Masters of Horror - The V-Word (TV)

Kerry (Arjay Smith) is a gaming geek who can't get enough of violent, blood soaked virtual battles on his computer. Justin (Branden Nadon) is his best friend, and the teens are always looking for real-life thrills in the small, nondescript town where they live.

One dark and bleak night, after Justin fights with his dad and Kerry dies a pixilated death onscreen, one asks the other: "Have you ever seen a dead guy?" to which the other responds, "A real-live dead guy?" And off they go to the local mortuary for an evening of funereal fun.

Justin's cousin works at The Collinswood Funeral Home, and he's supposed to be there to let the boys in for a private viewing of the broken body of their schoolyard nemesis, Billy Redford, who was creamed in a car crash. Cousin James is nowhere to be found, so Justin and Kerry let themselves in and begin to tour the dark, shadowy mansion.

As they walk, the boys talk and we get to know a little bit more about their families and why the two are such close friends. There's a lot of dialogue in this episode of Masters of Horror, but to me, some of it didn't ring true for teenaged boys. Yes, they do call each other "Dude" constantly, which is probably natural but not very entertaining to listen to; furthermore, it's never established that either teen is a fan of classic horror, yet they both quote dialogue from movies ranging from the 1930s to the 1960s (and even cite a TV sitcom from the 70s!). I just didn't see how these boys would have that frame of reference (and I did watch the episode twice, to make sure I didn't miss anything).

Jon Joffin's cinematography is brilliant, in that the setting is quite dark but we're allowed to see everything we need to. The music score, by Lomax, brings to mind classic elements from horror scores by the likes of John Carpenter, and Goblin. Visually and aurally, The V-Word keeps you on the edge of your seat — congratulations should also go to director Ernest Dickerson for bringing all the elements together, eking out the suspense nicely.

The acting is adequate, but two of the biggest names in the cast are used the least. Michael Ironside is a terrific character actor who does a juicy job as an undead resident of The Collinswood Funeral Home; and Jodelle Ferland, a child actor who is quickly becoming the Pamelyn Ferdin of her generation (how's that for an outdated reference?), is woefully underused.

The V-Word has a true touch of comedy (and its funny moments are genuinely amusing), but it's strong in the horror and suspense areas, with a welcome dose of atmosphere thanks to the superlative cinematography and score.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson