Fear Itself The Complete First Season DVD with Niall Matter, Margherita Donato, Valerie Womack (Unrated) +Movie Reviews

PRE-HALLOWEEN JITTERS

Mark Turner | 09/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A few years ago Showtime came across an idea that seemed to bear mixed fruit. The series was called MASTERS OF HORROR and what it did was take some of the top directors in the horror genre (including John Carpenter, John Landis and Stuart Gordon) and give them the opportunity to make an hour long horror piece of their choosing. Some resulted in truly inspired takes while others fell flat, like most episodes.

After a two year run the makers of the series took it to network TV at NBC and changed the name to FEAR ITSELF. The gore quotient dropped and of course most of the nudity as well, but the same idea and some of the same directors continued on. As with most anthology series, the episodes went up and down, good and bad. But for the most part, each and every participant delivered the goods.

This week Lionsgate is releasing the entire series of FEAR ITSELF on DVD. The series comes in an appropriate box shaped like a tombstone and the four discs included have some great things to offer scare fans. Consider it an early Halloween present.

The 13 episodes should find something for everyone from atmospheric pieces to out and out blood curdling, scream inducing chills. Directors include Stuart Gordon (THE RE-ANIMATOR), Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSHCHO), John Landis (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and several others. Rather than discuss each one, here is the best and the worst.

Of the 13 the weakest was an entry called CHANCE starring Ethan Embry. It tells the tale of a man driven by failure and poverty to make a decision that results in catastrophe. When Chance (the character's name) tries to sell an antique pot to a dealer, he discovers he's been had having paid much more than the dealer is willing to offer. As he is driven to the edge of sanity, he continues to see himself but separate from his own body. The doppelganger lives out his wildest dreams of revenge, killing the dealer and taking Chance down a road he shouldn't travel.

As the episode unfolds, Chance has a hard time differentiating between reality and fantasy, never quite sure who is pulling the strings. Is it the double he sees committing these heinous acts or is it really Chance, his mind twisted by desperation? The answer is not quite satisfying and the episode feels like it takes too long to go nowhere. But most episodes aren't of this quality.

Instead they're like the best one, SKIN AND BONES, directed by Larry Fessenden (THE LAST WINTER) and starring Ball State grad Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from the HELLBOY films). The story opens with an angry teen about to head out to the mountains in search of his father whose been missing since he left 10 days earlier with a group of friends. When his uncle and lead ranch hand tells him to stay the pair has words and the uncle decides to head out. But there's no need when the man returns, beaten and frostbitten.

But the man isn't the same as when he left. Hollowed out cheeks and razor sharp teeth as well as an uncontrollable hunger for meat make everyone wonder what happened. His wife, brother, two children and an Indian who helps on the ranch all look at him differently. The Indian begins to tell his brother about his uncle who did the same thing. Returning from the mountains a rage had overcome him and he was possessed by the "wendigo", a spirit who takes over its host and lives on rage and destruction.

Come on! You know this thing is in him and an eventual showdown between various characters is bound to take place. But Fessenden builds the suspense and offers a few extreme jumps to the mix, giving us a taste of gore but counting more on the slow unfolding of the story to drawn us in and releases our adrenaline for a rush only a scare film can muster.

The rest of the pieces offered here are all quite well made and involving in their own right. Sad to say, the show wasn't picked up after this season and another anthology series bit the dust. But DVD comes to the rescue again so that you can watch it over and over or just discover what you may have missed when it first aired.

As for the other episodes, here is the press release version of each:

EATER-Dir:Stuart Gordon

Rookie cop Danny Benderman spends the night in an isolated precinct guarding a serial killer who eats his victims and is intent on making her his next "meal".

THE SACRIFICE-Dir:Breck Eisner

Two brothers, along with some friends, end up stranded at an old fort and slowly discover that the three sisters who reside there are hiding a deadly secret.

COMMUNITY-Dir:Mary Harron

A chilling tale about a young married couple who move into a seemingly perfect, planned community only to find out the hard way that their neighbors will go to any lengths to preserve their twisted sense of perfection.

IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH-Dir:John Landis

A young bride-to-be receives a shocking note on her wedding day that reads "the person you are marrying is a serial killer".

SPOOKED-Dir:Brad Anderson

While on a stake-out in a haunted house, a private eye hired by a mysterious woman is forced to confront the demons of his past.

THE FAMILY MAN-Dir:Ronny Yu

The tale of a likeable family man who switches bodies with a serial killer after a near-death experience. Now he must fight from behind bars to keep the murderer from adding his wife and kids to the long list of victims.

NEW YEAR'S DAY-Dir:Lynn Bousman

Gruesome tale of a young woman who wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by horrifying zombies and struggles to survive the day.

SOMETHING WITH BITE:Dir-Ernest Dickerson

When a veterinarian is bitten by a large, strange animal brought into his clinic, he begins to see the world and his stale life differently.

THE SPIRIT BOX:Dir-Rob Schmidt

Two suburban high school girls who try to contact a dead classmate via a board game and receive an unexpected message from beyond the grave.

ECHOES:Dir-Rupert Wainwright

Steven, an affable, good natured young man, moves into an apartment where he believes he once lived...88 years ago in a past life. As memories appear to him like ghosts, he begins to believe that in this previous life he was a sadistic murderer. Or can he just be imagining things?

THE CIRCLE:Dir-Eduardo Rodriguez

A group of people meet every Halloween to tell horror stories and suddenly discover that they're living one.

With Halloween only a month or so away, this would be a great one to have on hand that most of the family could watch. But a word to the wise, watch each episode and decide for yourself which ones your child can handle. And remind them that the only thing they have to fear is...FEAR ITSELF."

Some might call this "MASTERS OF HORROR - SEASON THREE"

Saint Thomas | Kent, Ohio | 09/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yeah! You remember MASTERS OF HORROR right!?! Don't 'ya!?! It was a Horror show that ran on Showtime for about two seasons before is was cancelled. I never had Showtime but I sure as heck bought tons of the MASTERS OF HORROR movies (each one had it's own DVD release) when they came out. Yet, the show was given the axe before it could really take off. Sometimes it seems like every Horror show gets cancelled before it can build any steam. I guess audience members these days want reality shows, not psycho killers and monsters anymore.

Eventually series creator Mick Garris decided to shift the series to the TV network NBC and renamed it "Fear Itself." Thank goodness too because it's a little different. Naturally, some changes were made to the series that couldn't have carried over from the late night adult themed MASTERS OF HORROR show. The first and most obvious one was the lack of gore. Some of the episodes do actually push the envelope in terms of blood shed. People are stabbed, chopped and hacked like any other Horror movie, they just don't show the action shot like you would in an unrated film.

Some of my favorite episodes are "The Sacrifice", "Eater", "Skin & Bones" and "New Year's Day." All of which are really creepy, bloody and well done for regular television. Some of the other episodes come close to being great but don't quite match up to the better ones. Stories like "Community", "Spooked", "Echoes", "Family Man" and "Chance" are all equally weird and enjoyable, if not a little off base compared to my first four choices.

Then there are the real duds like "The Spirit Box" (an awful story about two teenage "goth" witches) and the strangely off the mark episode directed by John Landis "In Sickness And In Health." The episode "Something With Bite" starts off really horrible but actually has an interesting twist by the end. So I guess you could say it's half good. The same can be said about the last story "The Circle", which had an EVIL DEAD vibe to it but then dashed it all with bad CGI effects.

Over all this was a pretty good Horror series. It's not better than MASTERS OF HORROR but then again, it isn't the samething. This is FEAR ITSELF and nothing more. It's a little more risky with the blood and gore than your usual television show. Some of the episodes are amazing, others are just down right awful. Thats what happens with any anthology series. You gotta' take the bad with the good.

This is for fans of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, CREEPSHOW, THE X-FILES and TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE.

I hope I've been helpful."

