"Masters of Horror" Haeckel's Tale (2006)

Director:

John McNaughton

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Mick Garris (teleplay)
(more)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

27 January 2006 (Season 1, Episode 12)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

While on his way to see his sick father, a man takes shelter with an elderly man and his young wife but soon discovers their horrible secret.

Plot Keywords:

Necromancer | Cemetery | Medical Student | Topless Female Nudity | Intestines

Cast

Steve Bacic	...	John Ralston
Micki Maunsell	...	Miz Carnation
Gerard Plunkett	...	Dr. Hauser (as Gerrard Plunkett)
Derek Cecil	...	Ernst Haeckel
Pablo Coffey	...	Chester
Jon Polito	...	Montesquino
Warren Kimmel	...	Faron
Jill Morrison	...	Rachel
Elizabeth McQuade	...	Young Woman
Tom McBeath	...	Wolfram
Leela Savasta	...	Elise Wolfram
Christopher DeLisle	...	Elise's Dead Husband

Directed by
John McNaughton

Writing credits
Mick Garris		(creator)
Mick Garris		(teleplay)
Clive Barker		(short story)

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
Nicholas Pike

Cinematography by
Attila Szalay		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Andrew Cohen

Casting by
Stuart Aikins
Sean Cossey
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
Mike Fields	....	on-set key makeup artist: KNB EFX Group, Inc. (as Michael Fields)
Cleo Gagner	....	assistant hair stylist
Sarah Graham	....	on-set key makeup artist: KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Amanda McGowan	....	assistant makeup artist
Adina Shore	....	key hair stylist
Margaret Solomon	....	key makeup artist
Calla Syna Dreyer	....	daily assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

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

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

Art Department
Nick Dibley	....	property master
Dylan Dowd	....	lead greens person
Les Ford	....	computer graphics designer
Jim Geddes	....	construction coordinator
Leesa Hanna	....	assistant set decorator (as Leesa McNalley)
John McIntosh	....	greensman
Jake Miller	....	assistant property master
Vicky Peters	....	assistant art director
Zbibgniew Scheller	....	construction foreman (as Zbish Scheller)
Regan Steele	....	set dresser
John Wilcox	....	paint coordinator
Cody Larson	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)
Sean McGee	....	on-set props assistant (uncredited)

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

Special Effects by
Jaremy Aiello	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Howard Berger	....	special effects makeup
Michael Deak	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Robert Freitas	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group (as Rob Freitas)
Derek Heselton	....	best boy special effects
Grady Holder	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Jim Leonard	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Gregory Nicotero	....	special effects makeup
Scott Patton	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Frank Rydberg	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group (as Frank Ryberg)
Andy Schoneberg	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group (as Andy Schoenberg)
Shannon Shea	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Wayne Szybunka	....	special effects coordinator
Mark Tavares	....	effects crew: K.N.B EFX Group
Veronica Torres	....	effects crew: K.N.B. EFX Group
Lino Stavole	....	special effects technician: mold department, K.N.B Effects Group (uncredited)
Lindsay Vivian	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Steve Au	....	CG artist
Matt Belbin	....	digital effects editor
Sébastien Bergeron	....	digital effects supervisor: Anthem Visual Effects
Annabelle Kent	....	digital compositor
Darren MacKay	....	digital compositor
Mladen Miholjcic	....	senior CGI artist: Anthem Visual Effects
Stephen Paschke	....	CG artist
Lisa K. Sepp	....	visual effects coordinator (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

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

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Auger	....	gaffer
Trevor Carabin	....	best boy lighting
Chris Cove	....	second assistant camera
Bradley S. Creasser	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as Brad Creasser)
Jeff Grimshire	....	dolly grip
Tom Kaczmarski	....	key grip
Christina Kasperczyk	....	first assistant camera
Lane Koch	....	first assistant camera
Diyah Pera	....	stills photographer
Dean Schwingboth	....	best boy grip
Richard Wilson	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Seth Hettrick	....	key rigging grip (uncredited)
Paul Matsalla	....	lighting technician (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
Marc Pollon	....	assistant editor
Matt Venables	....	post-production coordinator
Mike Williamson	....	apprentice editor

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

Transportation Department
Fraser Sutherland	....	transportation coordinator
John Swetlikoe	....	transportation captain
Duane Shearer	....	office driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Steve Best	....	assistant: John Naughton
Kristi Blicharski	....	unit publicist
Sheri Buckham	....	assistant production accountant
Genessa Davis	....	assistant production coordinator
Kathryn Drew	....	production accountant (as Kath Drew)
Shalia Edl	....	production coordinator
Gary Garfinkel	....	network executive
Kristin Harris	....	production coordinator: IDT Entertainment
Dave Harvey	....	assistant production accountant
Alison Hunter	....	script supervisor
Katy Lew	....	assistant to producers
Sheri Mayervich	....	location manager
Ross Redhead	....	assistant to producers
Zaida Rodriguez	....	assistant manager: IDT Entertainment
Louis Schwartzberg	....	stock footage
Dinean Stayk	....	assistant location manager
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)
Nadia Venesse	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mick Garris		creator

Makeup Department
Leanne Rae Podavin	....	special makeup effects artist
Sherry Van Gool	....	additional assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raj Uppal	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Martin P. Blaine	....	lead carpenter
Bill Morrill	....	lead carpenter

Sound Department
Kris Casavant	....	assistant sound editor
Dario DiSanto	....	foley editor
Talvinder Gill	....	assistant sound editor
Shawn Miller	....	sound mixer: second unit

Special Effects by
Ozzy Alvarez	....	lab technician: K.N.B. EFX Group
Jenny Wallace	....	special effects runner

Stunts
Byron Briscoe	....	stunt double
Clint Carleton	....	stunt double: Ethan Embry
Janina Dall	....	stunt double
Jim Dunn	....	stunt coordinator (12 episodes)
Ashlea Earl	....	stunt double: Bree Turner
Lani Gelera	....	stunt double
Jon Kralt	....	stunt rider
James Ralph	....	stunt double: William Forsythe
Jeff Sanca	....	stunt driver
Sharon Simms	....	stunt double
Eli Zagoudakis	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
John Brown	....	rigging lamp operator
Jeff Cassidy	....	second assistant camera
T.C. Chapman	....	rigging gaffer
Glen A. Dickson	....	camera operator: "b" camera (episode: "Deer Woman")
David Gray	....	still photographer
Gary Stamford	....	gaffer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dawn Grey	....	dresser

Music Department
Amanda Sobeck	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
John Sorenson	....	driver
Larry Tardif	....	driver: camera car and process trailer

Other crew
Ron Buck	....	technical advisor: military
Simon Chin	....	extras wrangler
Andrzej Dec-Williams	....	assistant location manager (odd episodes) (as Andrzej Dec)
Pancho Mansfield	....	network executive
Sandra Montgomery	....	script supervisor: second unit
Rainer Scheelisch	....	special equipment
Stephen Sobisky	....	interactive designer
Ryan Steacy	....	armorer

Production Companies

• British Columbia Production Tax Credit (with the participation of)
• IDT Entertainment
• Industry Entertainment
• Nice Guy Productions
• Reunion Pictures

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinemax (2007) (Hungary) (TV)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2008) (Finland) (TV)
• Premiere (2007) (Germany) (TV)
• SBP (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Showtime Networks (2006) (USA) (TV)
• Splendid Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Vertice Cine (2007) (Spain) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Anthem Visual Effects
• K.N.B. Effects Group

Other Companies

• Background, The  walla group (as The Background)
• Boardwalk Foley  foley artists
• Rainmaker Digital Pictures  film lab services (as Rainmaker)
• Rainmaker Digital Pictures  post-production (as Rainmaker)
• Sharpe Sound Studios  audio post production
• Thomas Cobb Design  main title design (as The Thomas Cobb Group)

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Germany:18 | Argentina:16 | Italy:VM14 | France:-12 (TV rating) | France:-16 (DVD rating) | UK:18 | Finland:K-15 (TV rating) (self applied) (2008) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (self applied) (2007) | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

British Columbia Production Tax Credit

Trivia:

George A. Romero was originally going to direct, but couldn't fit it in his schedule. Then Roger Corman was approached to helm the episode, but health issues came up and he was then replaced by John McNaughton.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wolfram brings Haeckel to the cabin for the first time, it's clear that there are no other cabins next to it. However, when Haeckel walks to the cabin in the morning after waking up in the graveyard, there is now a big rustic cabin next to Wolfram and Elisa's cabin in the background.

Soundtrack:

Hush, Little Baby

An Episode That Will Grow On You

Young Haeckel wants to bring corpses back to life after studying the notes of of the German doctor, Victor Frankenstein. He fails in his early attempts, and then sets out to discredit a the necromancer Montesquino (Jon Polito) who can accomplish the task with magic rather than science. Also, an old man with a young wife have a strange secret.

I originally felt upon seeing this film that it was one of the weakest episodes in the Masters of Horror series, due to the episode offering little excitement until the last ten minutes... which is followed up by a "twist" ending that the audience should have seen coming halfway through the film. I have since changed my mind. While it's true that the first half of the film relies heavily on retelling the Frankenstein story, which is well-established in other movies, 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, and the costumes and scenery are very nice. The writer, Clive Barker, has written much better things (like "Hellraiser", obviously) but this stands as a fine interpretation of his work. The directing, from John McNaughton, is adequate but nothing special. "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is classic, and "Wild Things" was sinister and wicked, but what else can you offer us in the way of vision? Since George A. Romero was originally the director but walked away, I wonder what that says -- is it him slamming the story or "Masters of Horror"? Them slamming him? Or just something that didn't work out. Though, frankly, McNaughton probably brought us something Romero would have shied away from.

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 wasn't 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.

If you're looking for nudity and gore (and you're watching "Masters of Horror", so I know you are) this will probably not disappoint you. Much later in the episode the nudity and gore are more extreme, even if some may argue the big reveal isn't worth the wait of 45 minutes of suspense. Others have commented on how incredibly attractive the main actress is, and I don't deny this, and will not dwell on it. I would be too easily distracted. My biggest concern with this picture, besides the predictable twist, is a serious continuity flaw in the actress's appearance at different points in the film, which I think was careless casting. But it's nothing so bad as to ruin the enjoyment of the film.

In my original review, I didn't recommend it, other than if you wanted to complete the series. Again, I change my mind. While the material is fairly light and fluffy (it's not an intellectual script), it's a good film to wind down to, and if you have yourself a tall glass of the Grand MacNish Scotch, you can really appreciate this one with a friend. Call it a guilty pleasure.