"Masters of Horror" Dreams in the Witch-House (2005)

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
H.P. Lovecraft (short story)
(more)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

4 November 2005 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A graduate student questions his sanity after he rents a room in an old boarding house which was the residence of a 17th Century witch, and he figures out that the evil forces still roam within the walls.

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Rat | Nightmare | Baby | Old Man

Cast

Ezra Godden	...	Walter Gilman
Campbell Lane	...	Masurewicz
Jay Brazeau	...	Mr. Dombrowski - Manager
Chelah Horsdal	...	Frances Elwood
David Racz	...	Baby Danny
Nicholas Racz	...	Baby Danny
Yevgen Voronin	...	Brown Jenkin
Susanna Uchatius	...	Keziah Mason
Donna White	...	Librarian
Susan Bain	...	Psychologist
Terry Howson	...	Attendant
Anthony Harrison	...	Detective
David Nykl	...	CSI
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lance Gutterman	...	2005 (uncredited)
Andrea Marino	...	Voluptuous Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Gordon

Writing credits
Mick Garris		(creator)
H.P. Lovecraft		(short story)
Dennis Paoli		(teleplay) &
Stuart Gordon		(teleplay)

Produced by
Keith Addis	....	executive producer
Bo Altherr	....	producer: special features
Morris Berger	....	executive producer
Stephen R. Brown	....	executive producer (as Steve Brown)
Ben Browning	....	co-producer
Andrew Deane	....	executive producer
Mick Garris	....	executive producer
Adam Goldworm	....	co-producer
John W. Hyde	....	executive producer
Lisa Richardson	....	producer
Grant Rosenberg	....	consulting producer
Tom Rowe	....	producer
Pascal Verschooris	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Richard Band

Cinematography by
Jon Joffin

Film Editing by
Marshall Harvey

Casting by
Nancy Nayor		(as Nancy Nayor Battino)
Kelly Wagner		(as Kelly Martin Wagner)

Production Design by
David Fischer

Art Direction by
Don Macaulay

Set Decoration by
Ide Foyle

Costume Design by
Lyn Kelly

Makeup Department
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects artist
Mark Boley	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Mark Bolie)
Michael Deak	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Mike Deak)
Mike Fields	....	on-set key makeup artist: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Michael Fields)
Robert Freitas	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Rob Freitas)
Cleo Gagner	....	first assistant hair stylist (as Cleo Gagne)
Sarah Graham	....	on-set key makeup artist: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Dana Hamel	....	makeup artist
Grady Holder	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Jim Leonard	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Amanda McGowan	....	first assistant makeup artist
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects artist
Ron Pipes	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Frank Rydberg	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Frank Ryberg)
Shannon Shea	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Adina Shore	....	hair stylist
Veronica Torres	....	special effects makeup crew: KNB EFX Group, Inc.