Excellent series but beware of packaging

Donald J. Wurzelbacher | Cincinnati, OH | 10/14/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

""Fear Itself" aired on NBC for a short time and did not finish its 13 episode run but it is very well written and I was sorry not to have seen every episode yet. But it does make it fun to watch the DVD set now. The main thing I want to let everyone know is to beware of the packaging it comes in. First of all these are four double-sided disks. I never liked double disks because they scratch very easily, it's difficult to tell which side you're on, and it's easy to put finger prints on them. Also, they are more likely to have problems playing on a DVD player. Simply put, they are very cheap. Secondly is that they packaged in such a way that the double sided disks actually are placed on top of each other with nothing at all protecting them. That is extremely irresponsible of the manufacturer and shows how little they care for their customers. Upon receiving my set I immediately rectified the problem myself, hoping that it's not too late already considering that they could already be scratched. I put each of the four disks in their own slimline DVD case and then got on the computer and made my own DVD label for the series. Then I put the four cases in the bottom cardboard part of the original set because they fit perfectly inside of it. I strongly recommend that everyone do the same. I think you may be sorry if you don't. Although I enjoy the series, I am giving it only 2 stars because the packaging is horrendous and inexcusable. I've never yet seen packaging this bad and I've bought many DVD sets in my time.

As for the show itself, it's actually season 3 of "Masters of Horror" just moved from SHOWTIME to NBC so the stories had to be shortened for commerecials and the nudity was taken out and the blood and gore was lessened. But that's fine with me. Horror does not mean lots of splattered blood. Horror should give you some chills, give you an unexpected shock. That's what some of these stories do. If you enjoy horror I think you should try this out."

FEAR IT'SELF AKA MASTERS OF HORROR 3

fmwaalex | Austin, TX USA | 10/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"FEAR IT'SELF

This is the now gone and cancelled series that once was called "The Masters of Horror" on Showtime, they cancelled and on to NBC I believe it was we were treated to this. You could call it MOH season 3 or by its actual title "Fear It'Self" but what ever you call it once more it is great. Creator Mick Garris continued what he was doing with the original show by having well known directors and writers do the episodes, I wish it would have been renewed. To me there is no better way to tell a story as far as TV is concerned then in the anthology format. It seems more fun to have a completely different story every week, really is there any type of show that is better?

The DVD release is kind of a mixed bag since the DVD placement is weird; it is one of those flip side style releases with episodes on each side. The thing is all four of the discs are put on top of each other with nothing in between, two on the right side of the case and two on the left so the packaging could use some work. Also another kinda weird thing is that the episodes are not put in the order they appeared on TV, but that is not really a big deal since you get every episode including those that were not aired. There is a little something here for everyone from the non stop bloody to the more ghostly like tales, I am pleased with all although some more than others.

Episodes

EATER-this is a personal favorite of mine about a cannibalistic serial killer who is finally appended by the police. Thing is he as the ability to become who ever he eats if he eats their heart before it stops beating. This one is full of suspense and blood and is very very entertaining. Directed by Stuart Gordon and written by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech this tale revolving around the eater and a rookie cop named Danny Bannerman. She has her work cut out for her on this night.

THE SACRIFICE-written by creator Mick Garris this is another insanely fun one filled with great atmosphere and some kind of creature, perhaps of the vampiric kind maybe a monster or even demon. This story follows a group of friends who are forced to hold up inside an old fort of some kind after an accident leaves one of their friends unable to walk. At this fort which apparently is the home of three beautiful young women who are sisters they have the worst night of their lives. This episode is directed by Breck Eisner.

COMMUNITY-once again we are blessed with another great episode although this one reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode for some reason. But this one follows a young married couple who move into the perfect neighborhood. The thing is they actually do move into the perfect neighborhood and the people who live there will do anything to keep it that way. Starring Brandon Routh, directed by Mary Harron and written by Kelly Kennemer this is another fun one with a great ending.

IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH-directed by the great John Landis and starring two stars form one of my favorite shows ever "Psych" James Roday and Maggie Lawson, this one is a weird and crazy one. This one is about a couple who are about to get married when the bride to be receives a letter from a stranger that reads "the person you are marrying is a serial killer". Well what is a girl to do in this situation, watch and find out?

