Review - Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns

"La Fin Absolue Du Monde" - some films are meant to be viewed . . .

Ailing film collector, Bellinger (Udo Kier) has been searching for La Fin Absolue Du Monde since he missed it's original screening at a film festival years earlier. After the screening at the film festival, the entire audience went into a wild, violent frenzy and many people died or were severely injured. As noted by film critic, Meyers (Chris Britton) "We trust filmmakers. We sit in the dark, daring them to affect us, secure in the knowledge that they won't go too far....Hans Backovic was a terrorist. He abused that trust we place in filmmakers. He didn't want to hurt his audience, he wanted to destroy them completely." Seems to me that Bellinger would have been better served to leave well enough alone.

Unfortunately for him, he does not leave well enough alone and enlists the assistance of Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus) a widowed, recovering heroin addict who owns a run down old film house. Bellinger is very impressed with both Kirby's taste in films and his ability to track and recover rare items. And so with the help of a de-winged angel and the promise of a huge payday, he convinces Kirby to retrieve La Fin Absolue Du Monde for him.

As Kirby searches for the supposedly destroyed print, strange images in the shape of Cigarette Burns first plague his dreams and then his waking hours. After each episode he has, he realizes that bad things have happened. But this does nothing to prepare us for what happens during the remainder of Kirby's search as well as after he has delivered the goods to Bellinger.

This offering by famed horror director John Carpenter is my favorite so far. It beats out Incident On and Off a Mountain Road, but that is still in second place and holds a special place in my Masters of Horrors heart. Let's see what this week's episode, Pick Me Up directed by Larry Cohen has in store for us . . .

Directed by
Dario Argento (episode 1.04 "Jenifer") (episode 1.04 "Jennifer")
John Carpenter (episode 1.08 "Cigarette Burns")
Larry Cohen (episode 1.09 "Pick Me Up")
Don Coscarelli (episode 1.01 "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road")
Joe Dante (episode 1.06 "Homecoming")
Mick Garris (episode 1.05 "Chocolate")
Stuart Gordon (episode 1.02 "H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House")
Tobe Hooper (episode 1.03 "Dance of the Dead")
John Landis (episode 1.07 "Deer Woman")
William Malone (episode 1.12 "Fair Haired Child")
Lucky McKee (episode 1.11 "Sick Girl")
John McNaughton (episode 1.13 "Haeckel's Tale")
Takashi Miike (episode 1.10 "Imprint")

Writing credits
Mick Garris (creator)


Don Coscarelli (episode 1.01 "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road") teleplay &
Stephen Romano (episode 1.01 "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road") teleplay and
Joe R. Lansdale (episode 1.01 "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road") short story


Dennis Paoli (episode 1.02 "H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House") teleplay &
Stuart Gordon (episode 1.02 "H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House") teleplay and
H.P. Lovecraft (episode 1.02 "H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House") short story


Richard Christian Matheson (episode "Dance of the Dead") teleplay and
Richard Matheson (episode "Dance of the Dead") short story


Steven Weber (episode 1.04 "Jenifer") teleplay and
Bruce Jones (episode 1.04 "Jenifer") short story


Mick Garris (episode 1.05 "Chocolate") teleplay and
Mick Garris (episode 1.05 "Chocolate") short story


Clive Barker story (episode "Haeckel's Tale")
Matt Greenberg writer (episode "Fair Haired Boy")
Sam Hamm writer (episode "Death and Sufferage")
Sean Hood writer (episode "Sick Girl")
Shimako Iwai story (episode "Imprint")
Max Landis writer (episode "Deer Woman")
Drew McWeeny writer (episode "Cigarette Burns")
David J. Schow writer (episode "Pick Me Up")
Scott Swan writer (episode "Cigarette Burns")
Daisuke Tengan writer (episode "Imprint")
Steven Weber writer (episode "Jenifer")

Cast (in alphabetical order)
Angela Bettis .... Ida Teeter
Billy Drago
Carrie Fleming .... Jenifer
Chris Gauthier .... Timpson
Jesse Haddock .... Johnny
Jesse Hlubik .... Max Grubb
Warren Kole .... Walker
Laurene Landon .... Birdie
Zara Taylor .... Annie

Regular guests:
Jon Tenney .... David Murch (2 episodes)