"Masters of Horror" Jenifer (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Steven Weber (teleplay) and
Bruce Jones (short story)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

18 November 2005 (Season 1, Episode 4)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

While parked in a remote spot lunching Chinese food with his partner, Detective Frank Spivey saves a...

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Painful Sex | Marital Rape | Rough Sex | Gore

Cast

Steven Weber	...	Frank Spivey
Carrie Fleming	...	Jenifer (as Carrie Anne Fleming)
Brenda James	...	Ruby
Harris Allan	...	Pete
Beau Starr	...	Chief Charlie
Laurie Brunetti	...	Spacey
Kevin Crofton	...	Homeless Man
Julia Arkos	...	Ann Wilkerson
Jasmine Chan	...	Amy
Matt Garlick	...	Institute Guard
Mark Acheson	...	Side Show Owner
Cynthia Garris	...	Rose
Jeffrey Ballard	...	Young Jack (as Jeff Ballard)
Brad Mooney	...	Friend #1
Riley Ruckman	...	Friend #2

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Reunion Pictures

Trivia:

This was the only Season 1 episode to require cuts. 2 shots were removed from the final film, both involved graphic depictions of oral sex. The first one occurred during the sex scene in the car, and the second occurred at the end of the film. The deleted scenes are edited into the 'So Hideous My Love' documentary on the DVD.

Quotes:

Chief Charlie: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck with a meat cleaver.

Unconventionally Seductive... I'm Yours, Jenifer

A cop (Steven Weber) stumbles upon an apparent homeless man attacking a young woman (Carrie Anne Fleming) with a sharp instrument. After killing the man, the cop finds the woman -- who is deformed -- beginning to take over his life.

This movie holds two distinctions in the "Masters of Horror" series: not only is it probably the goriest episode so far, it is by far the most sexy. The gore is easy: entrails, a mutilated cat, cannibalism. The others in the series seem to lack these qualities. But the sexiness just oozes out of the screen, too. How can a woman so deformed be so incredibly alluring? I know I am not the only one who was physically attached to Jenifer in no time.

I suppose I should say something nice about the acting or directing. Well, they were both very nice. Dario Argento is one of the most legendary directors of all time, hands down. We see some similarities here between "Jenifer" and his oldest works. As usual, he really focuses on the colors and textures, and he has invited along Claudio Simonetti to do the score, which is crucial for an Argento picture. The plot unfolds more in keeping with "Sleepless" than "Suspiria", being much easier to follow for an American audience.

And the acting was good, perhaps great -- this was certainly a departure from another episode of "Wings". (See also the movie "Sideways", the actors from that second-rate show are finally beginning to blossom.) If I had to make a complaint, and I feel obligated to try, I would say the film is very predictable. I knew the ending before the movie was half over. You will, too. But strangely enough, I wanted the movie to be predictable... any other ending would have seemed just wrong and ruined the story. (As always, I won't say what happens.)

I recommend picking up the DVD as a "two pack" -- my copy has both "Jenifer" and "Pelts". There are really great featurettes on the disc about working with Argento and even an interview with the man himself. I can tell you from experience he's one of the more mysterious men in horror and hard to track down, so it's a special treat to see a featurette explaining his working methods and how everyone was able to overcome to language barrier.

I don't know what else to say... Gory, sexy... possibly the best episode I've seen in the series so far, although John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" gives Argento a run for his money. If you're going to watch "Masters of Horror" but don't know where to begin, I recommend "Jenifer" -- you'll become as addicted as I am.