Production Management
Margo Coughlin Zimmerman	....	production manager: IDT Entertainment
Sally Dixon	....	post-production supervisor
Marie Norton	....	administrative manager: IDT Entertainment
Stacey Jade Smart	....	executive in charge of production: IDT Entertainment
Pascal Verschooris	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karin Behrenz	....	third assistant director (as Karen Behrenz)
Mick MacKay	....	first assistant director
Ian Samoil	....	second assistant director
Yannick Leray	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)
Trevor Ralph	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Andrei Andrianko	....	assistant art director
Doris Deutschmann	....	art department coordinator
Nick Dibley	....	property master (as Nicholas Dibley)
Jim Geddes	....	construction coordinator
Leesa Hanna	....	assistant set decorator (as Leesa McNalley)
Jake Miller	....	assistant property master
Dylan Dowd	....	lead greens person (uncredited)
Les Ford	....	computer graphics designer (uncredited)
Robert Foreman	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Sean McGee	....	on-set props assistant (uncredited)
Matthew Power	....	leadman (uncredited)
Regan Steele	....	set dresser (uncredited)
John Wilcox	....	paint coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Anke Bakker	....	sound supervisor
Kevin Belen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jay Cheetham	....	background sound editor
Jacqueline Cristianini	....	sound supervisor
Kris Fenske	....	sound designer
Kevin Konarzewski	....	adr mixer
Jason Mauza	....	foley editor
Laurie Melhus	....	audio post coordinator
Iain Pattison	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean Raymond	....	foley mixer
Sebastian Salm	....	sound mixer
Paul A. Sharpe	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Paul Sharpe)
Colin Smith	....	boom operator
Matthew Wilson	....	sound effects editor (as Matt Wilson)
Todd R. Mason	....	sound effects recordist (uncredited)
Joshua Stevenson	....	assistant dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Derek Heselton	....	special effects best boy (as Derek Heselston)
Wayne Szybunka	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Corey Bastiaans	....	cg artist: Anthem Visual Effects
Matt Belbin	....	visual effects editor: Anthem Visual Effects
Sébastien Bergeron	....	digital effects supervisor: Anthem Visual Effects
Paul Chapman	....	digital compositor: Anthem Visual Effects
Craig Clarke	....	senior compositor: Anthem Visual Effects
Darren MacKay	....	digital compositor: Anthem Visual Effects
Stu McRae	....	digital compositor: Anthem Visual Effects
Lisa K. Sepp	....	visual effects coordinator: Anthem Visual Effects (as Lisa Sepp-Wilson)
Lisa K. Sepp	....	visual effects producer: Anthem Visual Effects (as Lisa Sepp-Wilson)
Lee Wilson	....	visual effects supervisor: Anthem Visual Effects
Mladen Miholjcic	....	senior cgi artist: Anthem Visual Effects (uncredited)
Stephen Paschke	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Jim Dunn	....	stunt coordinator
Jim Dunn	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Bradley S. Creasser	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as Brad Creasser)
Stewart Henshaw	....	best boy lighting
Kieran Humphries	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Tom Kaczmarski	....	key grip
Christina Kasperczyk	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Mike Kolafa	....	gaffer (as Michael Kolafa)
Dean Schwingboth	....	best boy grip
Peter Wilke	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Rob Cantin	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Chris Cove	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Ian Gariepy	....	grip (uncredited)
Jeff Grimshire	....	dolly grip (uncredited)
Seth Hettrick	....	key rigging grip (uncredited)
Jos Oman	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sandra-Ken Freeman	....	extras casting (as Sandra Ken-Freeman)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Leduc	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Richard Cordes	....	color timer
Andrea Dixon	....	color timer
David Reale	....	assistant editor
Matt Venables	....	post-production coordinator
Mike Williamson	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Mike Beckett	....	music editor
Lisa Brown	....	music supervisor
Jennifer Ross	....	music supervisor
Ed Shearmur	....	composer: main title music (as Edward Shearmur)
Happy Walters	....	music supervisor
James Fogel	....	assistant score engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Fraser Sutherland	....	transportation coordinator
John Swetlikoe	....	transportation captain
Vince Morden	....	driver: cable truck (uncredited)
Duane Shearer	....	office driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Barbara Barnes	....	assistant production coordinator
Steve Best	....	assistant to director
Kristi Blicharski	....	unit publicist
Sheri Buckham	....	assistant accountant
Andrzej Dec-Williams	....	assistant location manager (as Andrzej Dec)
Kathryn Drew	....	production accountant (as Kath Drew)
Shalia Edl	....	production coordinator
Tracey Gardhouse	....	rat trainer
Gary Garfinkel	....	network executive
Louisa Gradnitzer	....	location manager
Kristin Harris	....	production coordinator: IDT Entertainment
Dave Harvey	....	assistant accountant
Alison Hunter	....	script supervisor
Katy Lew	....	assistant to producers
Ross Redhead	....	assistant to producers
Louis Schwartzberg	....	stock footage
Alison Stephen	....	assistant to producers
Alison Stephen	....	script coordinator
Bonnie Sutherland	....	set supervisor
Stephen Tibbetts	....	stand-in (as Stephen Tibbets)
Raj Uppal	....	assistant to producers (as Rajvinder Uppal)
Steven Vlasak	....	operations manager
Desiree Zurowski	....	stand-in
Krista Johnston	....	clearances (uncredited)
Connie Rusgen	....	animal trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• IDT Entertainment
• Industry Entertainment
• Nice Guy Productions
• Reunion Pictures

Distributors

• Cinemax (2007) (Hungary) (TV)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2008) (Finland) (TV)
• SBP (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Vertice Cine (2007) (Spain) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Anthem Visual Effects
• K.N.B. Effects Group (special effects makeup)

Other Companies

• Aikins / Cossey Casting  casting
• BBC Motion Gallery  stock footage courtesy of
• Background, The  walla group
• Blacklight Films  stock footage
• Boardwalk Foley  foley
• Getty Images  stock footage
• Rainmaker Digital Pictures  post-production services (as Rainmaker)
• Sharpe Sound Studios  audio post production
• Thomas Cobb Design  title design

Runtime:

55 min | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Singapore:M18 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (self applied) (2007) | Spain:18

Company:

IDT Entertainment

Trivia:

In this movie it's the second time Ezra Godden has a character that wears a 'Miskatonic University' t-shirt in a Stuart Gordon film. The first one was Dagon (2001) where they both were involved.

Quotes:

Masurewicz:Are you having the dreams?
Walter Gilman:They are not dreams. They're real.

Movie Connections:

Version of Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)

Stuart Gordon Is In His Element

A student of Miskatonic University discovers that three planes in his room (which are completely non-Euclidian) allow a witch to enter his universe and try to steal the souls of children. Being the babysitter for one such child, he does what any good sitter would do and faces the witch.

Director Stuart Gordon and writer H.P. Lovecraft go together like dogs, a bottle of Wild Turkey and dead bears. Really, the only thing better than these two combined is the addition of Jeffrey Combs (who was sadly absent for this movie, despite being previously attached to the project). Gordon knows the mythos and he's not afraid to use it to his advantage while both updating it and making fun of it in a respectful way (underneath it all, this film and "Re-Animator" are both comedies to a degree).

The blood and gore in this were more than the usual from Gordon. While he has been known to have some very mutilated bodies, they do not often bleed. Blood is everywhere here as flesh is torn from bones and animals chew through sinew and muscle.

The main character, Walter, was great and I enjoyed his lack of skill with the ladies (this is what happens when you spend all day studying string theory, an aspect of the story that was cleverly updated from the short story). The old man (which was supposed to be played by Combs) was good, the witch very nice. Even the rat was pretty cool.

I can't talk about the movie much without giving it away (the best scenes are towards the end), but let's say if you like blood, nudity and Gordon's brand of Lovecraft, you'll want this in your collection. If you're a Lovecraft fan who worries about adaptations, I suggest a listen to the commentary -- Gordon painstakingly goes through the process of film-making and explains why things need to be changed as you switch mediums. (I found this the best part of the commentary.) "Dreams" is easily one of the best films in the "Masters of Horror" series.