Sick Girl

This is the tale of two rather off color people finding each other and staying together under very unusual and perverse conditions. I wouldn't label this as strictly a horror short...it borders more on black comedy and quietly pays tribute to the B-movies before it's time. The main thing it has going for it is that the two main characters (played by the fabulous Angela Bettis Misty Mundae) are extremely endearing and fun to watch go through the twisted hand fate dealt them. This is a very intimate, often hilarious and soulful film with a few solid creepy segments and an absurd storyline. Bottom line, it's enjoyable, quirky as hell and definitely worth watching.

Lucky McKee's "Masters of Horror" offering is a splendidly dark comic tale about an eccentric and frustrated lesbian, played brilliantly by Angela Bettis, who falls for a younger, shy, artistic girl (genre favourite Erin Brown, aka Misty Mundae).

Bettis' character is fascinated with all things creepy crawly. Her rented apartment is an insect paradise, containing all manner of bugs. This bug theme is played out to the extreme in "Sick Girl" with humorous and dramatic results.

Like all the "Masters of Horror" series, this episode has great production values and delivers far more than you'd expect from an hour of television.

Highly recommended.

Much like Landis' Deer Woman, Lucky McKee goes for laughs over straight horror. Sick Girls stars Angela Bettis as Ida Teeter, a shy, lesbian entomologist. She doesn't do so well relationship wise as her apartment filled with bugs is quite off-putting. That is, until she meets Misty Falls (Erin Brown) her new lover who doesn't get creeped out by the bugs. Unfortunately she gets bitten by a bug sent to Ida, a very mysterious bug that changes people's personalities for the worst.

McKee is actually a lot like John Landis, mixing gory horror with hilarious comedy. This works on a lot of levels, the acting is great (I love Bettis, she is an excellent actress), the humour is actually funny, the gore sickening and the monsters big and ugly. This episode is highly recommended.

4/5.

There is a certain unease to the supplements on the 'Sick Girl' DVD. Director Lucky McKee is strangely reserved in divulging the details of his life and career, as are the collaborators interviewed for the 'Working with a Master' featurette. It's not hard to see why; as many others (even "Masters of Horror" creator Mick Garris) have pointed out, McKee is a director with only one (publicly released) horror film to his name. Granted, that film is the stunning, oddly sad sleeper "May" (which even Roger Ebert awarded 4 stars), which contained a star-making performance from Angela Bettis (who truly lends professionalism and skill to an oft-derided genre). One should also keep in mind that McKee was added to the "Masters" roster when George Romero dropped out, and it is therefore not a matter of privilege, but necessity, that produced his entry, which plays runner-up only to John Landis' excellent 'Deer Woman.' As in "May," the director shows his knack for putting the veiled motives of human behavior and the complexities of relationships out in the open. 'Sick Girl' follows lonely lesbian scientist Ida (Angela Bettis) who is enamored of the mysterious Misty (Erin Brown, aka Misty Mundae, of "Duck!"), whom she becomes involved; Ida is in love with bugs, and when Misty is bitten by an 'aggressive' new addition, she gradually begins to lose her sanity. While the climax makes full use of the KNB FX budget, the episode is more engaging in the eccentric relationship these two women share, making the viewer truly care as things become increasingly weird. Save for a silly final scene, this is easily one of the best MOH episodes I've seen thus far.

6.5 out of 10

The lonely, shy and lesbian etymologist Ida Teeter (Angela Bettis) of The McNaughton Museum of Natural History is obsessed by her "pets", actually her collection of insects. She works with her colleague and friend Max (Jesse Hlubik), also her adviser in sexual behavior. Ida receives an anonymous package from Brazil with an unclassified insect but the weird bug breaks free from the box. Meanwhile Ida falls in love for the gorgeous Misty Falls (Erin Brown), who is bitten and infected by the bug and moves to Ida's apartment. When Ida receives letters from her former Professor Malcolm Wolf explaining how the insect reproduces and transforms the animals he bites, Ida is apprehensive about Misty.

"Sick Girl" is one of the best episodes of "Master of Horror" show. Directed by Lucky McKee (of "May") and with Angela Bettis performing another weird and eccentric character, the story recalls the sci-fi / horror genre of the 50's or 60's with eerie monster and lots of black humor. I was surprised with the extensive filmography of the good and beautiful actress Erin Brown, who is completely unknown for me. I believe most of her movies have not been released in Brazil, and this is certainly the first film that I see her. Surprisingly there are bad reviews in IMDb of this episode. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Criatura Maligna" ("Evil Creature")