If you are familiar with his work you'll know what to expect especially if you remember his one of a kind Hellraiser.

The last episode which was supposed to be directed by Takashi Miike was withheld from being aired by Shotime executives due to some scenes they were unhappy about. At the moment the 13th episode known as Imprint will only be available on DVD.

All in all Masters of Horror is a tour de force of horror on television. If you like a good scare, some laughs, action, nudity, rock music, variety and disgust this show's definitely for you. Lock the doors, turn off the lights and blast the speakers for a fun and thrilling ride.