Masters of Horror - Incident On & Off A Mountain Road (DVD)

It seems that no matter what they do, filmmakers just can't seem to create any fresh, true horror icons. Moonface (John De Santis) is super-cool and quite creepy, but I doubt he'll be back for any sequels. Nope, the audiences are still happy with Dracula, Frankenstein, Freddy and Chucky and apparently don't have room in their black hearts for anyone new.

True enough, Moonface is a mishmash of crazed killers we've seen before; but all put together in one package, he is mighty memorable. He lives way out in the woods in a remote spot flanked by a waterfall (not unlike the murder shack's locale in Dario Argento's Phenomenon), he's got a wicked bite (quite like James Bond's Jaws), he lives to post corpses as scarecrows and he hates eyeballs (reminiscent of Victor Salva's Creeper), and he enjoys torturing young women in the deep, dark bowels of his basement (take your pick).

Most memorable, perhaps, is our heroine, Ellen (Bree Turner), a survivalist who gets caught in Moonface's deadly web but refuses to stay there.

Incident On & Off A Mountain Road reteams director Don Coscarelli with his Bubba Ho-Tep author Joe R. Lansdale, and features additional writing by Stephen Romero (son of George? I don't know…). For those who already saw this mini-movie when it debuted on Showtime last year, there's some incentive to buy or rent the DVD — a few minutes have been added to the feature, and the disc boasts more additional release material than you can shake a custom-made knife at.

It should noted that although Anchor Bay didn't include captions for the hearing impaired, they have put spoiler warnings on all the additional release material. Curses and kudos, respectively. There's also a "collector's card" featuring an, um, unusual portrait of Coscarelli in a pencil drawing.

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Director Don Coscarelli and Short Story Writer Joe R. Lansdale

This is one of the more edifying commentaries I've listened to lately. Coscarelli quizzes Lansdale on how the original story came about, what his process as a writer is, and so on. For Lansdale fans (and who isn't?), this is a must-hear. Coscarelli conveys what it felt like to read the story for the first time. They agree that the story had real feminist bent, and since they both grew up in the era of the E.R.A., and have strong mothers, sisters, wives and daughters, it resonates with them. "Texas Chainsaw with a feminine approach," is how Incident On & Off A Mountain Road is described. Since Lansdale was on the set, they have a lot of fun, spirited recollections. It's also interesting to learn about Moonface's onscreen evolution, how his custom knives were made, and how De Santis was cast.

• "Predators & Prey – An Interview with Don Coscarelli" featurette

This nearly half-hour overview of the director's career in his own words features Coscarelli with film clips and horror imagery superimposed behind him — much nicer than the usual talking head against a blank wall. Coscarelli speculates on what makes his Masters of Horror episode tick, and how predators and prey can interact with each other with the horror genre. He delves into his early childhood (he was born in Libya, his family moved back to the States when he was a tot of two, and he grew up in Long Beach, CA. "in close proximity to the Hollywood studios, but far removed enough to enjoy a normal childhood."). He also talks about being "Force-fed horror by a local TV station that played old movies all day," but says that his earliest influences were sci-fi movies like Invaders From Mars, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.  He talks about his first movie, Jim The World's Greatest, which was financed with the help of his dad, Don Sr., and distributed with assistance from Charles Champlin, the famed L.A. Times film critic. Coscarelli acknowledged that horror is commercial, that's how his ever-popular Phantasm franchise came about.

• "Working With A Master: Don Coscarelli" featurette

Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), writer Joe R. Lansdale, Marc Singer (The Beastmaster), Angus Scrimm (Phantasm, Incident On & Off A Mountain Road), Bree Turner (Incident On & Off A Mountain Road), and producing partner Paul Pepperman, all talk about knowing and working with Coscarelli over the years. Singer perceptively says that Coscarelli's appeal as filmmaker comes from having the ability to "combine the fairy tale with the nightmare," while everyone else notes how gentle, soft-spoken and childlike he is in his enthusiasm for the genre.

• "Behind The Scenes: The Making of Incident On & Off A Mountain Road" featurette

This is a montages set to music, without narration any only peripheral dialogue. We get to see K.N.B. FX's magnificent corpses, scenes being shot in the cold Canadian nighttime, and plenty of dangerous stunts.

• On Set: An Interview with John De Santis

De Santis describes Moonface as "a mass murderer slash serial killer." Slash? Oh, you slay me, John! De Santis speculates on the baddie's backstory, and the behind-the-scenes footage shows his red contact lenses, badass costume, pointy teeth and spooky prosthetics. It was interesting to learn how his makeup was specially formulated to make his skin seem to reflect moonlight.

Also on the DVD:

• On Set: An Interview with Ethan Embry
• Commentary: Coscarelli, co-writer Stephen Romero, DVD Producer Perry Martin

• Trailers
• Still Gallery
• Don Coscarelli Bio
• Screensaver (DVD-ROM)
• Screenplay (DVD-ROM)

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson