I'll be the last one to deny that Joe Dante deserves praise for films like "Piranha", "The Howling" and even "Gremlins", but his contributions to "Masters Of Horror" both rank among the lesser episodes of the series. This seventh episode of the second season, "The Screwfly Solution" definitely has its qualities, but it also lacks in many departments. The episode is based on the acclaimed short story of the same name by Alice Sheldon (written under her pen name 'James Trippee Jr.'), which I haven't read. For some reason, most MoH episodes that try to deliver something political seem to fail as true Horror films. This is also the case with "The Screwfly Solution". The idea behind "The Screwfly Solution" was probably to make a socio-critical comment rather than to deliver pure Horror or genuine scares. Maybe this was also the case with the story - as stated above, I haven't read it. The episode is about a mysterious, rapidly spreading virus that, for some reason, makes men murderously aggressive towards women... The episode is not terribly suspenseful, so there should be a message behind it. Now, what does this episode want to tell us? That there is too much violence against women, and that violence against women is bad? I agree, of course, as anybody in their right mind would, but I certainly didn't need a "Masters of Horror" episode to tell me that. Even worse, Dante throws in comedy again. Some female characters seem deliberately made to be annoying, and it sometimes seems as if Dante is unable to decide whether to make a comment against violence against women, or actually provide some understanding for the men's aggression. The episode is not without irony, of course, and, as stated above, it does have its qualities. It does make a point, even though, in my opinion, not a very memorable one, and the performances are good. English actress Kerry Norton is great as the protagonist, and the episode also stars none other than the great Elliott Gould in a supporting role. I wasn't so happy about the casting of soap opera actor Jason Priestley at first, but he is actually decent enough in his role. Overall, the episode has some qualities, as far as I am concerned, it is only recommendable to enthusiastic fans of "Masters Of Horror".
