Gohanto Wow. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a story told this poorly since I was introduced to Uwe Boll. Not only does this story start off like a serious Frankenstein rip-off, but then moves into extreme b-movie ideas like a zombie orgy and the director doesn't seem to notice. Everything in the movie is played completely seriously. Evil Dead has about the same level of ridiculous situations, but that movie embraced what it was doing and made jokes and had fun with it. This movie does the same thing but thinks the audience is dumb enough to take it seriously. That and the classic "period on a budget" look that plagues most low-budget period pieces is fully obvious here. Super strong fire-lights with exaggerated flickering and moonlight simulated obviously by lights just-off camera as opposed to using larger lights further away which hides them better.Avoid if you are intelligent enough to read.

Claudio Carvalho 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")

Jonny_Numb '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.

Poe-17 Right off the bat ... I might unintentionally "spoil" something so keep that alert up all the way through this review. Do not read this review if you are allergic to "spoilers". This is, as everyone knows, a product of Showtime's "Carte Blanche" to the "Masters of Horror". Make your film. Do what you want with it. Go for broke. What director isn't going to rub hands together creating enough friction to ignite a "project" that would never make it to screen in any other venue? The director here is famous for coming out of nowhere and getting a high five for the portrait of a serial killer named "Henry". John McNaughton quickly established himself as a newbie to be reckoned with. Eclectic interests, bold and intelligent. So why would he sink to this level? Because he understands horror. Appreciates it. Embraces it as a medium to tell a tale. This tale (from Clive Barker's short story) is about raising the dead. You got two ways: science and magic. Science flunks, magic wins. That isn't a spoiler. That's a plot strategy. Telling this story on film becomes the challenge. It's a period piece which gives the director access to horrors that wouldn't work in prime time. The writer, Clive Barker, used the bookend strategy to safely transport us there and the film used the same dupe. It works, we're right there in that "era" that makes all the older horrors real and up front. It's all about build and many will be put off by "the build" but remember; this isn't a 90 minute movie, this is a one hour tale. It has little time to build to a quick payoff. "Masters of Horror" is an experiment in cinematic horror. A successful one. Many of these experiments better the horror coming out of mainstream, "theatrical release" horror. If you're familiar with horror you'll see the ending coming. But that isn't a problem. It isn't going for a surprise ending. Ending is payoff. It wraps up with a nice smack of the lips … yes. Will it weld itself to a list of the "top three horror films of all time!" … No. Wrapping this up, I have a question … how many horror films do you know that contain the dialogue (or something similar to) the following quote … "fornicating with the dead". Got a picture?See it here.Nice job.