Discuss in Boards Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips"Masters of Horror" John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005)
| Photos (see all 2 | slideshow) | Videos |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Drew McWeeny (writer) &
Scott Swan (writer) ...
more
TV Series:
Original Air Date:
November 2005 (Season 1, Episode 8)
Plot:
With a torrid past that haunts him, a movie-theater director is hired to hunt for the only known print of a film so notorious that its single screening caused the viewers to become homicidally insane. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
it works because of Carpenter's faith- and tricks- with the material more (61 total)
Cast
(Episode Cast overview, first billed only)| Norman Reedus | ... | Kirby | |
| Udo Kier | ... | Bellinger | |
| Gary Hetherington | ... | Walter | |
| Christopher Britton | ... | Meyers (as Chris Britton) | |
| Zara Taylor | ... | Annie | |
| Chris Gauthier | ... | Timpson (as Christopher Gauthier) | |
| Douglas Arthurs | ... | Dalibor (as Douglas H. Arthurs) | |
| Colin Foo | ... | Fung | |
| Gwynyth Walsh | ... | Katja | |
| Christopher Redman | ... | Willowy Being | |
| Julius Chapple | ... | Henri Cotillard | |
| Taras Kostyuk | ... | Kaspar (as Taras) | |
| Brad Kelly | ... | Horst | |
| Lynn Wahl | ... | Cab Driver | |
| Brahm Taylor | ... | Protagonist |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
59 min | Germany:56 min (cut)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
Certification:
Germany:18 (cut) | USA:TV-MA | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-15 (TV rating) (self applied) (2008) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (self applied) (2007)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The newspaper columnist lives in a secluded house in Carthage, New York. John Carpenter, who directed the movie, was born in Carthage, New York. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Kirby visits Henri Cotillard's office in Paris, France. When Henri asks Kirby for the name of the film he's looking for, he puts his right hand by his computer monitor. In the next shot, Henri's arm is by his side. more
Movie Connections:
References Antikörper (2005) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (61 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Masters of Horror" (2005)Related Links
| Main series | Episode guide | Full cast and crew |
| Company credits | External reviews | IMDb TV section |
| IMDb Horror section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |



Cigarette Burns is one of the more entertainingly shocking little horror films I've seen in a while. It's only an hour long, but it still kind of sits well in that area between a short film and a 'real' feature-length film. If anything a story like this could be made into a slightly longer film (whether it would be better or give more chances for fright I don't know). But for TV it's pretty amazing stuff, mostly as it builds and builds in the climax. What was interesting too was watching the DVD extras and seeing Carpenter's own view on some of the film's clichéd sayings about how 'film can change you', which even he admits is BS. To him, the whole Le Fin Absolue du Monde part of the story could be anything supernatural (and its practically a retread of similar material from In the Mouth of Madness) or anything that keeps the plot moving along. It's a MacGuffin that does have a need to actually be seen by the audience- if not the audience's in the film then us watching at home- but when it is it's genuinely creative in an ironic way.
Norman Reedus proves he can act with a good script and defined character as a theater owner and rare-film buff who meets up with a spooky collector (Udo Kier as usual quite creepy and darkly funny in equal measure) who wants him to track down the obscure French film titled The Absolute End of the World, which only screened once to a violent crowd. But right off the bat things don't seem right as Kier's character keeps a living 'Angel' from the film's production with its wings clipped off. As Reedus goes deeper into the search, he then starts to realize its effect as it stirs up old rotten memories into his consciousness. Carpenter deals with the dialog scenes really quite well, and it's refreshing to see him direct more realistic scenes here and there as opposed to his recent films where style and flash trumps the words. And there really can't be enough said about Gregory Nicotero's make-up, which is there at best to totally supply Carpenter with what he needs to work off his visual scares.
And towards the end, as Kier finally gets a print of the film in his possession, it really is some of the more freaky, bloody, and unexpected scenes in a Carpenter work I've seen since the Thing just for sheer visceral impact. Without giving away too much, it does kind of border on the obvious of what might occur with some of the characters. But the way the actors pull it off corresponds well with how the 'MacGuffin' is finally shown, as a rip-off on pretentious violent art-film tripe that had me grinning as I cringed. Cigarette Burns is a successful little pot-boiler that probably might work better for Carpenter fans and those who find 'cult films' fascinating as the subject matter.