SPOOKED-this one is about a cop who once did some very bad things to some bad people and because of that lost his job. Now days he is a private eye who not only does his job but also turns on the client to make some extra money. Now he is hired by a woman who suspects some bad things about her husband, but during the stake out across the street from her house something strange is going to happen to him. This ghost story is written by Matt Venne, directed by Brad Anderson, and stars Eric Roberts.

THE FAMILY MAN-is possibly my favorite of all of the episodes because of the story and ending to it. This story directed by Ronny Yu and written by Dan Knauf is about a great family man who loves his wife and kids, and has a great job. But after a near fatal car accident with a killer he wakes up but not as him self. Turns out they have traded bodies and now they family man is going to prison for crimes he did not do. As for the killer he is taking over as the family man and living that life, with the guy's wife and every thing. Starring Colin Ferguson and Clifton Collins Jr. in possibly the best story on here.

NEW YEARS DAY-this crazy tale told by director Darren Lynn Bousman and writer Steve Niles is all about a girl that wakes up to a world over run by zombies and she has a hard time piecing every thing together. This is another one that has a wonderful ending and has a nice dark feel to it.

SKIN & BONES-this is another one that is up as a contender for best episode as writers Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan and director Larry Fessenden bring forth this tale of a Wendigo. For those who don't know it is a legendary creature most popular amongst Native Americans that lives in the harshest and coldest of places. In this story a man has been missing from his ranch for days when he finally reappears, but is he the same man that left or is he something a whole lot more sinister.

SOMETHING WITH BITE-written by John Landis's son Max and directed by Ernest Dickerson this one is about a pet vet who is bitten by something resembling a werewolf. As time goes on he stars to change and mostly for the better, or has he. This is a fun tale in the werewolf genre.

THE SPIRIT BOX-directed by Rob Schmidt and written by Joe Gangemi this ghostly tale is about two friends who try to contact the spirit world and stumble upon a message from an old classmate who died. This girl who committed suicide or so they thought is leading them to the person who may have killed her.

CHANCE- directed by John Dahl and written by Lem Dobbs & Rick Dahl this one is all about two that are one, if that makes any sense. What would happen if you meet the darker side of your self, this episode may just answer that for you. Another good episode that is worthy of this great collection.

ECHOES-is a wonderful episode about a young man that moves into a new place only to start having dreams about a man who once lived there. This man though was the opposite of our lead as he apparently was a murderer and his girl may have been one of the victims. As time goes on he starts to think he has more in common with this guy then first thought, and his girl may be in trouble. Directed by Rupert Wainwright and written by Sean Hood this is another like I said before fun one.

THE CIRCLE-this cool little tale is directed by Eduardo Rodriguez and written by Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech is about the roles changing from fiction to fact real fast on a group of friends. The synopsis says it best, "A group of people meet every Halloween to tell horror stories and suddenly discover they're living one." Another good episode that all should enjoy.

Each episode comes with a behind the scenes feature or making of type deal and is great for all fans of the show. There is not any episode I dislike and in fact I enjoyed all of them but like I said some more than others. For those of you who love horror like I do I highly recommend this, and to those who may not really like horror this may get you into it. This is a wonderful set and I am a proud owner of it, buy it now if you have not already.

"

The old dogs get outshown in the technical Masters of Horror

David J. Brown | 09/25/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or discipline to watch this show when it aired on Thursday nights on NBC. Only 8 episodes actually aired before it got cancelled. Typical. This show doesn't have a cast of youths(Supernatural, Buff the Vampire Slayer) and it's an anthology series which of late never seem to fair well. Is it worth picking up if you've never seen it like me? Yup it is, but surprisingly most of the good episodes did air. Also, surprisingly the younger directors of the series(Fressenden, Boussman) outdo their elders with their direction and story.

Not all the old dogs do bad. Stuart Gordon has the second best episode in Eater, about a lonely upstate jail playing storage to a Voodoo practicing cannibal. But unfortunately two vets provide the shows weakest entries. John Landis(American Werewolf in London, Animal House) gives the worst episode. It's about a bride to be who gets a note that reads, "The man you are about to marry is a serial killer." Fun premise with a singular location I was expecting some fun and witty Hithcock-like storytellings, but was very disappointed. What I got instead was a poorly acted, stilted, and hugely predictable tale. Landis does nothing in his direction to help Victor Salva's(Jeepers Creepers, Powder) script. I was looking forward to Landis' entry. His two Masters of Horror were pretty good. Deer Woman being very funny and twisted, and Family just being twisted. You'll forget his episode long before it's over. The second worst could be connected Landis as well, Something With Bite. It was written by his son Max Landis who also wrote the enjoyable Deer Woman. It was also directed by Ernest Dickerson(Bones, Demon Knight, Juice). At least with Dickerson at the helm I thought this werewolf tale would be at the least visually stunning, but wrong again. Though KNB's werewolf creation is pretty cool and does get some decent screen time. The whole plot is a retread of how good it is to be a werewolf, kind of like Teen Wolf, mixed with a whodunit murder mystery. Is out lead wolf the culprit? Who cares? The script is so half baked and never really goes in with an real innovation or depth for it to be worth it. The rest of the episodes are mediocre to really good.

The best episodes are as follows: New Year's Day, a zombie opus directed by Darren Lyn Bousman(Saw II-IV, Repo the Genetic Opera), Eater directed by Stuart Gordon(From Beyond, Stuck, Re-Animator, Dagon), and Feressden's(Wendigo) Fresenden's episode is a basic possession tale with a great lead creep performance by Doug Jones(Hellboy I and II, Pan's Labrynth). These are the three to watch immediately and make the set worth renting. Now there are three other tales that are worth checking out, even if they're not great, they're greatly done and entertaining. Dahl's film noir doppleganger thriller, with a great duel performance by Ethan Embry, is very well paced and directed. It's only flaw has to do with the story's final outcome. It's very by the numbers, but well done. Mary Herron(American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page, I Shot Andy Warhol) directs another tale that is half-baked but very worth your while. It's about a couple looking to start a family in the perfect suburb and end up getting more then bargained for. Brandon Routh(Superman Returns) gives a very good performance. Some of this episodes details regarding how the private community deals with those who break the rules are truly disturbing and unnerving. Ronny Yu's sould swap with a serial killer tale is well done and suspenseful, but again, if it had been feature length it would've had more time to develop and been more satisfying. Also, the ending seems to be a downer on the extreme without really earning it.

The rest of the episodes are not worth mentioning because they are fairly forgettable. Though, all episodes are well acted and directed with the exception of Dickerson's and Landis'. For each episode there's five minute behind the scenes segments revolving around the directors, similar to what you would find on the first season Masters of Horror DVDs. They're fun, but if you're interested, make sure to watch them after the episode, they do contain spoilers. I laughed to myself as the directors of each episode, except Stuart Gordon, all chime on and on about how horror doesn't need extreme violence or gore to be good. Yeah, okay, guys. It's just a sales pitch to get people who don't really like horror to watch the show. True horror fans know gorier doesn't equal better, but we also know it depends on the story being told and the tone of the piece. BTW for an NBC show this anthology series is fairly violent and there are gory moments to be found in almost all episodes. Stuard Gordon is the only one not selling and is actually frank regarding the limitations of fear storytelling on network TV. Though, I've seen CSI episodes and other crime shows more violent then this horror show. And it's more about the mood of intensity in regard to Standards and Practices. If you create a harsh and oppressive mood it scares the PC police, makes 'em sad. They want cuts made but they don't have a specific thing to cut. They just don't like the feel. Straight forward horror really can't fit on network TV in modern times, if you ask me.

Bottom line, you should pick this up. It's worth the money for the episodes I mentioned. You will be investing into owning some clunkers, but that's the case with almost all anthology shows. Not every Twilight Zone, Tales From the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stores, or Outer Limits was without their crappy episodes. Check it out."

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	Fear Itself The Complete First Season Actors: Niall Matter, Margherita Donato, Valerie Womack, Marie Zydek Genres: Horror, Television UR 2009 9hr 53min Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/15/2009 Rating: Nr
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